From militarytimes.com
Military members and families affected by surging housing costs in 56 areas around the country may soon get relief through a temporary hike in their Basic Allowance for Housing.
DoD officials had not officially confirmed the initiative to Military Times by publication time, but the start is imminent, according to a Pentagon source with knowledge of the discussions. The temporary BAH hike has been approved by DoD personnel officials and is scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, the source said.
A partial copy of an “action memo” within the Defense Department, which has been circulating on social media, requests temporary BAH increases of between 10 to 20 percent for 56 specific areas. The memo from J.B. Busch, DoD’s director of military compensation policy, to Leonard Litton, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy, asks for Litton’s approval of the temporary BAH hikes and states the temporary rates would remain in effect through December 2021.
Typically, BAH rates are adjusted once a year and the new rates take effect Jan. 1.
According to several internal sources, officials are still hashing out the guidance for implementation of the temporary BAH hike. According to the memo, troops will have to request the additional BAH and quality for it based on certifying they have incurred higher housing costs. But there are no details yet on how that process will work.
In those 56 areas, “the large majority of members are expected to be eligible” but the exact percentage is unknown, according to the memo. Assuming the maximum number of certifications, the estimated cost to the services would be about $159 million, officials stated.
In July, Military Times reported on the difficulty troops and families have been facing as they move to new duty stations, with some paying hundreds of dollars more per month for rentals than their housing allowance covers, if they can even find a rental.
Some families delayed making their permanent change of station move, while others set up house in expanded RV campgrounds on base. Some told Military Times they had to live far from base just to find a rental or had to rent housing in unsafe neighborhoods or in less-than-satisfactory condition, while still sometimes paying more than their BAH.
Defense officials told Military Times then that they were exploring a temporary, out-of-cycle increase in BAH rates for some areas.
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