I want to express my concerns regarding the recent extension of the dual accommodation waiver (DAW).
It is a significant retention benefit, ensuring those who maintain a family home away from their workplace can access single living accommodation (SLA) without charge.
However, the new policy excludes married unaccompanied personnel who maintain a family home overseas, stipulating it applies only to privately maintained residences in the UK.
Serving in the military offers unparalleled opportunities, particularly for travel and service overseas and sometimes we can fall in love while posted abroad, marry, and decide to establish family homes to settle our dual national families outside the UK.
It’s a shame this crucial retention allowance is now denied to those who face the greatest challenges in returning home to see their loved ones.
I hope this aspect of the policy can be reconsidered to ensure it supports everyone equitably. – Lt Col Wassim Slim, RAMS
Lt Col Clare Sapwell, Modernised Accommodation Offer, Army Headquarters, replies: The DAW replaced SLA waivers from all three services, which for the army was the over-37 package.
It applies to eligible personnel irrespective of age, marital status, or rank and as a result has been well received.
The current policy remains in effect until March 31, after which the MoD has confirmed the DAW will go from a temporary to permanent waiver, ensuring long-term support for eligible service personnel.
Overseas properties do not qualify for a residence at work address such as SLA under this scheme. To qualify, personnel must maintain a property outside daily commuting distance (more than 50 miles or 90 minutes’ travelling time by public transport of the duty station) and located in the UK.
Choosing to live abroad is a personal decision, made with awareness that service will require time away from home.
I recently submitted a claim on JPA regarding costs from an overseas task. I finally received the funds five working days later.
Why is it I can transfer money from one UK account to another in minutes and make payments internationally normally within two hours, yet it takes the MoD nearly five days to pay me money I am owed?
Yes, people can claim for an advance in pay on JPA of, I believe, up to 80 per cent of the expected outlay, but that doesn’t mean the money gets to your account any quicker. – Name and address supplied
Lt Col Steve Harrington, Current Operations, Armed Forces and Veterans Services, replies: Expense claims are paid through BACS, with authorised claims processed for payment normally within three working days, so weekends can extend the time it takes to receive funds.
It is not feasible for the MoD to
condense this process due to the manual entry procedures and segregation
of duties.
Making faster payments would require two individuals, one to create transactions and one to authorise them, resulting in a time-consuming and cost-inefficient process given the volume of business.
For context, during the three-day period when your claim was in the system, a total of 19,460 individual payments were processed, amounting to £6.5 million in value.
