50% BAH cuts for dual military, 25% to military roommates

Interesting. For some reason I couldn't remember how that worked. Then again right when I got out was when the USMC was in its big push in privatized housing so some of the rules changed. Previous to that single officers could either reside in the BOQ or off base. Base housing was not an option except for the BOQ. To be honest the BOQ sucked. It was tiny, old and horrible at almost all bases. Most of them had no kitchens except a small fridge and microwave. The other part that would be an issue for a single person living in a house is deployment. Base housing actually has pretty strict guidelines to how long a house can be empty. I think 30 days was the limit. We ran into this a great deal with families who would pack up and leave for the entire summer while Dad was deployed. We were constantly getting notices from base housing about this issue. Not a problem if there is a room mate, but it is if they are deployed too. Just what a military member wants to do before deployment, pack up all their stuff and get resettled again after, oh and then PCS in another 6 months. Our young enlisted guys had to do this who lived in the barracks. I always felt horrible for them. We would get back from deployment and they would get jerked around waiting for a barracks assignment which inevitably changed 9822 times and then they have to wait a week to get any of their stuff. Most them just wanted to sleep in a bad with sheets and a pillow and play video games. If base housing would of been offered to me, I would have never took it even if it would have been convenient. I enjoyed the extra money I pocketed off of BAH and I liked the privacy and not having my Company Commander as my next door neighbor. I also enjoyed coming home from deployment to my own house. Yes I would have to arrange for someone to check in on it, but not a big deal, I do that now as a working professional when I go on long work trips.
 
My past experience with BAH was, if you were on base….. you did not receive BAH. Now, perhaps on base housing on smaller Coast Guard bases is different, but the general opinion was, if you used on base housing, you were throwing away BAH (because you could get a rental for less than BAH)…. but maybe I was wrong or maybe it changed….
 
Agree LITS. Privatized housing changed things. That allowed single folks to live in base housing, not just the BOQs. That sort of changed up the way things are done.
 
Interesting...at Laughlin in 2010, if you were in the dorms or government owned housing, you did not get BAH. If you lived in privatized housing on base, the rent was the "with dependents" BAH rate. I was able to get privatized housing (no more dorms left open!) and split a 2BR place with a buddy. We pocketed a couple hundred that way, since we could split the bill.
 
raimius said:
Interesting...at Laughlin in 2010, if you were in the dorms or government owned housing, you did not get BAH. If you lived in privatized housing on base, the rent was the "with dependents" BAH rate. I was able to get privatized housing (no more dorms left open!) and split a 2BR place with a buddy. We pocketed a couple hundred that way, since we could split the bill.
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No luck with that at Vance. The single folks were stuck in the dorms for BAH - $13, while the married folks got the houses for their BAH. Since the dorms were small, outdated, poorly maintained, subject to random inspections, and most recently without A/C for several weeks when it should've ordinarily been on, it led to a pretty bitter experience. In retrospect I should've moved out, but since they only offer to let folks out at certain times, and give only a few days notice, it was never convenient with where I was in training. The only redeeming factor was the convenience, which is why I would've loved to split an on-base home with a classmate or two. But I suppose demand for on-base homes is high enough that they wouldn't allow it.
 
Yes to buffalo, DS initially started in the dorms at Vance, but moved out with a buddy to a house off base. More freedom, and he can have his guns...
 
2 interesting tidbits:

It appears the OMB and the White House have weighed-in: http://www.stripes.com/news/us/mili...nate-scuttle-marriage-penalty-on-bah-1.350565

and 2: I was working on something completely unrelated and found this nugget from the Navy Personnel Command website: "Basic Pay, Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) are the fundamental components of military pay." [emphasis mine](from http://www.npc.navy.mil/bupers-npc/career/payandbenefits/Pages/default2.aspx)
 
