Roughly 1,500 airmen who were based in Germany could have $4 million in housing allowance overpayment debts forgiven.
Those airmen — stationed at Spangdahlem and Ramstein air bases in Germany — had been overpaid due to a discrepancy on forms for personnel based in Germany, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said in July. One airman, who had been overpaid since he arrived at Spangdahlem in 2008, was overpaid $29,700.
USAFE last year asked the Air Staff in the Pentagon to consider forgiving the debt.
USAFE first said in a Tuesday email that the decision would be reached in a matter of weeks. USAFE later said that was incorrect and there was no timeline on when the decision will be made.
It "appears they are in the final stages of the remission of indebtedness decision," USAFE spokesman Tech. Sgt. Ryan Crane said in the email.
Maj. Bryon McGarry, spokesman for the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem, said that nobody has so far been made to repay anything.
"All outstanding debts are suspended pending [the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller Lisa Disbrow's] decision," McGarry said Tuesday. "Affected members have a debt noted on their leave and earning statements, but no funds have been collected by the Air Force to date, nor are there plans to at this time."
USAFE later said that the decision will also include a review by a remissions board.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
