Pentagon takes steps to help military service members and families deal with inflation, rising housing costs
October 3-9, 2022
By The Daily Record Staff
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Sept. 22 announced immediate and long-term actions to help strengthen the economic security and stability of military service members and their families, including thousands of active and active-duty soldiers stationed in Arkansas.
Recognizing the extraordinary pressures that military families face, Secretary Austin has directed the Pentagon to review and institute automatic military housing allowances in the face of rent and housing price spikes nationwide, cut commissary prices at U.S. and international military bases, and increase supplemental pay and allowances for service members in 2023.
According to the Department of Defense, automatic Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) increases at 28 Military Housing Areas (MHAs) that have experienced an average of more than 20% spike in rental housing costs this year. This new initiative will go into effect in October 2022.
The 28 Military Housing Areas are: Vandenberg AFB, CA; Twenty Nine Palms MCB, CA; San Diego, CA; Dover AFB/ Rehoboth, DE; Patrick AFB, FL; Miami/Fort Lauderdale, FL; Orlando, FL; West Palm Beach, FL; Volusia County, FL; Fort Myers Beach, FL; Kings Bay/Brunswick, GA; Maui County, HI; Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; Cape Cod – Plymouth, MA; Martha’s Vineyard, MA; Brunswick, ME; Coastal Maine, ME; Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Helena, MT; Wilmington, NC; Northern New Jersey, NJ; Newport, RI; Providence, RI; Beaufort/Parris Island, SC; Knoxville, TN; Houston, TX; and Quantico/Woodbridge, VA.
The Pentagon also said it will fully fund a plan for military commissaries to cut prices at the register with the goal of achieving at least a 25% savings on grocery bills compared to the local marketplace. In addition to these measures, President Joe Biden’s current budget includes a 4.6% pay hike for service members starting on Jan. 1, 2023.
In other efforts to assist military members relocating to a new station that are affected by inflation and rising housing costs, the Pentagon chief has also directed the DoD to permanently increase the maximum amount for temporary lodging expenses from 10 to 14 days for all moves in the continental U.S.
That new policy also allows up to 60 days of lodging expenses if a service member moves to an area where there is a military housing shortage. Also, to help E-1 to E-6 service members further offset personal expenses for military moves, dislocation payments will be paid automatically one month prior to their move date to preempt out-of-pocket expenses.
To further strengthen military support to families, Austin has also directed the Defense Department:
Continue improvements to Military OneSource, which provides online moving and housing tools to service members from all branches.
Make significant investments in Child Development Program (CDP) facilities and infrastructure to further expand their capacity to provide quality childcare.
Standardize a minimum 50% discount for the first child of CDP direct-care workers, helping to attract more talented staff and to increase capacity.
Improve access to childcare programs and resources such as Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood and expand the in-home childcare fee-assistance pilot program to additional states to provide more options to military families. All these new policies will take effect in October.
Military child development centers have extended their hours to better account for Service members’ varied schedules. The Defense Department has also reached out to additional high-quality, community-based childcare providers who agree to care for military families using DoD’s fee-assistance program.
The Pentagon has also previously expanded parental leave policies to cover non-chargeable leave following the birth or adoption of a child for active duty and eligible Reserve Component Service members; established a New Parent Support Program; and updated policies to reimburse nursing Service members for shipment of breast milk when on mandated temporary duty travel.
Last, Austin has directed Defense Department officials to further enhance employment opportunities for military spouses by accelerating the development of seven additional occupational licensure interstate compacts with organizations representing multiple professions. He said that will ease burdens for spouses who must transfer professional licenses or credentials with each move.
Austin’s directive will also increase the use of non-competitive, direct hiring authorities for military spouses in the DoD and further expand remote work and telework options to help military spouses build portable careers. In January, the Pentagon is also launching a new career-accelerator pilot initiative that will match military spouses with paid private-sector fellowships in a variety of career paths. This will take effect in January 2023.
The Defense Department is also working to increase the number of partners in the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) by 10% by the end of the year. MSEP is critical in connecting DoD spouses to organizations committed to hiring them, officials said.
Additional information on the Taking Care of Our Service Members and Families initiative can be found here: https://www.defense.gov/Spotlights/Taking-Care-of-Our-People/
Photo Caption:
2. President Joe Biden’s current budget includes a 4.6% pay hike for service members starting on Jan. 1, 2023.
