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Overseas Q
Quick question for those of you who have been stationed overseas or might know...
My H really wants to request overseas for his first PDS (preferably Japan if he gets to be that specific, of course, we both know that requesting it doesn't mean he will get it), unfortunately, Japan is unaccompanied for a first-term Marine. The recruiter mentioned to us that although the military won't pay to move me, there is no one stopping us from moving me over there on our own dime (which will be ridiculously expensive, but maybe worth it instead of two years of separation). Our question is this: since he will be required to maintain a room in the barracks even though he will be living with me, will we get BAH? I mentioned this to H but he pointed out that he lives in the barracks at his school right now, and yet we have been told that we should be receiving BAH anyway (should have that paperwork all in soon).
Basically, we are thinking that if we will receive BAH and only have to pay to move me, then it will be do-able, if we have to pay for the move and my housing in Japan (or some other overseas station) off-base, probably not so do-able.
Re: Overseas Q
I'm not sure about your actual question. I think because you are married he would get BAH to support *your* household along with the separation pay.
You should also take into account that you wouldn't be a command sponsored dependent, and therefore you wouldn't be eligible to use any military services there (medical, commissary, exchange, etc). When we were in Egypt I had to show proof I was command sponsored before they'd even let me in the door to the commissary or schedule me an appointment at the clinic.
The main question is whether or not we would get BAH.
I didn't think about the other services, though. I go to the gym, clinic, commissary, etc. on the base near where I live now with no problem although H is not stationed here, but I guess overseas is different?
The commissary and such I wouldn't be so worried about, but the medical might be an issue, especially since we would be over there around the time that H and I are planning to start TTC.
Yes, everything is different overseas. You have to be command sponsored to use any benefits, unlike here in the US where you can pretty much go to any base/post.
I get he want's to go overseas, but why not try and get stateside for his first PCS and then put something in for OCONUS later?
https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/faqoha.cfm
To answer your question- number 7 says that you will receive OHA, regardless of command sponsorship.
I would take everything PPs said under consideration though. Since you would not be able to use other base amenities, you may end up paying a lot out of pocket for necessities, like healthcare. I think it would be wise to look into it before you decide to accompany YH without command sponsorship.
Housing and healthcare would scare me.
Can't you use USAA over there?
Yes but you get charged an international transaction fee for each time you use a credit or debit card plus ATM fees.
ETA: I also had another ID card that proved I was command sponsored. I had to show that for access into any of the US owned buildings - clinic, commissary, etc.
Really?! Hm.. never knew that.
1.I do not know about the Marines but in Korea we had to have a rations card to get into the PX and Comm. It was totally different then in the states. Also we had to be registared in DBIDS before being allowed on post. We were scanned in on post if your name was in the system you were allowed on, even family members visting had to have a temp id to get on post. If you were not reg. you were NOT allowed on post.
2. USAA debit cards do not have international fees as long as you call them and tell them where you are going to be living. We also got our ATM fees back just like in the states.
His class leader at school has advised them that if they are planning to re-enlist, to try and be overseas at that time since their re-enlistment bonus is not taxable if they are overseas. I guess if he were in the US when he re-enlisted it would chop his bonus from 30k to around 19k. However, since an overseas PCS is two years, that would put him moving again at a few months shy of his three year mark, and he is in a five year contract, so I'm not even sure that he would be able to re-enlist that soon?
Based on what everyone is saying it seems like a huge headache for me to move over there without being on his orders and maybe more trouble and cost than it is worth (I feel terrible saying that). Plus, if he were to get stationed in Japan and then deployed, I would be all alone, off base, knowing absolutely no one. If I happened to be pregnant or with a new baby as well...that scares me.
I can't bold from Chrome but the re-enlistment bonus part is wrong. My H was stationed in Japan and was on deployment the last time he re-enlisted and his bonus was taxed. Everyone else I know who re-enlisted there, their bonuses are taxed. Japan isn't a tax free zone, H's pay was only tax free for the few days they would go to hazard areas like some parts of the Philippines. m
Hmm. I guess that is something he will have to double check then.