buffalo said:
raimius said:
Interesting...at Laughlin in 2010, if you were in the dorms or government owned housing, you did not get BAH. If you lived in privatized housing on base, the rent was the "with dependents" BAH rate. I was able to get privatized housing (no more dorms left open!) and split a 2BR place with a buddy. We pocketed a couple hundred that way, since we could split the bill.
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No luck with that at Vance. The single folks were stuck in the dorms for BAH - $13, while the married folks got the houses for their BAH. Since the dorms were small, outdated, poorly maintained, subject to random inspections, and most recently without A/C for several weeks when it should've ordinarily been on, it led to a pretty bitter experience. In retrospect I should've moved out, but since they only offer to let folks out at certain times, and give only a few days notice, it was never convenient with where I was in training. The only redeeming factor was the convenience, which is why I would've loved to split an on-base home with a classmate or two. But I suppose demand for on-base homes is high enough that they wouldn't allow it.
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That was due to Laughlin having more students than dorm rooms, at the time. I don't know if they managed to equalize the numbers after I left.
(I was certainly happy about my timing, on that one!)
 
raimius (good to see you in Dallas last weekend!) - Laughlin is still following that system. People in dorms give up their full BAH. Hunt housing (privatized) charges members the dependent rate of their rank or the designation for the housing. In other words, they had NCO and FGO housing that wasn't filled, so married people (usually CGO) could opt into those. CGOs that went into NCO housing paid the E-5 rate (I think it was E-5) and people going into FGO housing paid O-4 rates (not positive on the FGO one, but that was the company line from Hunt). They started filling the many empty FGO houses with 3 single UPT students who would split the FGO rate.

Interesting note on my stay there. I accepted a contract to live in CGO housing on base at dependent rate despite getting non-dependent. I wanted it for the security of my dog and convenience even though it was insanely outside the market rate for what I was getting. Well, I got there as an O-2 in 2013. When new BAH rates came out 1 Jan 2014, the spread between non-dep and deep got much larger and I was stuck in a sort of loophole - so I was told I had to pay the larger spread out of pocket (in other words, they could raise my rent without notice to whatever it was). It sucked but I got over it. Until I hit Captain a few months later and the spread got even larger. I was always giving up my BAH, but the extra out of pocket grew quickly. I finally went into housing and said I was going to break contract because I would be way better off taking a penalty and moving off-base than staying in Hunt housing. So they said my situation was unique, they hadn't dealt with it before, and to make it fair they would lower my rent to the non-dep BAH rate (no more extra out of pocket). I had asked these questions when I got there for housing in the first place, but they suddenly became accommodating when I threatened to move out (and hit their bottom line). This may not elicit much sympathy, and that's not really the point. Privatized housing at Laughlin often behaved shadily while Hunt pocketed huge sums at the inflated BAH rates for Del Rio. IMO, the privatization of housing is a huge scam and cost the gov't a ton of money. Willing to eat my words if there is a report that shows otherwise, but I can't imagine the privatization saves us (taxpayers, gov't, or SMs) money.
 
hornetguy said:
...Privatized housing at Laughlin often behaved shadily while Hunt pocketed huge sums at the inflated BAH rates for Del Rio. IMO, the privatization of housing is a huge scam and cost the gov't a ton of money. Willing to eat my words if there is a report that shows otherwise, but I can't imagine the privatization saves us (taxpayers, gov't, or SMs) money.
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I'd also be interested in seeing the stats or benefits of privatization. I would agree that it doesn't save money, but it still might improve quality of life. At Vance, the dorms were run by the military, and as I mentioned earlier, they were terribly managed. The O-1 w/o dependents BAH rate is approx. $850 and there was nowhere near that value given from the dorms. In a perfect world, you'd think the Air Force would budget that BAH into making dorm improvements, timely repairs, modern furniture/appliances, etc. but in reality, it's just money the Air Force doesn't have to pay out. At least with privatization, the company has some incentive to make the housing attractive so folks chose to live in them. Hunt also runs the housing at Vance, and from what I heard from my married friends, they were all at least fairly satisfied with the experience.
 
