Lower income troops with large
families
may be eligible for new cash allowance
By Marni McEntee, Kaiserslautern bureau
KAISERSLAUTERN,
Germany — Financial help is on the way for military members who have trouble making
ends meet.
As of May
1, lower-income troops who have large families will be eligible for a monthly cash
allowance of up to $500. The new entitlement is designed for members who would be eligible
to receive food stamps if stationed in the United States. Overseas military members are
not now eligible for food stamps.
Getting the
new payment, called the Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance, isn’t automatic.
Military members will have to apply for it through their individual personnel commands.
Once approved, however, they will receive a non-taxable monthly payment that they can use
in any way they see fit, said Maj. Tim Blair, a spokesman for the Office of the Secretary
of Defense.
Eligibility
is based on salary and the number of people in the servicemember’s family. Generally,
though, those who would meet the criteria to get food stamps in the United States would be
eligible to receive the new allowance overseas, Blair said.
Under the
Food Stamp program, a four-person family is eligible if its gross income does not exceed
$1,848 per month, according to a Web site on the program.
Members can
receive the allowance for up to 12 consecutive months, but also can reapply after that
period ends, and their financial status will be re-evaluated. The allowance ceases if the
member is promoted or has a permanent change of station.
The
supplement is among several recent initiatives the military has made to improve
troops’ quality of life, including increases in basic pay and housing allowances.
Still,
lower-ranking — and thus lower-paid — members who have several children often
find themselves strapped for cash. Of the 1.4 million active-duty military members, about
5,000 receive food stamps.
Officials
expect that at least 6,000 people will be eligible for the new allowance. Blair said no
numbers were available for how many of those eligible are stationed overseas.
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