In January, the military services will convert geographic rate
protection (GRP) for basic allowance for housing to individual
rate protection (IRP). Under GRP, new arrivals at an
installation have received a protected BAH rate even if
housing rates in the area dropped and adequate housing was
available at a lower cost. Under the new IRP, arriving service
members may receive a lower rate than those already there
because members who remain in an area will not see their
individual BAH rate lowered. This will ensure that members
already making set payments for their homes won’t be faced
with a BAH cut. It will protect members when the median
housing rates in an area drop but landlords don’t lower
rents commensurately. But it will create situations where
two members of the same rank and with the same dependent
status may be drawing different BAH rates.
