By MOAA Staff

A House bill introduced March 6 would restore a critical housing benefit for servicemembers and their families, reversing a decade-old law that cut the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for all in uniform.

The BAH Restoration Act (H.R. 1956), introduced by Reps. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), would ensure the benefit covered 100% of housing-related expenses.

A 2015 law allowed DoD to reduce the benefit by one percentage point per year through 2019; it now covers 95% of expected housing costs. Financial surveys show most servicemembers not only pay the difference out of pocket, but pay even more than DoD estimates, with 73% reporting spending $200 or more per month on housing costs.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support the BAH Restoration Act]

A similar bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). The act was introduced last session and was part of MOAA’s 2024 Advocacy in Action efforts; partial funding for BAH restoration was included in the House version of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) but was not part of the final legislation.

“As we look to sustain the power of the all-volunteer force into the future, we recognize the continued strain on our servicemembers and their families, especially among junior enlisted personnel,” said MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), in remarks supporting the bill. “Ensuring there is adequate affordable housing for those who serve our nation, a benefit they earn through their service, is essential to ensuring our defense, security, and prosperity – and it’s our duty as a nation to fully support them in return for their service.”

Restoring BAH was one of a series of recommendations included in the House Armed Services Committee’s Quality of Life Panel Report, released in April 2024. Bacon – a MOAA member and retired Air Force brigadier general – chaired the HASC panel.

“Our servicemembers and their families should not have to struggle to find and afford housing,” Bacon said in a press release accompanying the legislation. “When they volunteer to put their lives on the line for their country, we should be able to guarantee that they will have access to clean and comfortable housing within the allowance they are given.”

Strickland, who also serves on the HASC, called attention to servicemembers struggling to find affordable housing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where they “are priced out of options to live near the bases, putting a strain on military families.”

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Restoring the benefit, she added, “provides servicemembers and their families with stability and shows that meeting their basic needs is a national security priority.”

The legislation has support from military and veterans service organizations including the Military Family Advisory Network, Blue Star Families, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and National Military Family Association.

Ask your lawmaker to support the BAH Restoration Act today, and visit our Legislative Action Center to learn more about other ongoing MOAA legislative priorities.