Posted on Mar 11, 2015
Should we really get BAH and BAS if we are deployed?
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This will surely be a heated debate. As leaders we are looking for ways to be smart with our money, so why do we all get full BAH and BAS when we are deployed? We are provided with housing and food without any costs to us overseas. So should we be given BAH and BAS while deployed?
BAH
Deployment
Military Pay
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 122
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Like others are saying on here, just because you are deployed does not mean you have no responsibility back home. A lot of people own a home, the mortgage payment doesnt stop. If you have a wife and kids, they still need to be able to maintain the home and pay all the bills. I know the BAS is designed for the service member, but that helps put food on the table for your family too. There is no way BAH and BAS shoudl stop. Thats my opinion anyhow...
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Yes because most of us aren't leaving a location to which we will never return. When deployment is over, we're going back to the same house.
If you're not getting BAH, who pays the mortgage on our homes (empty or dependents either way)?
If you're not getting BAH, who pays the mortgage on our homes (empty or dependents either way)?
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BAH is for a Soldier's family......not a source of income to pay a mortgage. That said, clearly the regulatory guidance is there for a reason. The initial question of the post is clearly hypothetical, thus the "should" aspect and not the "what is the policy" aspect.
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CPT (Join to see)
Not necessarily for a Soldier's family. Single Soldiers qualify for BAH although at a lesser rate. I love how people here are saying "for those w/ dependents only." Well, many times in convoys, the gunner or dismount is a SPC w/ no dependents.
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BAH should continue as you are required to maintain a household for your family. Just because you deploy doesn't mean that you have to stop paying the rent. As for BAS, yes it should stop.. BAS is specifically for the service member not for the family. While deployed you are provided mess facilities.
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Suspended Profile
Staff, you have obviously not thought this through all the way. While it is true that one GI may be provided a Mess facility with great hot chow three times a day, others receive nothing more than two or three MRE's a day. You cannot get the required differential pay of BAS for this done with the amount of office workers required to sit down with each individual this effects.
What should a guy like me be in theater eating MRE's while another gets fat on KBR double rations? Can you honestly say that MRE is worth BAS? NO, you cannot, especially when it;'s compared to the double rations that are served in the mess halls of such places like Bagram or Kandahar
What should a guy like me be in theater eating MRE's while another gets fat on KBR double rations? Can you honestly say that MRE is worth BAS? NO, you cannot, especially when it;'s compared to the double rations that are served in the mess halls of such places like Bagram or Kandahar
SSG Stacy Carter
Actually I did think this through. I know that there are individual cases where there are no mess facilities available while down range. Those cases should be dealt with on a case by case basis.
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The manpower required to do this in theater will increase costs to a level that is not worth taking away the BAS. The amount of BAS taken away would be far less than the cost of sending more support troops in S1 to take care of these individuals or units on a one to one basis which is required for any pay issue.
Consider the cost of 10 GI's for BAS is about $1420. Add just 1 S1 GI to that, and you pay THAT GI <$2750. Now tell me, how is that cost effective? You are talking about spending twice plus, what it takes to take away a small amount of money.
You are still not thinking this all the way through. Even with a 20:1 ratio of G:POG the rate does not ever come close to being cost effective because the more G you add, the higher rank plus more POG you have to add to take care of it, and it never becomes cost effective.
The housing issue is moot because you cannot force a man or woman's family to move out while they are deployed. That can get the deployed individual killed because now they not only have the stress of deployment, but are now focused upon their family's housing issue back home.
Consider the cost of 10 GI's for BAS is about $1420. Add just 1 S1 GI to that, and you pay THAT GI <$2750. Now tell me, how is that cost effective? You are talking about spending twice plus, what it takes to take away a small amount of money.
You are still not thinking this all the way through. Even with a 20:1 ratio of G:POG the rate does not ever come close to being cost effective because the more G you add, the higher rank plus more POG you have to add to take care of it, and it never becomes cost effective.
The housing issue is moot because you cannot force a man or woman's family to move out while they are deployed. That can get the deployed individual killed because now they not only have the stress of deployment, but are now focused upon their family's housing issue back home.
SSG Stacy Carter
The manpower to do this is not a great as you think. I did this for my Company of 200+ Soldiers by myself while we were in Djibouti, Africa. We had teams going out to remote areas on a daily basis and I would start and stop BAS, Tax exemptions and make sure TDY was approved. It really is not that hard.
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Mortgages and rent are not put on hold by deployment, so BAH should definitely continue. BAS, being for the SM to eat, should not be paid because you receive meals in the chow hall and can claim your meal expenses incurred on travel days on your travel allowance.
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Suspended Profile
So you are saying that one SM who gets two or three MREs a day is equal to some other SM who gets double rations in a KBR mess hall? Think this through SGT. You miss the work/personnel required to do the differential pay that would be demanded for the inequity. No S1 section has the man power or hours to dedicate to this in theater, or even in garrison.
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You should get housing because you still have to maintain a home. BAS maybe not, it isn't for your dependents, it's for you and you are already getting it. On the other hand you do have to pay for your meals in the chow hall if you get BAS, so it shouldn't matter.
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I vote YES you should, my phone scrolled up when I tried to vote and I hit the wrong one by accident. I hate delays in technology!!!
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I have already heard many of my single SM friends that don't understand why those with dependants get more BAH as it is. I couldn just imagine the uproar if we tried to take away the BAH or BAS from those without dependants. Though the only thing that I think should ever be considered would be the BAS for those single SMs that are deployed/being provided food free of charge at the DFAC.
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PO2 Vince Chmiel
While I completely agree with you on the BAH, I have to disagree about the BAS. BAS is intended strictly for the SM. Why stop BAS only for those SMs without dependents?
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TSgt (Join to see)
I'm not saying that they should, I only believe that is the most that I think should ever be considered. Besides it really wouldn't be that far of a stretch, when an Airman is living in the dorms they are not provided BAS because all they need to do is scan their CAC at the DFAC in order to eat. Whether BAS is intended to help support dependants or not I couldn't see it ever being accepted to take that monthly allowance away from someone with a family to support.
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This is the dumbest question I've ever heard. First, I don't get BAS when I'm deployed or attached to a ship because the food is provided in the ship's galley. Second, I still have to pay my landlord the full rent regardless of whether I'm on the boat and underway or if I'm inport and home most nights.
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LTC (Join to see)
PO1 (Join to see) most of us get the BAS, hence the question. So the Navy does not give you BAS, now we know. Thanks for sharing.
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BAH since we still have to pay rent or mortgage especially to support your family back home, but BAS should not be paid out if meals are provided....
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