My BAH was lowered while I'm in AIT and my wife resides in another state, help!

Same thing happened to me. My AIT is 27weeks and on my orders it's listed a "first duty station" probably because of its length. My wife lives in MD where the BAH for my zip is over $800 more than where I am for AIT. When I first got here, I talked to finance and they told me that it's just how it is, but that I can request a G1 waiver which wild allow me to receive BAH at my spouse's location. I was also forewarned on how "rare" it is for one to be approved since it has to be approved by the commanding general. In any case, it's worst requesting, just a little paperwork. I never bothered, I just decided to move my wife to AIT since she's on my orders, but if you don't have that luxury then do it.

-Hope that helps.

S1 is a good place to go. Don't let them give you the run around. Here are a few quotes from the governing regulation:

"A member’s old PDS is the PDS for BAH purposes from the day the member departs the old PDS through the day before the member reports to the new PDS in compliance with permanent change of station (PCS) orders (if the member had been residing in government quarters at the old PDS, the member is entitled to BAH the date of termination of government quarters)."

"4. Short TermPCS Assignment 12 Months or Less for Professional Military Training or Education. Effective June 26, 2003, where a member receives a PCS assignment of 12-months duration or less, for purposes of participating in professional military education or training classes, the circumstances of this assignment are unusual, including: (1) known in advance that the duration of this assignment, within the continental United States (CONUS), will be for a short term of 12 months or less; (2) member may return to previous duty location upon completion of education or training; and (3) assignment may not coincide with the academic school year, which may work a particular hardship on military families with school-aged children. Under these circumstances, it may be necessary for some members to leave their dependents in place rather than relocate them for the short duration of the assignment. If the Secretary concerned determines that the circumstances of the short-term assignment are unusual, the Secretary may pay BAH based on the dependents’ location or the last duty station, whichever the Secretary determines to be most equitable."

"A member with dependents who is entitled to basic pay is entitled to BAH at the rates prescribed for members with dependents when:
3. Dependents are not enroute or do not accompany the member to the permanent duty station, or the vicinity thereof, so as to preclude assignment of family quarters. Under such circumstances, the mere availability of quarters which could have been assigned does not negate the right of a member to the BAH for dependents. See Table 26-9 for the location to be used in determining the member’s BAH entitlement."

All of these quotes come from the Defense Comptroller's Manual - reference here
http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/archive/07aarch/07a_26old.pdf

In particular, pay attention to lines 5-9 on page 41 for your current situation.

S1 should take care of this, but often they don't care or don't know the regulation. Showing them it will help your cause.

Good luck!

They are wrong and screwed up on your payroll and are trying to justify the mess up. Your BAH would only change if your family moved with you to your AIT location. Not many MOS's are longer then a year making it feasible for you to pack your family up and move with you esp if they have a job.

Unless your orders say unaccompanied, then the 6month mark is where the BAH switches and you can choose to have your spouse stay with you or at home, but the rate changes regardless. It's been a rule since I've been in the Army, that's why at schools longer than a certain time they allow you to take your spouse because after half a year it snow considered your "residence". You can file hardship waivers but those are very case by case you have to have a compelling reason why your spouse can't relocate, or just eat the cost difference.

Your BAH should be where your dependents live. If you have orders to PCS due to the length of your school then you need to file an exception. This happens a lot in the Navy due to the number of schools the Navy has. Your exception will be approved as long as you can provide all the of information needed. Good luck.

PFC Villa, I would also go the Ft Gordon housing office and talk to them, they can help you with an except to policy if you need one.

Get a copy of the lease and statements CA and take it to finance even if it changed you're still grandfathered in. It shouldn't change to GA if you're not allowed to stay off post plus you're NG you should be for the expenses of your home of record with your wife. Also, as the liason he should have a copy of that for you to see not refer you to a civilian third party source Smh. Trash.

You need a memorandum of approval for BAH waiver if it was a PCS. Refer to ALARACT 014/2015. Here is a link

http://dmna.ny.gov/hro/agr/army/files/ [login to see] --ALARACT_014_2015_BASIC%20ALLOWANCE%20FOR%20HOSING%20(BAH)%20WAIVERS.pdf

I am working on my waiver now, the packet includes:

1. Memorandum of recommendation (signed by first field grade in your chain of command)

2. Letter explaining why you would like the rate change.

3. Copy of your LES

4. Spouse Employment Verification Letter

There is an email address in the ALARACT that you are supposed to send the packet to, found in paragraph 10.

Hope this helps. I have examples if you need further assistance.

The last I knew, if your training is over 20 weeks (if your active duty) for National Guard and Reserves, I don't think that is available, you can have the Army pay to move her close to you. Also, she can break her lease with a copy of your orders. But I got off active duty in 2012, so check with your PAC section S-1.

if you have a lease they should pay you for where that lease is until your lease is up but yeah usually the amount you get is for where you are stationed but i would take it it up with s1 who probably won't help so id find out where post finance is and go there they usually have more info and jag usually won't help with things like that but if you went to ACS they would help you figure it out they have a finance department and if you needed they could help you with money to through the AER loan