Does the Army pay for hotels and travel if you live 100+ miles away from your Armory?

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 01:58:32 -0500

Normally there is a room or bay for us to sleep in for Drill Weekends as traveling back home would be an undue burden upon our finances and vehicles as well as potentially dangerous committing to that drive multiple times. For our last Drill there was not a place available for us to sleep and we had to inconvenience other Soldiers and their families by taking up space in their homes.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2017 2:03 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 02:03:08 -0500

SPC Private RallyPoint Member , many units have what is called Lodging in Kind or LIK. This is a privilege and not a right per se as it’s availability is up to unit funding and command discretion. Independent Duty Travel or IDT is another option that is available while there is funding. However, at the end of the day, the army expects the soldier to be aware of the commitment of travel and what it entails. Check back through your enlistment docs - there should be a piece of paper that is an acknowledgement of being outside of normal commuting distance if your home of record is more than (“X”) miles away.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2017 8:28 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 08:28:44 -0500

Travel pay, no. Not for drill. Hotels, depends on the state and maybe the unit.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2017 9:56 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 09:56:38 -0500

My old unit did not provide hotels, so we slept on cots at the armory. is that not an option for your unit?

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2017 10:49 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 10:49:20 -0500

With the unit I'm in, you do get a hotel room paid for. But it's usually for the members in the unit who aren't in the state. But then again, it all depends on your unit as well.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2017 11:33 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 11:33:12 -0500

They usually have you sleep in a classroom or office. I usually sleep in my car.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2017 11:42 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 11:42:27 -0500

Lodging in Kind for the Army Reserves should be reserved for any soldier who lives beyond the 50 mile radius. Now they can and most likely will book two soldiers per room to save some money. It may also be dependent on funds available. But I know back in 2014 LIK was in use.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Dec 6 at 2017 5:44 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 17:44:57 -0500

Wow! I am glad I switched to the Air Force years ago. When I was in the Air Guard, anyone over 75 miles away was put up in a hotel. Regardless of rank we each got our own rooms. My previous Air Force Reserve unit has a 50 mile radius. In my current unit, all of us live out of state except for one member. So the unit puts all of us in billeting (Air Force Inn). But I am assigned to a active duty unit, so we have housing on base.

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2017 10:14 AM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:14:46 -0500

Last I heard the USAR IDT Travel Reimbursement Program (IDT-TRP) requires 150-miles one way to be eligible. If you qualify you can get up to $300 reimbursement. Tweaks are made every FY so you need to find the current guidance from USARC or OCAR. Travelers may also be eligible for LIK and SIK