Threat to BAH Challenged

Advocates for service members made clear to a Senate panel that they oppose any plans to get rid of the basic allowance for housing (BAH). Calling BAH a “bloated and ripe for abuse,” the Senate Armed Services Committee is proposing to reduce the allowance for those who live in areas where it is lower than housing costs. Service members would have to provide proof of expenses in order to justify a full BAH rate. During a June 3 hearing on Capitol Hill, the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) outlined a host of problems such a change would present. “It effectively penalizes service members who marry other service members rather than civilians. It raises problems with dealing with military vs. civilian roommates, and military roommates of different grades,” MOAA stated.