Had the same experience as Buffalo in BOQs (not the transient ones) or officer barracks. In school environments we were forced to live on base, even at places that were PCS moves. The barracks at TBS were horrible at the time. I know they have been upgraded since. We had no choice but to live there. I could of gotten a 2 bedroom apt with a buddy within a 15 minute drive, saved some money, had some privacy and my sanity at that place. Man, I hated those 6 months. 29 Palms we lived in transient BOQs, much more hotel oriented, with huge, decent rooms. Okinawa, forced to live on base in a shoebox BOQ but at least we had a kitchen there. At one point we had a health and comfort inspection for all barracks. So even all of us officers got inspected. Not like anyone was going to the married folks houses and rummaging through their drawers. I despised they did this stuff to anyone of any rank. Unless their is some specific reason, I always found rather insulting. My Major inspected my room and his comment was... "this stuff was ancient when I lived in this exact room 15 years ago, now it is just garbage, sorry this is what you have, heck the Marine barracks have nicer digs than this." I was actually happy my Marines had nicer stuff, they should. I was just happy I didn't have to share a room like TBS. Cherry Point BOQs (non-transient) were the worst. Thank goodness I had finally gotten somewhere I actually had a choice. It was so nice to live somewhere no one was in my business. Some of the privatized housing I have seen is nice. The numbers would be interesting. Most reviews from my buddies in living in it has been positive.
 
NavyHoops said:
At one point we had a health and comfort inspection for all barracks. So even all of us officers got inspected. Not like anyone was going to the married folks houses and rummaging through their drawers. I despised they did this stuff to anyone of any rank. Unless their is some specific reason, I always found rather insulting.
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HAHAHA….. I was at a BOQ (or was it called a CBQ by then) at Naval Station Mayport. I was at a two week EKMS school. I left my room like I'd leave my hotel room when I'm alone…. pretty messy. When I got back from my first class I had a note stating that the room hadn't been cleaned because it was too messy (or did they say UNSAT). I thought it was pretty funny. I'm about 99% sure I didn't clean it much after that either. It helps to be from a completely different service. My command from my ship wasn't going to care if the maids at Mayport didn't like how clean my room was. I brought the note to class too.

I honestly had no idea people would go through my room (and if they did, that they would refuse to clean it because it was too messy).
 
NavyHoops said:
At one point we had a health and comfort inspection for all barracks. So even all of us officers got inspected. Not like anyone was going to the married folks houses and rummaging through their drawers. I despised they did this stuff to anyone of any rank. Unless their is some specific reason, I always found rather insulting.
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The dorms at Laughlin had these frequently. Also, some of the CGO housing was kept by the government where single officers could share a duplex with a room mate (and both had to give up their BAH, IIRC). They also had inspections. I remember walking my dog last Oct or Nov from Hunt CGO housing around the dorms. As I was going by, they had security forces and border patrol surrounding the place. They were being inspected, checked for drugs, and a bunch (most?) were made to go onto buses that took them to the gym where they were all drug tested (after waiting in line for a few hours). They did the enlisted dorms too. This was a Sunday and most were trying to study for rides/classes/etc. the next day. I was thankful to be in Hunt housing but pretty revolted that leadership thought it was a great idea to do that to the dorms and gov't housing folks.
 
And the military wonders why contract marriages happen. Heck as an officer it sucked. I always argued for sanity when dealing with the junior Marines in the barracks. I always lost, but I think my Marines appreciated that someone was trying to argue for the single guys.
 
As someone pointed out before, contract marriages are one of the great myths of the military. They're the 10 ft. boogeyman of housing entitlements, but how many people have you actually met who were in one?
 
As the legal officer for a few of my units we took 6 to NJP for it. Although not contract marriages, the number of Marines who were separated and never got divorced for years on end to keep benefits was probably well into the dozens. Although that is not illegal, it is definitely working the system.
 
I have a friend that has not lived with her DH for well over a decade. Neither have a desire to remarry, thus for them it is working the system. They unofficially separated after their 2nd tour.

Not to go off topic, but this is also true for for divorce couples where the spouse gets not only the military bennies, but 50% of retirement pay. They move on and live as a permanently engaged couple with their next significant other. It is not illegal at all, but it is definitely working the system in their favor, because the minute they say I do to the next spouse, they lose their bennies.
 
I believe the 50% retirement pay for a spouse continues after remarriage of the spouse. It only ends with death of spouse or death of servicemember, whichever comes first. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
I think that you maybe correct, and it maybe it was in my friends divorce decree as part of their settlement. Plus, it was not just about the 50% pay, it was also about healthcare benefits too, which I am almost 100% positive would disappear after remarriage.
 
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