Military Promises $86,665 Severance; Veteran Gets $10,000 After Sleeping In Her Car

WASHINGTON—A veteran discharged after 12 years in the Texas Army National Guard slept in her car while waiting months for the $86,665 in separation pay the military promised her, according to The Washington Post.

Chloe Shapiro accepted an honorable discharge under the Pentagon policy removing transgender troops. She completed the paperwork, surrendered her equipment and drove to Seattle with $30 left in her account. The financial incentive designed to ease her departure did not accompany the departure.

The Pentagon’s own guidance offered eligible troops who left voluntarily twice the normal involuntary separation payment. In early August, Shapiro finally received $10,000, a little more than one-tenth of the promised total. The remaining amount stayed with the institution that had already finished its side of the transaction by ending her career.

Her case is not isolated. The Post identified at least a dozen former troops still waiting for tens of thousands of dollars. One Indiana National Guard veteran was told his check would arrive within 30 to 90 days; both ends of that range passed without payment. Pentagon representatives declined to comment, citing litigation over the removal policy.

The department described enhanced pay as an orderly path out of service. The orders were orderly. The checks demonstrated the flexibility expected of everyone no longer drawing a government salary.