Natural Disaster Emergency Compensation for
Military Members and Civilian Employees
Natural disaster emergency compensation issues for military members and civilian employees.
The following describes compensation issues for BAH and Evacuation
Allowances for members during a natural disaster and provides an HR emergency planning website and contact information
for affected civilian employees.
Coast Guard members and Civilian Employees stationed in hurricane prone areas should be aware of
compensation entitlements. Hurricane hazards include storm surges, high winds, tornadoes, lightning and flooding.
Personnel should review their insurance policies now, not after a loss has been incurred.
Flood damage is not usually covered by Homeowners or Renters insurance.
Make certain that your home and its possessions are adequately covered.
If you rent a house or apartment, talk to a professional insurance agent about purchasing
a renters insurance policy if you do not already have one.
Members should make an inventory of their possessions and store it off the premises.
Important papers such as insurance policies, wills, licenses, birth/marriage certificates should be secured in
a waterproof container, or a safe deposit box at the bank. If you can
make digital copies of important documents, store them online, on a flash drive or on a
CD-ROM and take them with you.
It is important for you and your family to have a family disaster plan that makes you as safe as possible in your home.
Create a disaster supply kit with a three to five day supply of water and non-perishable goods, battery-powered radio, flashlights,
and extra batteries. If a cell phone is your only source of
communication during a power outage, conserve your cell phone battery power.
Finally, if you are asked to evacuate, you should do so without delay.
Upon a mandatory evacuation order, the following general travel and transportation allowances apply:
- Uniformed servicemembers: Members who are ordered to evacuate an area are in a TDY status to a designated safe haven (temporary) location listed on their orders. Travel and transportation allowances are based on the safe haven location. Active duty members are not to be included on dependents evacuation orders. Reserve component members who are not on active duty are not authorized evacuation TDY orders.
- Dependents: Dependents who are ordered to evacuate an area are in a TDY status to a designated safe haven location listed on their orders. Travel and transportation allowances are based on the safe haven location.
- Evacuation status termination: When a member returns from a safe haven location with one or more dependents, all evacuation allowances cease for the entire family regardless of the location of other dependents. COMDT (CG-1222) may direct the early return of dependents, and termination of evacuation allowances, in certain areas before the evacuation period termination date. When requested through the members chain of command, COMDT (CG-1222) may authorize one or more of the dependents to remain at the evacuation safe haven location with appropriate allowances.
- Reserve Members: Members of the Reserve Component serving on active duty, and their dependents, may be authorized evacuation allowances if the principal residence of the reserve component member called or ordered to active duty is in the vicinity of the evacuated duty station.
- Travel Allowances: Local travel allowances in the vicinity of the safe haven or designated place (area where family sets up a more permanent Household) must not be paid if reimbursement is being received for expenses incurred in renting a motor vehicle.
- Alternate Safe Havens: Requests for alternate OCONUS safe havens evacuations must be approved by COMDT CG-1222 before evacuation allowances will be paid.
- Designated place: COMDT CG-1222 must approve the requests for
members desiring to convert the safe haven to a designated place,
including, if the designated place has a higher BAH rate, payment of
applicable BAH for the requested designated place.
Post evacuation BAH: Members without dependents temporarily occupying government quarters following an order or authorization to evacuate from their private sector housing in the vicinity of their permanent duty station remain entitled to BAH without dependents for a period not to exceed 180 consecutive days (unless otherwise extended by competent authority) from the effective date of occupancy of government quarters. This safe haven 180-day BAH entitlement is contingent upon the members continued obligation to pay for the previously occupied private sector housing while remaining in safe haven status.
Members without dependents who are in receipt of BAH without dependents prior to their evacuation, who return to their PDS following an evacuation, and do not return to their previously occupied private sector housing, do not have a private sector housing payment obligation, and are assigned to government quarters (leased or owned) in the vicinity of their PDS, are not entitled to BAH. As current BAH regulations stipulate, members without-dependents BAH entitlement terminates effective the date they are assigned to the government-provided quarters.
