Plan would boost BAH for E-8s

[CommunityEditor]

The House of Representatives has approved a modest first step toward improving off-base living conditions for enlisted members by ordering housing allowances for E-8s to be based on the rental costs of single-family homes rather than townhouses.

The change, part of the House version of the 2009 defense authorization bill approved May 22, would not take effect until June 30, 2009. The delayed effective date would cut costs for a benefit that would apply to Army and Marine Corps master sergeants and first sergeants, Navy and Coast Guard senior chief petty officers, and Air Force senior master sergeants and first sergeants who have dependents and live off-base.

About 30,000 people would benefit, receiving an average of $130 a month more in basic allowance for housing than they do under the current standard, which bases their payment on the rental costs for a three-bedroom townhouse, according to a May 20 cost estimate prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan arm of Congress responsible for putting price tags on pending legislation.

The five-year cost is a modest $202 million over five years, out of an overall personnel budget of about $124 billion a year, according to the CBO.

Because there is no similar provision in the Senate version of the defense bill, the fate of the change is likely to be determined by future negotiations to iron out differences in the two versions. The Pentagon has not offered an opinion on the House provision, though defense personnel officials have been talking since 2006 about the need to revise housing standards.

“This is a strong step in the right direction,” said Joseph Barnes, national executive secretary of the Fleet Reserve Association, which represents active and reserve members of the sea services.

“We have been calling for years to change the housing standards because they just don’t match the expectations for living conditions of career service members and their families,” he said.

Barnes, who is also co-chairman of the Military Coalition, a group of more than 30 military-related associations sharing a common legislative agenda, said he thinks many career service members are unaware that their housing allowances are based on the assumption that they will live in townhouses or apartments, and end up feeling cheated when they rent a house and their monthly payment does not cover the cost.

“I do not think there is a lot of awareness of the standards, and that there are a significant percentage of enlisted members living in single-family homes who are not being paid enough to be there,” Barnes said.

Current housing standards for enlisted members with families, in place for a decade, assume two-bedroom apartments for E-4s and below, two-bedroom townhouses for E-5s and three-bedroom townhouses for E-6s through E-8s. Of the enlisted ranks, only E-9s have their basic allowance set to cover the cost of a single-family home — a three-bedroom home under the standard.

The House bill, HR 5658, would change this standard by setting the housing allowance for E-8s to also cover the average cost of renting a three-bedroom single-family home in the location where the member is assigned.

The rest of the housing standards would not change.

Current standards for enlisted members without dependents assume a one-bedroom apartment for E-5s and below, a two-bedroom apartment for E-6s and E-7s, and two-bedroom townhouses for E-8s and E-9s.

Officers are assumed to live better under the Defense Department standards.

For officers with families, the standard calls for two-bedroom townhouses for O-1s and O-2s, and three-bedroom townhouses for W-1s, W-3s, O-1s, O-2s and O-3s with prior enlisted service. More senior officers rate single-family homes as their standard: three-bedroom homes for W-3s and W-4s, O-4s and O-3s, and four-bedroom homes for O-5s and above.

For officers without families, the standard calls for two-bedroom apartments for O-1s, O-2s and W-1s; two-bedroom townhouses for O-3s, W-2s and W-3s; three-bedroom townhouses for O-4s, O-5s, W-4s and W-5s; and three-bedroom single-family homes for O-6s and above.


Article: http://www.armytimes.com/benefits/ho...ah_E8_060508w/
Current standards for enlisted with families: http://www.militarytimes.com/project...with/enlisted/
Current standards for enlisted without dependents: http://www.militarytimes.com/project...hout/enlisted/
For officers with families: http://www.militarytimes.com/project..._with/officer/
For officers without dependents: http://www.militarytimes.com/project...thout/officer/

[THELADYKT]

Well its a start...... I think it should be all Senior NCOs and above at a minimum but at least its a start. And townhomes these days can be just as expensive as homes. Not sure why they have townhomes as an option. Of course we all know they find the lowest rent for all these options they can find in any area which is usually not in the best or even mediocre parts of town. They say they dont use these parts of town but I think its bull poo.

[ringjamesa]

As much as I would love the "extra" $, I think they need to take care of the Jr Enlisted a bit better before they take care of the Top-3.

I am a Retired 1SG and I have always thought the housing allowance when you have to live off post, was not fair. I remember that I was a E3 with a wife and two kids, and my BHS was 120 a month and the rent was 250. a month. I was not elegable for on post housing until I was a E4 with two years of service. So money was real tight and I cam close many times to get food stamps because of low pay and high expences. I was a real treat when I finally could get into housing at Ft. Hood. Hell, it was like a pay raise because I had no out of pocket expences for rent or electricity. So BAH needs to go up in all ranks, especially the lower enlisted because of the big pay gaps.

Thanks............Michael Underwood, 1SG retired.

From A Jr Enlisted Pont Of View Its Very Frustrating When I See Options Getting Bigger And Bigger For "the Big Three". At The Same Time I See The Clamps Tightening On The Jr Sailors That Are Still Learning How The System Works. It Seems Like More Room For Mistakes Is Needed Early In The Life Of A Sailor.

