I have received many emails asking if the Army spouse will have to move out of on post housing if her soldier deploys. The simple answer is no! The housing is provided for the soldier AND his family. In fact, with a few rare exceptions, he can’t get housing on post unless he has a family.
When a soldier deploys, some Army wives or husbands decide it is best to move back home to be close to family and friends. This tends to be particularly true for those with young children or with one on the way. It is a personal decision and one that should be thought about long and hard.
I will also give you the official answer as far as BAH and deployment. You will continue to receive BAH at the rate where your soldier is stationed regardless of where you live during a deployment. So if your soldier is stationed in California and you move home to small town USA, you probably just made out. If the reverse is true, you could be in for a world of hurt financially.
There have been instances where spouses have received BAH according to where they moved. But those instances are very rare and the decision is made by the soldier’s command. It would have to be in extreme circumstances for this to be granted. Also, the military will generally not pay to move you back home. So the expense of the move will fall on your shoulders.
Keep in mind as well that if you are living on post and move back home during deployment, you will have to be put on the waiting list again for housing when you move back. And in all likelihood, your name will be going on the list with hundreds of others as the unit begins redeployment. Some posts will allow you to maintain your on post housing if you move home during a deployment as long as you have made arrangements to have someone care for your lawn and check on the house. The rules regarding this vary greatly by post so be sure to check with your housing office.
I have always stayed where we were living when my husband deployed. My family always told me I could come home and live with them and I could likely save a great deal of money. But it is important to me to be around where he is stationed, to have access to the FRG and to be in our house, even if he isn’t in it at the moment.
Make sure you think through all of the possible scenarios before you make your decision. The last thing you need is additional stress during the deployment.
My husband is finishing up AIT in Arizona and will be leaving for Korea December 29th. After much thought, we have decided that our kids and myself are going to stay stateside for numerous reasons. With my husband leaving to go overseas and with me due to have a baby in February, I am going to have to quit my job. Presently, we are renting on the campus of where I work (it is a Children’s Home) and obviously, if I am not going to continue my employment with them, the children (5 y/o and 6 y/o) are going to have to move.
I have been looking for houses to rent in area that have good elementary schools but with our BAH – E4, it seems impossible to find something that is suitable for us. What do other families do in the Atlanta area when their spouse is stationed overseas? We do not have an active base in the Atlanta for which we could live. Besides, I am guessing our assigned base is Korea but what good does that do for my children and myself! I would like to purchase a home but with my husband only ordered for a year in Korea, it seems pointless to purchase anything. I feel like such a fish out of water and completely disconnected. My husband is active duty and I guess in my mind, I did not realize that with him being sent overseas would cause me to feel even more alone in all of this craziness! I was certain the military was going to assign us to a local base and then send him over but boy was I wrong on that one. At least if we were assigned to a local military base, I would feel some support by living on base and immersing myself in the military community.
Any insight you can give me will be greatly appreciated!!!!
I’ve heard contradicting reports about the army paying for you to move back to were your spouse is station after deployment. I have a few medical problems from a traumatic head and neck injury, that leaves me unable to care for our kids by myself. We Decided it would be best to move me back to my home town while he was gone. My 3 best friends are Air Force and Marines. They said they had no problems with being reimbursed for travel and moving expenses, to move there familys back in force during their deployments. Ive also heard from a few wifes in his unit that the army paid from them to move back up to ft. Lewis. When I asked my husband to look into it and ask him commander he told me there were no such thing as the army paying to move you back to base after he returned home. Even if the move was for medical reasons. Can any body help me out by give me a true and straight answer? Thank you so much!