Dead Soldier gets 1-Cent cheque from Federal gov't

[TOMapleLaughs]

Wow, bumped into this story from March 5th.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/dead-soldier-gets-1-cent-cheque-from-federal-government-1.2559809

The mother of a Hamilton soldier who committed suicide over two years ago is incensed that the federal government sent her dead son a cheque for one cent just a few days ago.

Cpl. Justin Stark, an infantry soldier with the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, killed himself in the John W. Foote VC Armouries in Hamilton in October 2011. He was 22 years old.

Starks mother Denise received a cheque in the mail from the federal government a few days ago presumably for owed military pay said Keven Ellis, the president of the North Wall Riders Association, a motorcycle club that supports soldiers and their families with fundraising and events.

Its humiliating and degrading, said Ellis, who is speaking on behalf of the family as Starks mother is just too distraught.

It took the wind out of her sails. Its been 2½ years and she gets a cheque in the mail from the government addressed to her son for one cent? This woman lost her son, and it seems like all these things keep falling on her.

Stark began a seven-month tour in Afghanistan in May 2010 after being a part of the armouries in Hamilton for four years. His duties included patrols of Nakhonay, a village southwest of Kandahar city.

His mother has been dealing with military tribunals for years to determine whether or not his death was work related. All that stress has crippled her emotionally, Ellis said. She still visits his grave every single day.

Every day is a major struggle for her. To lose her son like that is devastating, he said.

During question period in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek MP Wayne Marston asked how this could have happened.

After all his mother has gone through, this is inexcusable. Mr. Minister, Marston said. What will be done to ensure that this will never happen to another grieving mother again?

Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson said he agreed the situation was absolutely ridiculous.

I extend the apologies of everyone in the government to his mother. And we thank this individual for the service that he gave his country, he said.

That being said, Mr. Speaker, this is an insensitive bureaucratic screw-up. Ive just learned of it now and I will take steps immediately to ensure that something like this should never happen again.

Ellis told CBC News that the Stark family is looking for action, not apologies.

If it had been in the first year, she would have understood. But this is inexcusable, he said.

At the end of the day, this is a young man who defended our country. He deserves better.

Apologies were later delivered over the phone.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/rob-nicholson-to-apologize-for-dead-soldier-s-1-cent-cheque-1.2561522

But this isn't the only one-cent cheque sent out to a Canadian Forces member in recent months.

Kelly Carter, a Canadian Forces member from Alberta, sent CBC News a copy of a nearly identical cheque for a penny he received in January. It's also marked "CF Release Pay," just like the cheque sent to Stark.

"I dont believe anything the Canadian Forces say, they lie through their teeth," Carter said in an email. "Staff tell Ministers lip service to make them happy, but the same problems resurface again. What a waste of time, money, resources and paper."

Meanwhile, Scotiabank reports that many companies have costs that range from $15-$25 per cheque, with some as high as $50 or more to issue each cheque.

To send a penny cheque to a grieving mother is just thoughtless and heartless, but aside from that, anyone else receive cheques that amount to pennies from the feds or any other institution and think, "What a waste!" ???

It is.

[thejazz97]

It sucks. You can't even get anything for that as the penny's gone.

[Lockout Casualty]

While a sad story and all, is it really news? In all likelihood, the check was issued automatically and no bureaucrat had any direct involvement. Is it shtty for the mother? Of course, but let's not get bent out of shape here.

If anything, this story should be presented to the chicken hawks that insist we get involved in conflicts halfway around the world in the first place. Put your own parents through this, fking cowards.

[elvis15]

While not military related and not nearly as insensitive, I got a letter from ICBC last summer to tell me that I had overpaid for insurance on a truck I hadn't owned for a couple of years due to an incorrect vehicle description. The kicker? I had only overpaid by $4 ($4.30 after interest) and ICBC doesn't mail refunds less than $5 due to the cost of the envelope, stamp, etc...

Thanks for spending money to mail me a letter about a refund only to tell me you won't give me the refund because mailing it costs too much..

Long story short, big entities do stupid things that a small company with more human interaction would clearly see was stupid.

[Baer.]

The check it was printed on cost more than $0.01! How did anybody not look at these check and ask "wtf is going on?".

[Lockout Casualty]

While not military related and not nearly as insensitive, I got a letter from ICBC last summer to tell me that I had overpaid for insurance on a truck I hadn't owned for a couple of years due to an incorrect vehicle description. The kicker? I had only overpaid by $4 ($4.30 after interest) and ICBC doesn't mail refunds less than $5 due to the cost of the envelope, stamp, etc...

Thanks for spending money to mail me a letter about a refund only to tell me you won't give me the refund because mailing it costs too much..

Long story short, big entities do stupid things that a small company with more human interaction would clearly see was stupid.

That's not actually that stupid. Cheques cost a lot to issue, a lot more than it does to deliver them. What's dumb is that we're not all using e-mail for official correspondence.

