Senior NCOs oppose BAH cut for dual-military couples

Military Times — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 15:32:05 -0400

From: Military Times

The Pentagon's seven top enlisted leaders sent a rare joint letter to Congress criticizing the controversial proposal to limit dual-military couples to a single housing allowance payment.

The proposal from the Republican-controlled Senate would amount to a significant pay cut for troops married to other troops by eliminating the Basic Allowance for Housing payment for the lower-ranking member.

First floated in June, the proposal has fueled anxiety across the force, especially among the roughly 40,000 dual-military couples.

"Soldiers are aware of it, and obviously they're concerned, as they are concerned about all of their benefits," Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey told Military Times in an interview. "It's their livelihood, it's their future."

The enlisted leaders believe the measure would unfairly penalize a small group of service members and runs counter to the Defense Department's traditional preference to make any cuts to pay and benefits apply broadly and equally to all service members, according to the July 21 letter.

"We ask each service member to make untold sacrifices in the name of our national security; each should be compensated accordingly," they wrote.

The letter was signed by Dailey along with the top enlisted advisers of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Guard Bureau and the Coast Guard.

The enlisted leaders also noted that targeting married troops will disproportionately impact female service members.

"When faced with such a significant penalty for marrying another military member, the unintended consequence would be one of those service members would most likely leave the service," they wrote. "At a time when we are working to recruit more women and open more options for women to serve, this provision unnecessarily challenges our efforts to accomplish this goal."

About 20 percent of active-duty women are in dual-military marriages, compared with only 3.7 percent of active-duty men, according to Defense Department data. The enlisted leaders cited the example of an E-5 with six years of experience who, on average, receives $16,248 in annual BAH.

The proposal also would reduce BAH payments for many unmarried troops who share homes or apartments with other service members. Those in paygrades E-4 and above would see their normal BAH rate cut by 25 percent.

The Senate included the controversial provision in its version of the 2016 defense authorization bill. It does not appear in the House version of the bill. That means a House-Senate conference committee will decide whether to to include it in the final version of the bill that will go to the White House for President Obama's signature.

Obama has said he opposes the change.

The housing allowance has become a target for cutbacks as the Pentagon faces budget caps and the automatic enforcement mechanism known as sequestration.

Last year, DoD officially urged Congress to reduce BAH rates so that they cover only 95 percent of estimated housing costs, rather than the full 100 percent. Congress gave idea a cool reception and approved a reduction in average BAH rates of only one percentage point, to 99 percent.

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benefits/pay/allowances/2015/07/23/bah-cuts-letter/30583569/

The Pentagon's seven top enlisted leaders sent a rare joint letter to Capitol Hill criticizing the controversial proposal to limit dual-military

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jul 24 at 2015 3:35 PM

SN Greg Wright — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 15:35:03 -0400

Man what a crock if this passes. I wish those friggin' people proposing this crap would have served. Then maybe they'd have a different outlook.

Response by CSM David Heidke made Jul 24 at 2015 3:38 PM

CSM David Heidke — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 15:38:31 -0400

Salary for the military is low compared to their civilian counterpart.

BAH makes up for some of this disparity, on an individual basis.

Taking BAH away from one half of a couple is just balancing the books on the backs of the Soldier. It's a pay cut pure and simple.

Response by PO2 Peter Klein made Jul 26 at 2015 9:27 AM

PO2 Peter Klein — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 09:27:50 -0400

GOP will send you to war but leave you hanging, big time!

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 26 at 2015 9:39 AM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 09:39:10 -0400

This is complete horse shit and I hope it doesn't pass this will hurt a lot of good military families and it's a pay cut plain and simple and we don't make enough money as it is!

Response by PO2 Charity Keller made Dec 25 at 2021 4:33 PM

PO2 Charity Keller — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 16:33:59 -0500

I think and feel Congress should only raise military pay until we meet what they are being paid. Or they should lower their pay to make it equivalent to military pay. That way they can sit one payday and decide whether to pay the electric bill or but groceries !