Members with dependents where either the member or dependents, or both, occupy government quarters following an order or authorization to evacuate from their private sector housing in the vicinity of their permanent duty station location remain entitled to BAH with dependents for a period not to exceed 180 consecutive days (unless otherwise extended by competent authority) from the effective date of occupancy of the temporary government quarters. This safe haven 180-day BAH entitlement is contingent upon the members continued obligation to pay for private housing while remaining in a safe haven status.
Members with dependents receiving BAH prior to their evacuation who are ordered to return to their PDS following an evacuation, and the member and dependents will not return to their previously occupied private sector housing, and the member is assigned to Government provided quarters in the vicinity of their PDS, and the dependents remain assigned to temporary government quarters, are entitled to BAH for up to 180 days (unless otherwise extended by competent authority) from the effective date the member and dependents were initially assigned to temporary government quarters.
At the safe haven location, the BAH entitlement is contingent upon the members continued obligation to pay for private sector housing. The members assignment to government-provided quarters in the vicinity of their PDS is considered a local command housing decision.
Members with dependents receiving BAH prior to their evacuation who are ordered to return to their permanent duty station location following an evacuation, and the member and dependents will not return to their previously occupied private sector housing, and the member is assigned to government provided quarters in the vicinity of their PDS, and the dependents terminate their assignment to temporary government quarters and occupy private sector quarters, remain entitled to BAH. The members assignment to government provided quarters in the vicinity of their PDS is considered a local command housing decision.
Members with or without dependents who are assigned to either single or family type government quarters on the date evacuation orders are issued, are considered assigned to those government quarters while under the evacuation order at the safe haven location. BAH can only be authorized when their assignment to the government quarters is terminated by proper authority.
When a members obligation for payment of their mortgage or private rental terminates during their and/or their dependents (if with dependents) 180-day temporary assignment (unless extended by competent authority) to government quarters, BAH is no longer authorized. Members are responsible for informing the command and Servicing Personnel Office (SPO) to have BAH terminated to indicate assignment to government quarters.
While under evacuation orders, if a member with dependents relocates his or her dependents out of the safe haven temporary government quarters location to a designated dependents place where dependents do not occupy government quarters, the member may elect to terminate dependent evacuation allowances and receive BAH, and if payable, CONUS COLA rates, if more equitable than their PDS location, for his or her dependents location. The BAH and CONUS COLA effective date is the date the dependents begin residing at this designated place, and evacuation allowances terminate. To terminate dependent evacuation allowances and request BAH and CONUS COLA for a dependents designated place under this policy, a Housing Allowance Protection Worksheet (CG PSC 2025a) must be submitted to PSC (PSD-FS).
All members must be aware of their status and know when evacuation and TDY periods end because those dates affect your entitlements. Reservists ordered to active duty under Title 14, Section 712, USC must ensure that they are correctly reported in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS) as Title 14, not Title 10. Review your DEERS record and have it corrected at the local Real-time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) office. To locate the nearest rapids facility go to http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl
Reservists mobilized under Title 14 are not operating under contingency orders and are not entitled to contingency benefits authorized for Title 10 reservists, such as Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) and the Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP). The member will not be eligible for medical benefits following their Title 14 recall orders.
Members and enrolled family members with orders 30 days or less must ensure they remain enrolled in TRICARE premium based plans such as TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) and the TRICARE Dental Program (TDP).
Military Personnel POCs:
Evacuation orders and entitlements:
YNCM Mike Snyder at 202-475-5395 or email michael.r.snyder(at)uscg.mil
Post evacuation BAH entitlements:
Mr. Pete Bekken at 202-475-5398 or email peter.q.bekken(at)uscg.mil
DEERS/RAPIDS:
CWO3 Joey Brown at 202-475-5394 or email joey.r.brown(at) uscg.mil
Civilian employees: in case of a mandatory evacuation order, information regarding pay, travel, leave, and work schedules for civilian employees can be found in the emergency guidance handbook. This site also contains disaster and emergency contact information and a suggested format for collecting emergency contact information. Questions should be directed to your servicing Command Staff Advisor/Human Resources Specialist.
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Last Modified 11/8/2012