The $.01 cheque is dumb on the surface, but as I said, it's probably issued automatically. As such, it may waste a few bucks to issue this cheque by error (not really an error, just bad design), but automating the process saves money overall.

[TOMapleLaughs]

While not military related and not nearly as insensitive, I got a letter from ICBC last summer to tell me that I had overpaid for insurance on a truck I hadn't owned for a couple of years due to an incorrect vehicle description. The kicker? I had only overpaid by $4 ($4.30 after interest) and ICBC doesn't mail refunds less than $5 due to the cost of the envelope, stamp, etc...

Thanks for spending money to mail me a letter about a refund only to tell me you won't give me the refund because mailing it costs too much..

Long story short, big entities do stupid things that a small company with more human interaction would clearly see was stupid.

LMAO!

[Green Building]

That is both inexcusable and pathetic.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

This just terrible. Both for the families going through it and for taxpayers money.

[Gurn]

So the next time I buy ICBC insurance should I short pay them $4.95 ?

[elvis15]

That's not actually that stupid. Cheques cost a lot to issue, a lot more than it does to deliver them. What's dumb is that we're not all using e-mail for official correspondence.

The $.01 cheque is dumb on the surface, but as I said, it's probably issued automatically. As such, it may waste a few bucks to issue this cheque by error (not really an error, just bad design), but automating the process saves money overall.

It is stupid when they could have included the correspondence in my renewal notice, or just applied a credit on my next renewal. Hell, I would have been happier not knowing and saving them wasting money on the letter.

I agree these things happen automatically (computers are only as smart as people tell them to be) but one of the first things I would program is a filter where any cheque meeting a certain criteria (i.e. under minimum amount) should be flagged for review.

[surtur]

Wow, bumped into this story from March 5th.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/dead-soldier-gets-1-cent-cheque-from-federal-government-1.2559809

Apologies were later delivered over the phone.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/rob-nicholson-to-apologize-for-dead-soldier-s-1-cent-cheque-1.2561522

Meanwhile, Scotiabank reports that many companies have costs that range from $15-$25 per cheque, with some as high as $50 or more to issue each cheque.

To send a penny cheque to a grieving mother is just thoughtless and heartless, but aside from that, anyone else receive cheques that amount to pennies from the feds or any other institution and think, "What a waste!" ???

It is.

Smallest check I ever got was 3.27$ from the government.. I never cashed it

[Sir Lord Baltimore]

Smallest check I ever got was 3.27$ from the government.. I never cashed it

Always take the governments money, they won't hesitate to take yours.

[:D]

I got a cheque for 50 cents from BCLC once.

[:D]

Things like this are bound to happen with large, bureaucratic companies that have a lot of moving parts. One day an account was opened for this soldier and has to be opened with a monetary amount (the single cent). The account was never serviced and after his suicide had to be closed.

I can see where a company automatically dispatches a cheque for whatever is in the account. It is an easy fix after an incident like this but to say a person cannot understand how it happened is ridiculous.

Ellis told CBC News that the Stark family is looking for action, not apologies.

Tough. Be glad you got the apology.

[bigbadbob]

Speaking of slow moving machines, the story was from March 5 . . . . . . 2014!!! ;-)

[drummer4now]

Speaking of slow moving machines, the story was from March 5 . . . . . . 2014!!! ;-)

I was just going to mention that..

[butters]

one of the first things I would program is a filter where any cheque meeting a certain criteria (i.e. under minimum amount) should be flagged for review.

Congratulations! you have now programmed a filter. But since you didn't bother to build the communication layer with the banks or the interface for data entry or several other much more important things first the filter is useless. Can't even test it!

[Offensive Threat]

That is both inexcusable and pathetic.

This just terrible.

The check was sent by a machine so you can forgive it for being heartless and insensitive.

[elvis15]

Speaking of slow moving machines, the story was from March 5 . . . . . . 2014!!! ;-)

sigh...

OP, why are you even bringing this up if it's over a year old? It might even have been posted and archived already...

Congratulations! you have now programmed a filter. But since you didn't bother to build the communication layer with the banks or the interface for data entry or several other much more important things first the filter is useless. Can't even test it!

What the hell are you talking about? The company's (government, ICBC, etc.) computers pop with a notification about a potential refund, then compares that to the rules they have in place to filter whether a refund is issued, a letter is sent without a refund, nothing is done, or some other action. The banks aren't even involved prior to the filter being checked, and only need to be once the decision to issue a refund is granted. And if there was a manual interface for 'data entry' - whatever that means to you, I'm pretty sure it's either A.) not checking for anything like one cent cheques being sent out, or B.) useless in the system we're talking about until after a filter could have already taken place.

Clearly in my example, if they don't issue refunds for anything less than $5, then the filter would give the alternative to package a letter in their next renewal notice. Interest wouldn't be an issue, since they weren't going to issue the refund anyway, and they can still let me know about the error.