During battle assemblies, are TPU officers allowed to eat at the DFAC without paying?

2022-05-21T11:59:02-04:00

I searched AR 30-22 but didn’t find anything regarding that.

Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made May 21 at 2022 2:03 PM

2022-05-21T14:03:16-04:00

Only times that Os not pay for chow is when on RIK and when staff duty officer and eat one meal without surcharge payment to inspect the quality and quantity of chow served and so note in duty log.

Response by SGM Jeff Mccloud made May 21 at 2022 2:59 PM

2022-05-21T14:59:18-04:00

DoD 7000.14-R

AGRs and officers pay for their meals at drill.
For AT, they can submit a 4187 to stop BAS, or just pay cash.

It's smarter to just pay cash, often the BAS is not turned back on in a timely manner.

Response by SFC Ralph E Kelley made May 21 at 2022 10:42 PM

2022-05-21T22:42:20-04:00

Pay for your meal unless on Staff Duty or Rations In Kind.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made May 23 at 2022 9:08 AM

2022-05-23T09:08:17-04:00

The only place I have ever eaten without paying would be on a field problem, then it was deducted from BAS. Even during the days of the Company Mess, Officers paid at the door.
I would have almost rather have paid for them on a field problem. I paid for many a meal that I missed because of doing "Officer Stuff".

Response by LtCol William Bentley made Sep 21 at 2025 6:54 PM

2025-09-21T18:54:29-04:00

As a matter of honor, and regulations, officers must always pay for their Government-provided meals, whether in the field or in garrison (subject to a few exceptions such as if admitted as an in-patient as a result of a line of duty injury, or in certain Combat zones, per subparagraph 2.4.2 below).

See Chapter 25 of the DODFMR, Volume 7a: https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/current/07a/07a_25.pdf

--> "2.4 Government Provided Meals

2.4.1. A military member being paid BAS must pay for all meals or rations provided by
or on behalf of the Government, except as provided in subparagraph 2.4.2. This is a personal
obligation of the individual. Meals or rations may be paid with cash tendered to the Government
mess by the member or, under certain circumstances, the amount owed may be collected/deducted
from the member’s travel per diem (a member under orders for EUM has no entitlement to subsistence travel per diem), or from the member’s pay account. When payment is made from a
pay account, the payment is not considered a deduction from or reduction of the entitled
BAS; rather it is a collection for a debt owed to the Government (see Table 25-2).? --<

Officers on active duty -- whether Regulars or Reserves on any type of funded Active Duty for Training/Active Duty Operational Support receive Officer BAS (slightly reduced from Enlisted BAS, and actually insufficient to pay for 30 days of Govt-provided meals in which case the officer would have to pay some of the cost out of their basic pay). Note: a Reserve officer on non-paid Active Duty (which is a thing, although uncommon) are still required to pay for any Govt-provided meals, in their case by cash or checkage from their pay, because they are on active duty.

Reserve officers who are on any type of Inactive Duty (whether TPU, Funeral Honors Duty, etc.), are NOT entitled to any payment of Officer BAS. And, if they are provided a Govt-procured meal, they must pay cash or checkage from their pay, whether they eat the meal or not. Any such checkage is directly from their Reserve IDT pay, since they receive no BAS to be checked.

The unit Commanding Officer must ensure that all officers know the rules, and the rules are followed properly. If the officers are included in the TPU "count" of meals to be provided, then the Govt has procured the meals for the officers -- whether they eat them or not -- and thus the CO must ensure that every officer's pay is checked if cash is not paid. If the CO explicitly states that there are no "officer meals" included in the Govt-provided meals, then unless an officer chooses to actually eat a meal, then no deductions are required; and in such situations, the Supply NCO (or whomever is procuring the meals for the TPU assembly) must make the appropriate annotations in their count with the contracted food provider, or MRE's, the Base DFAC, or whatever.

07a_25.pdf