Will I have to pay for COT?

jentrump29 · Nov 18, 2009

http://www.au.af.mil/au/holmcenter/OTS/COT-RCOT/additionalinfo.asp#a2

See if that link works...it's the FAQ page on the COT website. You will have to buy uniforms (about $2000), and the rest of the stuff just adds up (the site breaks it down for you). There's an option to apply for a military star card once you get there. I think that gives you up to a $500 credit limit.

Once you get orders, you can apply for a "career starter loan" with USAA. This is a personal unsecured loan up to $25,000. Interest rate is 4.9% and you have 5 years to pay it off. All you have to do is establish a checking account with them and your military paycheck has to be direct deposited there. If you want more info, the number is 1-800-531-USAA. Hope that helps!!

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2009

You will not have to pay for COT but as jenhasredhair stated you will have to buy your uniforms etc. Most officers do not buy it all at once but only get what they need to start, ie 2 sets of ABU's vs 4, 1 pair of boots vs 2, etc. and buy more as they go along. Try to get in contact with some recent COT graduates to find out what you will need right away and what can wait.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2009

I just graduated COT yesterday. I'm in Pensacola, on my way to San Antonio (I stopped in FL for sentimental reasons - it's only about a half hour out of my way and I used to live here!).

Expect to spend about two grand to two and a half grand on uniforms - and yes, they will make you buy everything at once, not over time (you're only there five weeks). I bought everything before I went and had everything sewn on and altered - and boy, after I saw the problems everyone else had I was very glad I did.

Also - please believe me when I say you need to bring between two and three hundred dollars CASH MONEY (there is a security drawer in your room that you can put a small padlock on). You get nickeled and dimed to death down there and the ATMs are notoriously unreliable. Also, they WILL screw your pay up (I'll explain why eventually - long and stupid story; this is NOT unique to my COT class) - when we left there were still folks who had yet to be paid, so I'd have some money readily available in another account.

I'm going to post a good, long column in a couple of parts about my experience over the next few days while I'm en route to TX. I've also thought about starting a Q & A posting here if anyone's interested.

allnurses Guide · Nov 22, 2009

I just graduated COT yesterday. I'm in Pensacola, on my way to San Antonio (I stopped in FL for sentimental reasons - it's only about a half hour out of my way and I used to live here!).
Expect to spend about two grand to two and a half grand on uniforms - and yes, they will make you buy everything at once, not over time (you're only there five weeks). I bought everything before I went and had everything sewn on and altered - and boy, after I saw the problems everyone else had I was very glad I did.
Also - please believe me when I say you need to bring between two and three hundred dollars CASH MONEY (there is a security drawer in your room that you can put a small padlock on). You get nickeled and dimed to death down there and the ATMs are notoriously unreliable. Also, they WILL screw your pay up (I'll explain why eventually - long and stupid story; this is NOT unique to my COT class) - when we left there were still folks who had yet to be paid, so I'd have some money readily available in another account.
I'm going to post a good, long column in a couple of parts about my experience over the next few days while I'm en route to TX. I've also thought about starting a Q & A posting here if anyone's interested.

Are they still having problems with prior enlisted getting the right pay, and the military trained PAs not getting paid?

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Nov 29, 2009

NO ONE is paid correctly - prior, nonprior, it didn't matter - if you were active duty, your pay was completely screwed up. There were five people in my class who, as of three days prior to graduation, STILL hadn't been paid a dime!

Maxwell is not permitted to build pay profiles, and no one knows why. I've asked lt cols, Lts, capts, sergeants, personnelists on both sides of the house, folks at Lackland - everyone short of the AETC IG (who is going to hear from me on this issue - what can a nicely worded, professional letter to the IG hurt - I hope it helps someone else out), and no one knows the answer.

Personally, as of right now, I'm owed THREE GRAND in back pay, and I've been told I won't be paid on the first.

SeekirRN · Nov 29, 2009

In regards to pay...ugh..what a nightmare! I was a Finance technician before I separated. I will attempt to describe why pay is such an issue when you first get in.

First off, you must remember that pay is an entirely different system then any other. Your pay record will have to be built. Base Finance offices do not have this capability, only DFAS does (in laymans terms this would be like a regional finance office). This takes months to usually complete. In the meantime, to get you some sort of pay once you get to COT, the Finance Office will manually pay you. Keep in mind their are hundreds of people they must pay this way so to make it simple and in order to get it done in time they just take a set amount and pay that to everyone (do not compare your pay to others...different technicians might have computed your manual pays, etc.). This amount is usually way lower than what you are supposed to get. They do this so they will not overpay you and cause a debt. Keep in mind that everyone has different pay (time in service, grade, state tax, federal tax, etc.). They pay you this way until the DFAS builds your pay record. At that moment, all the correct pays you were supposed to get is paid out (minus what manual payments they have paid to you). So expect a nice chunk of change for most of you.

Basically, expect pay issues to occur for about the first 4-6 months that you are in. Plan ahead...do not expect to get your correct pay right away...this will not happen.

