Albany, Ga. -- Marine Corps officials have imposed an immediate freeze on the approval of pending and future requests for basic allowance for housing “without dependents” from permanently assigned unmarried Marines in the ranks of sergeant and below at installations with adequate barracks space available.
Marine administrative message 429/11, titled freeze on further approval of BAH, outlines the changes.
It can be found on the official Marine Corps Web site,
www.marines.mil. The Marine Corps has a responsibility to provide all personnel residing on base with a well maintained, suitable, living environment.
Previously, barracks space deficits at many installations resulted in overcrowding and increased numbers of unmarried Marines authorized to receive BAH and reside off base on the local economy.
The commandant’s bachelor enlisted quarters initiative is correcting this situation by providing top-notch barracks at installations around the Marine Corps.
As good stewards of the nation’s resources, Marines must take full advantage of this investment and ensure the barracks are well utilized and occupied to the greatest extent practical, officials said.
With this MarAdmin, they will also increase noncommissioned officer leadership presence in the barracks to provide mentorship and help build resiliency in Marines. This MarAdmin reinforces existing policies and is effective immediately.
Unmarried Marines in the pay grade of sergeant and below shall be assigned to reside in the barracks whenever space is available on the installation at which they are stationed. Installation commanders are the approval authority to grant BAH for unmarried, E-5 and below Marines who are permanently assigned to the installation or its tenant commands. Installation commanders shall not approve pending and future requests from single, E-5 and below Marines to receive BAH when barracks space is available.
The following guidelines shall be followed:
New requests to receive BAH may only be approved when the occupancy rate for barracks across the installation is 95 percent or greater at the time of application.
Installation commanders may consider all barracks in the general vicinity of a unit’s allocated barracks space as well as forecasted occupancy rates for the succeeding six months when making this determination. Installation commanders will closely monitor and re-allocate barracks space across the installation as necessary to maximize overall occupancy. Installation commanders may approve exceptions to the policies of this MarAdmin to preclude undue hardship on individual Marines.
Within 10 days of granting such an exception, installation commanders shall send official correspondence (naval letter) notifying DC, Installations and Logistics (LFF) and DC, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (MPO) of the exception, briefly outlining the individual circumstances and the current and six-month forecasted occupancy rates of the barracks across the installation.
Installation commanders shall closely monitor barracks occupancy and accurately track and report bonafide bachelor and geographical bachelor personnel residing in barracks via the unaccompanied housing module of the Web-based enterprise military housing system.
Commanders shall make every effort to provide barracks space to unmarried Marines in grades E-5 and below.
While unit integrity in barracks continues to be a desired condition that should be pursued, it can no longer be an exclusive factor that prevents effective barracks utilization and drives down occupancy.
This MarAdmin does not impact previously approved BAH authorizations, officials said.
This MarAdmin is applicable to the entire Marine Corps, they added.