I Am A 30 Year Old E-4 With Less Than 4 Years In The Navy And I Have Been Refused Bah Several Times For That Fact. Bringing Back The Old Adage "the Navy Is Blind To Age". Having The Bah For Jr Sailors And Amending An Instruction Here And There Could Make It Easier For A Jr Sailor To Realize His/her Responsibilities In Life And In The Navy. I Realize The Navy Is Not Was It Use To Be And We Still Have To "pay Our Dues" But Wont Turning People Into More Rounded And Responsible Members Serve The Best Interest Of The Navy?

[LILPENDEJO6]

So let me get this straight... Only E-9's and above are entitled to single family homes, and it is being proposed that it should be E-8 and above that should be entitled to a single family home? So what is it about a single, 0-1 butter bar who has done nothing but go to college and OCS that makes him more deserving than an E-4 with a wife and two kids who has already done 2 combat deployments? Every soldier deserves to be able to live in a single family home, on or off post. We really need to bring the Army up to date with current events. It is the younger soldiers who do 90 percent of the work. How about we treat them like they deserve to be treated.

Disgruntled 11B E-5
Fort Carson, CO

[docmike70]

The Military told me they wanted me at 34 yrs of age and I joined to do my part 6yrs ago. Now they allow up to 42 yrs with no prior service. Yes I see 42y/o PV1 walking around. I have 5 children. Had 4 with one on the way when I joined. Very few post have 5 BR housing available let alone larger housing that isn't ghetto style. I have 2 tours in Iraq. I think I deserve better housing money. Not very fair that a married guy receives the same BAH as me and lives good where I have to scrape to get by. When I was PCS'd to WRAMC in DC they said I could apply for housing at Ft. Belvoir or Ft. Meade as they both have nice newer 5BR. Then they told me 18 to 24 months. My tour of service may be up at this location by then. DC is expensive but still does not receive COLA either plus you have to commute. I guess my point is that if the military allows older soldiers to come in they must realize that we have established families and while our sacrifice is no greater than the 22y/o with no kids it is more complicated. Why am I, as an E5 with 5 kids and a wife, supposed to live in 2-3 BR townhouse that is not in the ghetto? Why is it that E8's and above deserve single family housing and the everyone else does not? Why is 5BR housing always have the longest wait times if the army thinks there are very few of us with larger families? Fix the system or add a different rate for soldiers with more kids. I'm looking at $2500+ out of pocket to have my kids in a home near good schools and outside the high crime area here in DC and my BAH is only $1917. Fix the system.

[Measure Man]

Meanwhile...as an E-9, I have to forfeit my entire BAH to live in the same attached townhome on-base that a SrA pays $800 less for across the street.

[CrustySMSgt]

Originally Posted by docmike70

Why is 5BR housing always have the longest wait times if the army thinks there are very few of us with larger families? Fix the system or add a different rate for soldiers with more kids. I'm looking at $2500+ out of pocket to have my kids in a home near good schools and outside the high crime area here in DC and my BAH is only $1917. Fix the system.

Let the shit storm ensue... but I'm gonna say it. YOU chose to have 5 kids. There are NOT a lot of families with 5 kids, so why should the DoD invest in 5 BR homes that will likely go unfilled? The challenges of having 5 kids isn't unique to military members. I appreciate your desire to serve, but the military is no different than most civilian employers who pay you based on your work, not how big your family is. You know that up front... if it isn't working out, I suggest you find employment that allows you to achieve the standard of living you think you deserve.

[Measure Man]

Originally Posted by docmike70

The Military told me they wanted me at 34 yrs of age and I joined to do my part 6yrs ago. Now they allow up to 42 yrs with no prior service. Yes I see 42y/o PV1 walking around. I have 5 children. Had 4 with one on the way when I joined. Very few post have 5 BR housing available let alone larger housing that isn't ghetto style. I have 2 tours in Iraq. I think I deserve better housing money. Not very fair that a married guy receives the same BAH as me and lives good where I have to scrape to get by. When I was PCS'd to WRAMC in DC they said I could apply for housing at Ft. Belvoir or Ft. Meade as they both have nice newer 5BR. Then they told me 18 to 24 months. My tour of service may be up at this location by then. DC is expensive but still does not receive COLA either plus you have to commute. I guess my point is that if the military allows older soldiers to come in they must realize that we have established families and while our sacrifice is no greater than the 22y/o with no kids it is more complicated. Why am I, as an E5 with 5 kids and a wife, supposed to live in 2-3 BR townhouse that is not in the ghetto? Why is it that E8's and above deserve single family housing and the everyone else does not? Why is 5BR housing always have the longest wait times if the army thinks there are very few of us with larger families? Fix the system or add a different rate for soldiers with more kids. I'm looking at $2500+ out of pocket to have my kids in a home near good schools and outside the high crime area here in DC and my BAH is only $1917. Fix the system.

Luckily, in 24 months or so, you'll be out of the Army and go to work for a company that will hire and pay a HS graduate to have a 5-bedroom house in DC.

Good luck with that. You are most unreasonable.

Why should you get paid $2500 more for the same job simply because you have children? What country do you think you live in?

Kids are expensive...that's all there is to it...but they are your expenses, not the rest of ours.