Hope this helps clarify why everyone has pay issues during COT.

hopeful_army_NP · Nov 30, 2009

Thanks for the info, I guess I can assume the same for OBLC, kind of worrisome but good to know.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2009

In regards to pay...ugh..what a nightmare! I was a Finance technician before I separated. I will attempt to describe why pay is such an issue when you first get in.
First off, you must remember that pay is an entirely different system then any other. Your pay record will have to be built. Base Finance offices do not have this capability, only DFAS does (in laymans terms this would be like a regional finance office). This takes months to usually complete. In the meantime, to get you some sort of pay once you get to COT, the Finance Office will manually pay you. Keep in mind their are hundreds of people they must pay this way so to make it simple and in order to get it done in time they just take a set amount and pay that to everyone (do not compare your pay to others...different technicians might have computed your manual pays, etc.). This amount is usually way lower than what you are supposed to get. They do this so they will not overpay you and cause a debt. Keep in mind that everyone has different pay (time in service, grade, state tax, federal tax, etc.). They pay you this way until the DFAS builds your pay record. At that moment, all the correct pays you were supposed to get is paid out (minus what manual payments they have paid to you). So expect a nice chunk of change for most of you.
Basically, expect pay issues to occur for about the first 4-6 months that you are in. Plan ahead...do not expect to get your correct pay right away...this will not happen.
Hope this helps clarify why everyone has pay issues during COT.

The reason I struggle with all of this is Lackland AFB and ALL BOT trainees - to include nonpriors - do NOT experience the same pay issues. I was at Lackland for six weeks in BMT and never had a pay issue during my entire enlisted career. (And I was in in 1996!) Lackland processes thousands of trainees a year without the problems they have at Air University, and this was confirmed during my research by talking to personnelists who have worked at both installations.

I was told by the Director of Finance and the NCOIC that the problem is a lack of an authority for Maxwell AFB to build pay profiles (essentially they are unable to impart the necessary information to DFAS in SD or CO or wherever they are), and that the commander of OTS is aware - yet it never ever changes. Lackland has the authority to communicate directly with DFAS (I was told this by Lackland finance on Wednesday). I'm certainly not discounting your information - I've heard it all before - but if someone could explain why Lackland does not have this problem or this lack of authority and yet the second largest basic training installation in the USAF does, I'd be happy, because quite frankly, it's inexcusable.

Straight out of BMT, new airmen are paid correctly. New officers are not unless you're a commission straight out of active duty. The Reservists at COT did not have this problem; they were paid correctly and on time. So were the ANG folks. The direct accession folks are the ones who get the shaft.

Two days before graduation, seven people in my flight had received nothing. There's no reason for that. That's the problem - these are people with bills, with children, with mortgages, not a bunch of eighteen year olds. There's no reason for me to be three grand in the hole with the Air Force and it's ridiculous for me to be told by finance (which I have been) that I may continue to be $1200 in the hole EVERY MONTH for four or five additional months. They can switch direct deposit in five duty days; there shouldn't be a forty-five day wait (!!!) to build a pay profile. I know DOD is the nation's largest employer, but it's still crazy.

Essentially every month I'm giving the Feds an interest free loan which I will pay for in the end - in the form of a huge tax hit when they finally pay me all the back pay I'm owed. Completely unfair.

Sorry, but they're screwing people's bank accounts up and no one is forewarned before arrival at COT. You should have seen the panic for some people.

I'm also going to contact HQ Recruiting Command at I believe it's Randolph as the recruiters NEED to tell people this. I don't care how many it runs off - the direct accessions NEED TO BE TOLD this information, which is why I've made sure it hits this message board. No one was aware of this - and I polled every single person in my COT class who was a direct accession TO active duty (I was the wing administrative officer and therefore had this opportunity and capability). Not a one was aware of potential pay problems in advance.

I shall now step off my soapbox. :)

rghbsn, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2009

seekir

Your post is helpful, but that doesn't mean it's right to expect people to "plan ahead" for their pay being wrong. It's not your fault, and I am not picking on you, I'm just saying...people are not starting a new career because they are rich and can afford to be paid wrong for a half a year. At this point, it make me want to delay heading to COT so that I can make sure I have money saved to cover the bills I'll have. I'm pretty sure that GMAC doesn't care that it happens to "everyone"...they just want my payment. And I'd hate to report to my unit and end up in jail because child support couldn't be paid.

None of those are honest examples in my case, but they are legit possibilities for someone. It's bad enough that you're expected to pay for your uniforms up front, in my opinion, but then to screw up your pay from day one is just wrong.

allnurses Guide · Nov 30, 2009

It would be one thing if this pay issue was a new thing, but this has been going on well over 8 yrs. I had a PA in my COT flight that hadn't been paid in over 6mo when he got to COT (PAs often report to their permanent duty station before going to COT).

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2009

Exactly. They're expecting people to work for free - and NO ONE does that. Even CONGRESS shuts down when they run out of money....

Know what it sounds like? It sounds as though these problems started when OTS/COT officially left Lackland!!!