BAH recertification deadline fast approaching

  • Published
  • By Staff Reports
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  The recertification deadline for Individual Reservists who receive the basic allowance for housing (with dependent rate) is Oct. 31.

Members must provide their servicing finance office with documentation for all of their dependents as part of Air Force audit readiness efforts.

This one-time, Air Force-wide recertification process will allow the Air Force to validate Airmen's basic allowance for housing entitlements, ensuring every dollar of the $5.4 billion the Air Force spends annually on BAH is fully auditable.

For those Reservists receiving BAH (without dependent rate), no action is required.

Reservists affected by this requirement must provide the document -- marriage license and birth certificate(s) -- that is the basis for their BAH entitlement. In addition, they must complete an Air Force Form 594, Application and Authorization to Start, Stop or Change Basic Allowance for Quarters or Dependency Redetermination. This form must be printed and signed. A digital signature is not acceptable.

Supporting documentation and the signed form must be hand-carried, faxed, mailed or e-mailed to the appropriate servicing Reserve pay office.

The push for revalidation of dependent documentation comes as the Air Force prepares to meet financial improvement and audit readiness requirements laid out in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. The Air Force currently retains dependent documentation for six years, which is insufficient to meet audit readiness requirements.

This one-time revalidation will ensure Air Force compliance with audit requirements.

"America entrusts the Air Force not only to spend taxpayer dollars wisely and efficiently, but also to account and justify that expenditure," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III in a recent memo. "Preparation for this important and legislatively mandated effort rests in the hands of every Airman, not just the financial community."

Although revalidation of Airmen's dependents will be a one-time recertification, Airmen will continue to play a vital role in the Air Force's audit readiness. Starting in 2015, independent auditors will visit workstations for Airmen to review processes, procedures and transactions that directly impact the Air Force's financial statements.