Can my commander order me to turn in a copy of my LES to the orderly room? | AskTOP.net – Leader Development for Army Professionals

Can my commander order me to turn in a copy of my LES to the orderly room?

Can unit leadership require every Soldier to provide a copy of their LES to the orderly room every month?

The comprehensive guide to the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP)

The short answer is “YES.”

In the old days prior to the Internet, LES statements were delivered via the fiance office to the orderly room.  From there they were checked by unit leadership to ensure people were receiving the proper amount of pay and entitlements, and to verify leave balances.  Nowadays I believe this information is available in a Commander’s roll up report.

There is nothing against the unit requiring Soldiers to provide a copy of their LES. Your LES is an official military document. Think of it as an employer reviewing pay stubs. This allows the commander to ensure leave is accurate, any special pay is accurate, etc.
However, the command CANNOT force you to provide your personal banking information (bank statements, personal loans, etc) or any additional information about any personal allotments on your LES besides the amount. You can provide your personal finance information voluntarily if asked by your command, but you cannot be forced.

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Mark is a Retired Command Sergeant Major with 26 years of military leadership experience. He held 3 military occupational specialties (Field Artillery, Nuclear Weapons Tech, and Ammunition Ordnance). Mark is one of the leading military authors in the fields of leadership, counseling, and training.

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    Comments

  • Zac

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    Where is it stated that they can not demand my personal bank statements/ finances, etc. I was told last week that the were going to start asking for it and I do not feel comfortable with that. I don’t think it is necessary or correct, but I also do not want to flat out refuse my 1sgt. Thanks.

    • Mark Gerecht

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      Zac,
      This is from one of our SME’s
      There is not a set regulation. It falls under your constitutional right as a US Citizen against unlawful search and seizure. It also is against the Privacy Act of 1974. Think of it this way. A prosecutor cannot legally go through an person or companies financials without a search warrant. Same thing applies to Soldiers. Just because a person is in the military, does not mean they give up their constitutional rights.

      This Soldier should go speak with a Legal Assistance attorney who will provide the appropriate information to give to his command/1SG. I have posted a couple lengthy explanations on this very issue to the website.

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  • SGT NICK

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    Open the LES in Adobe and then black out the text you don’t wont them to see like allotments and debts. Leave the entitled pay and leave days open, they always look at me stupid when I hand in to them like that, I say “hey you only need to see my pay and leave days right?” and that’s how you fix that problem. I have serious privacy concerns with the orderly room as its where most gossip and rumours come from.

    • 1SG MANSFIELD

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      I would be concerned that they need your LES in the first place. The Unit Commanders Financial Report (UCFR) has everything a commander/1SG would need on a Soldier. Pay, BAS, BAH, Leave, Allotment totals etc. Maybe they don’t know what they are doing??

      • SGT NICK

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        I hated doing ucfr’s and so did the commander, it has a quick turn around to get back to S1 or everyone’s screaming on the phone. Usually the cdr will just check to make sure that married/divorced or new parents soldiers are receiving the right pay otherwise hurry up sign and turn back into s1 is all I heard.

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