Maybe the class leader meant overseas as in deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.?
There's also been some noise about the US closing the base in Japan and so if H has a chance to go over there, he wants to go before that happens.
All of this is stuff that he has been telling me, so I don't know exactly what sources he is getting it from, other than the bonus info, which came from the class leader.
Something not mentioned yet is the need for a no-fee passport, which includes your official permission to remain in the country beyond the limits of a tourist passport/visa (in Europe, it's SOFA, I don't know if it's the same in Japan). There are all sorts of implications and challenges to going over without command sponsorship. Traveling to other countries, is just another challenge.
As for OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance), my understanding is that it must be approved. And, it is not like BAH, that a set amount goes directly to the service member, regardless of rent. Again, here in Germany, we had to have paperwork approved and filed to qualify for OHA. Once we found a house, and the amount of rent was determined, the allotment was set-up. It comes to us, but it is the exact amount of our rent, which we then pay to our landlords. All of this is done through the housing office because they work to ensure the leases are fair and appropriate, since most service members do not speak enough German, nor understand German law, to understand what it all means. If you sign a lease on your own, it is done so without the support provided by the US military, and if something goes wrong, you are on your own.
Personally, moving overseas can be challenging. As a first duty assignment, it would be even more challenging. I would be encouraging my DH to put stateside assignments down, so that you can easily be together. Best of luck!
I've gone non-command sponsored overseas, and it was to a more restrictive base than any in Japan. It was an entirely unaccompanied, regardless of rank. About 6 people had spouses living in the area. I was one of them.
Yes, I could still use the commissary and library and a few other things. I had to get a rations card, but that wasn't a problem. I was even in DBIDS for that location
However, I had to get my own apartment, off base. OHA paid for it, but as pp said, you don't get to keep the money you don't spend like you do with BAH. Financially, we would have been much better off with me staying in Denver, paying $500 in rent with $1800 BAH. Smudges, I didn't have problem with my OHA approval. According to H, it would have been fraudulent to keep collecting Denver since I wasn't there, and they'd recently cracked down on that. Some people who'd been stationed in Hawaii kept collecting that BAH even though they moved on the economy in Korea, and it was nasty.
I couldn't use any medical facilities, even to get my overseas clearance (we did 3 overseas tours in a row). I paid OOP to go to a hospital in a nearby city just to get my annual Pap. I paid OOP to go up to Seoul, spend the night, and get a dental cleaning (required for overseas approval). Theoretically you are eligible for space a at the clinics, but in reality it never happens. This was more expensive than staying home and having it all paid for.
You can only be there on your tourist passport which means no work, and it means you have to leave the country every 3 months to renew it. This will be expensive from Japan.
Financially, it makes zero sense. For us, the hurdles were worth it. We were able to afford the extra costs, too. However, I only lived there 5 months of a 13 month tour, and I was at a transition point in my own life, so the timing of the move was perfect. Also, the fact of military life is that rank can help, and my H wasn't junior enlisted on his first assignment.
I hope that gives you a reality dose of what it really means/costs to go overseas unsponsored.
Really?? That is surprising to me. The only "extra" thing we needed to get was H's Liberty Card since they have the specific curfews and our SOFA licenses. Of course we only show the licenses if we're getting pulled over or something of the sorts.
I didn't have a card for command sponsorship, but I did have a rations card. Without it, I couldn't purchase anything on base. I physically go in the stores, but I couldn't buy anything.
However, you didn't need command sponsorship to get one. It was to crack down on drinking and black market, not to differentiate sponsorship.
Yeah, this is pretty much what I was thinking--that the costs of getting me over there would outweigh the potential (he thought) benefit of going in the first place. And yeah, I expect that as he gets some experience under his belt he will figure out who has good advice and who not.
We talked about it last night and he determined that he will put down stateside as his first choice, and wait until after he reenlists to try to get an overseas station.
I appreciate all the feedback, it definitely helps.