Base commanding officers have the authority to declare businesses "off limits" to their servicemembers. Typically these are shops selling marijuana equipment or bars with a reputation of prostitution or robbing servicemembers, but it could be extended to payday lenders and used-car dealers. The problem is doing it "equitably" so that the businesses don't make a public issue out of it and potentially embarrass the service or the local community.
And of course "off limits" only applies to the servicemembers. The base CO can't do much about families, let alone veterans.
The Military Lending Act is a good start, but it's full of loopholes. Some payday lenders even base themselves out of Native American lands so that they can claim their loan terms are exempt from federal law. This has been shot down by the U.S. courts, but the military only knows about a servicemember's debt when the servicemember is too deep in debt to extricate themselves without help.
Except that you still hear stories about some finance company going after them... I think one repoed a car that the spouse needed even though they were not behind.... soldier had to get on the phone from overseas to sort it out... I think that the military should have a group that a soldier could contact and have them sort it out for them.... nothing better to stop illegal things from happening than the federal gvmt coming by to talk to you about breaking the law.... and what would you do if you were on a sub
I do not think that they surface for their sailors to make calls....
I also think that there should be some training available... but I do not think that it should be mandatory... if I got a job with some mega, I do not think that they are responsible to teach me how to handle money... why should it be any different with gvmt employees....
Like SamClem says, it's the military's job to teach financial responsibility so that you're not tempted to sell classified material to the highest bidder.
It's not the military's job to teach financial independence. But I think DoD and the VA feel that it's bad publicity for U.S. military vets to be living under highway overpasses, so they assume some degree of responsibility for helping servicemembers & vets control their finances.
For active duty, and for Reserve/Guard on active duty, each service has a family support center on the base with paid staff and volunteers who help with a variety of financial (and other) issues. There are also non-profit relief societies that will help with financial counseling, zero-interest loans, and even grants. I've even heard stories of servicemembers calling USAA from Afghanistan in a panic over a foreclosure or a repo (because USAA holds the insurance policy) and USAA has the veterans on staff to help sort out the situation.
Of course this is problematic for Reserve and National Guard members whose families live hundreds of miles away from military bases.
As for the submarine force, that's one of the jobs of the squadron staff. If a financial (divorce, or child custody) issue comes to the military's attention, then the shore staff sends a message to the sub and the XO or command master chief sorts out the problem. Worst case is a humanitarian evacuation at the nearest port, but usually it's handled by a long message at the next opportunity.
Sea story:
During one of my submarine patrols in the North Atlantic, on Day 2 of 90 our XO got a message (from squadron staff) that Seaman Schmuckatelli's 2nd-floor apartment had a water leak. The leak was discovered when it went through the floor and collapsed the ceiling drywall of the apartment below. Renter's insurance would take care of it.
A day later the XO got a message that Schmuckatelli's car had been found in the Citadel Mall parking lot, fully engulfed in flames. Of course Schmuckatelli had no idea how his car had gotten over to the Citadel Mall, but he agreed that it could have been car-jacking joyriders. Another insurance claim.
A few days later the XO got a message that Schmuckatelli's bank accounts had been emptied, so all of his bill payments had bounced and companies were all calling his command to inquire about re-payment. The insurance adjuster also reported that the apartment's water leak had actually been caused by his waterbed being slashed to ribbons. The other insurance adjuster said the car fire was arson.
As Schmuckatelli's chain of command assembled (again) to review the message traffic, it occurred to the young man that someone might have a grudge against him. It turned out that he'd been living with a new girlfriend in his Charleston apartment before the patrol, and (as was his practice) he terminated the relationship the night before he left for the patrol. She was rightfully peeved at being rendered homeless on such short notice. She had already copied his keys and knew where he kept his spare checks, so she had bided her time until she knew he was at sea for another three months.
The issue was not deemed serious enough for a HUMEVAC, so SN Schmuckatelli had the rest of the patrol (and plenty of helpful commentary from his shipmates) to reflect on his relationship behavior. I'm sure the squadron staff was grumbling about the extra workload, but they answered all the mail for the insurance companies and the apartment manager and the banks and the utilities. After we returned, he spent several weeks in the barracks while he rebooted his life... and he owed a huge payback to the squadron staff who'd been handling the paperwork.
Once, I had a sailor, older than me, who was almost totally incapacitated by his financial travails. One day, I had him bring in every bill, every contract, every credit card statement and dunning letter. Together, we went through each and every aspect of his financial life and tried to sort things out, establish priorities and get him back on his feet. It was an incredibly difficult conversation, and I disliked it immensely.
That's often followed by the question:
"So where was your chief petty officer?"
And the answer is:
"Well, they had their hands full with running the rest of the division and fixing our gear while I took care of this counseling problem."
or, even worse,
"It WAS the chief."
A friend (a new CFP) has spent several years volunteering at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. That's usually the first stop for an indebted sailor or Marine when they're finally confronting the problem and seeking a solution. My friend is a military retiree who did his share of counseling in uniform, but he says these issues now take on a whole new meaning when the servicemember (or spouse) is sitting there with tears running down their face as they try to work through the budget spreadsheet. He has commanding officers who tell him "Oh, I've seen it all during my command" and my friend responds "Yeah, well I've seen all of yours during my time at NMCRS-- and every day-- and the rest of the fleet as well."
My daughter and I talked about these issues when she joined the Navy, but she knows how to handle her money now and the conversation didn't really make a big impact on her. However when she was staying at our friend's house she spent an afternoon with him at NMCRS as he took clients through the counseling process. It made a bigger impression on her than any amount of mandatory training ever could.
