UNCLASSIFIED//
R 061155Z FEB 08
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//
TO NAVADMIN
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//

UNCLAS//N07220//
NAVADMIN 035/08
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/FEB// 
SUBJ/CHANGES TO BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING (BAH) POLICIES RELATING TO 
CRITICAL HOUSING AREAS (CHA)// REF/A/DOC/OPNAV/25DEC05// REF/B/MSG/CNO 
WASHINGTON DC/171957ZJAN07// NARR/REF A IS OPNAVINST 7220.12, NAVY 
POLICY GUIDANCE REGARDING AUTHORIZED BAH ENTITLEMENTS.  REF B IS THE 
2007 CHA LISTING NAVADMIN 009/07.// 
RMKS/1.  THIS NAVADMIN ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO REF A REGARDING THE PAYMENT 
OF BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING (BAH) AT DEPENDENT LOCATION WHEN SAILORS 
ARE ASSIGNED TO A CRITICAL HOUSING AREA (CHA) WHICH LOSES ITS CHA 
DESIGNATION.  CHANGES WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE NEXT UPDATE TO REF 
A.
2.  PER REF A, SAILORS SEPARATED FROM THEIR DEPENDENTS AND ASSIGNED TO 
A PERMANENT DUTY STATION (PDS) WITHIN A MILITARY HOUSING AREA
(MHA) DESIGNATED AS A CHA MAY REQUEST TO RECEIVE BAH BASED ON THE 
CURRENT PERMANENT RESIDENCE LOCATION OF DEPENDENTS VICE THE LOCATION OF 
THE SAILOR?S PDS.  UNDER THE EXISTING POLICY, IF AN MHA LOST CHA 
DESIGNATION, SAILORS STATIONED IN THAT MHA WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE 
BAH AT DEPENDENT LOCATION FOR NO MORE THAN 60 DAYS FOLLOWING THE LOSS 
OF CHA DESIGNATION, OR UNTIL THE DATE DEPENDENTS RELOCATED TO THE 
SAILOR?S PDS, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST.  SAILORS WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF 
THEIR PROJECTED ROTATION DATE (PRD) WERE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE BAH AT 
DEPENDENT LOCATION UNTIL EXECUTION OF PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION (PCS) 
ORDERS. 
3.  EFFECTIVE 4 DECEMBER 2007, SAILORS ASSIGNED WITHIN AN MHA WHICH 
LOSES CHA DESIGNATION WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE BAH AT DEPENDENT 
LOCATION FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR ASSIGNMENT, RATHER THAN THE 60 DAY 
MAXIMUM ALLOWED UNDER THE PREVIOUS POLICY.  SAILORS WHO EXTEND THEIR 
TOUR OF DUTY UNDER THE SAME SET OF ORDERS MAY CONTINUE TO RECEIVE BAH 
AT DEPENDENT LOCATION.  SAILORS WHO RECEIVE A NEW, FOLLOW-ON SET OF 
ORDERS WITHIN THE SAME MHA WILL RECEIVE BAH AT THE RATE OF THE MHA UPON 
EXECUTION OF THOSE PCS ORDERS.  IN OTHER WORDS, RECEIPT OF BAH AT THE 
DEPENDENT LOCATION WILL END WITH THE CURRENT SET OF ORDERS.  WAIVER 
REQUESTS TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE BAH AT DEPENDENT LOCATION MUST BE 
SUBMITTED TO OPNAV N130C AND WILL BE DETERMINED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS 
FOLLOWING A REVIEW OF THE SAILOR?S CIRCUMSTANCE.
4.  IN GENERAL, ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE BAH BASED ON DEPENDENT LOCATION 
WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING OCCUR: 
    A.  THE SAILOR EXECUTES A PCS FROM HIS OR HER PDS,
    B.  THE SAILOR SEPARATES FROM ACTIVE DUTY,
    C.  THE SAILORS DEPENDENCY STATUS CHANGES, OR
    D.  THE SAILORS DEPENDENTS RELOCATE OUT OF THE MHA FOR WHICH 
PAYMENT IS AUTHORIZED.
5.  THIS CHANGE IN BAH ENTITLEMENTS IS APPLICABLE TO SAILORS ASSIGNED 
TO ALL FUTURE MHA?S WHICH LOSE CHA DESIGNATION BUT SHALL ALSO BE 
APPLIED TO THE FOLLOWING MHA?S IDENTIFIED IN REF B WHICH NO LONGER MET 
CHA CRITERIA IN JANUARY 2007:  HAMPTON ROADS, VA; LEMOORE, CA; SEAL 
BEACH, CA; CHINA LAKE, CA; PASCAGOULA, MS; MERIDIAN, MS; PENSACOLA, FL.  
SAILORS ASSIGNED TO THESE MHA?S, WHO CHOSE TO LEAVE DEPENDENTS AT 
LOCATIONS OTHER THAN THE PDS, ARE ELIGIBLE AGAIN, EFFECTIVE 4 DECEMBER 
2007, TO RECEIVE BAH AT DEPENDENT LOCATION. 
THIS ENTITLEMENT IS ONLY AUTHORIZED IF THE DEPENDENT?S LOCATION WAS 
ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE RELEASE OF REF B AND CONTINUOUS THROUGHOUT THE 
EXECUTION OF THE SAILOR?S ORDERS.  SAILORS WHO TRANSFERRED TO THESE 
LOCATIONS AFTER THE RELEASE OF REF B ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE BAH AT 
DEPENDENT LOCATION.
6.  RETROACTIVE PAYMENT OF BAH AT DEPENDENT LOCATION IS NOT AUTHORIZED 
FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE RELEASE OF REF B, 17 JANUARY
2007 AND 4 DECEMBER 2007, THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS POLICY CHANGE. 
SAILORS WHO BELIEVE THEY MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE BAH AT DEPENDENT 
LOCATION BASED ON THIS POLICY CHANGE SHOULD CONTACT THEIR PSD OR 
DISBURSING OFFICE.  DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF ERRONEOUS ADJUSTMENTS 
RESULTING FROM THE CHANGE TO 2008 BAH TABLES, PSD?S AND DISBURSING 
OFFICES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO REVIEW MPA 79/07 FOR SPECIFIC 
PROCESSING INSTRUCTIONS.
7.  POINT OF CONTACT IS LT MICHAEL BOWER, OPNAV N130C4, AT
(703) 695-3304/DSN 225 OR E-MAIL AT michael.l.bower@navy.mil. 
8.  RELEASED BY VADM J. C. HARVEY, JR. N1.//

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