Editorial: Raise single BAH rates

[unhappycamper]

Editorial: Raise single BAH rates

A sweeping study of military pay calls for bringing fairness to the Basic Allowance for Housing. It’s about time.

The 10th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation proposes raising BAH rates for troops without dependents to 95 percent of the rates for their peers with families. The 5 percent difference accounts for the fact that single people need less for utilities and insurance.

Differences in BAH for single and married troops amount to hundreds of dollars per month for many, especially the most junior personnel.

This is because BAH rates are, based on average costs of various types of housing that defense officials deem appropriate for troops according to their age, grade and family status.

The Pentagon rationale is that single people — especially low-ranking single people — can make do with smaller housing.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_editorial_bah_042108/

[rakeeb]

1. There are bigger problems with BAH than just not giving a

19 year old single PFC enough cash to go out and buy a four bedroom house....

The problem with BAH with dependents is that it is based on rank, not family size;
Junior enlisted (E1-E4) married soldiers will get a BAH based on the average rent for a 2 bedroom apt, whether they have zero kids or five kids.
Senior enlisted and junior officer married soldiers will get a BAH based on the average rent for a 3-4 bedroom house, whether they have zero kids or five kids.

The only part of the BAH program that uses common sense is that single soldiers without dependents really only need a one bedroom apt....
not to be confused with single soldiers with dependents; if you have a kid, (or kids) your BAH will be "with dependents" (which is what married BAH is really called.)