When two people serving in the military say “I do,” Congress could soon say “we don't” to paying both service members military housing benefits.
Currently, each spouse serving in the military gets a basic allowance for housing (BAH) to help them cover the cost of living off-base.
But under the Senate Armed Services Committee’s defense authorization bill, only the higher-ranking member in dual-service marriage would draw the housing benefit with a “dependents rate.” The other member would be ineligible.
“There can be a lot of controversy around this, whether that person is considered to be double dipping or not. Both of these service members joined the service under their own contracts; they have their own benefits and their own entitlements. Just because they are married, should they receive less benefits than a single person?” asked Tony Teravainen, CEO of Support the Enlisted Project. The organization helps struggling military families with basic needs and other financial help when they can't pay their bills living on a military salary.
The change is aimed cutting the near $500 billion defense budget, which has had a more than 30 percent increase in personnel spending over the last 14 years.
But this cut may not be so cut and dry. Teravainen said there are 85,000 junior enlisted, lower pay grades in the Navy in San Diego County. “Sixty percent of them are considered low income and 30 percent rely on food assistance regularly to feed their families, so anytime you make any adjustments to military pay, it's a very sensitive issue,” he said.
Members of the military who talked with NBC 7 Friday said this is complicated by a number of other issues. For instance, sometimes married military couples don't live in the same city because the military can't always station couples at the same location.
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“I think they should not take that benefit away from them even if they are married. It is expensive to live, period. So if they are going to serve their country, they should get it,” said Penny Sloan.
After moving from the Armed Services Committee, the change has to pass the Senate and the House.
