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7 Lamplighter 1 (1996)

handle is hein.journals/lmplgt7 and id is 1 raw text is: LAMP V 7 S S 1996 Family Support Requirements in the Army Colonel Demmon F. Canner Each military service has a slightly different program to deal with family support issues. The Army's family support program is established under Army Regulation 608-99, Family Support, Child Custody, and Paternity, (1 November 1994). Requirements Under the Regulation The regulation requires a soldier to comply with an existing court order. If a court has not entered an order on the matter, the regulation requires a soldier to comply with a written fi- nancial support agreement. In the absence of a court order or a support agreement, the regulation requires a soldier to comply with the financial support requirements provided in the regula- tion. In most cases, this means that a soldier must pay his or her family members an amount equal to the soldier's basic al- lowance for quarters at the with dependents rate (BAQ-WITH). As of January 1996, this amount ranges from $335.10 per month for a private E-1 to $941.10 per month for any officer. The regulatory requirement for support equal to BAQ-WITH is the subject of most of the questions on the program and is the focus of this article. Support The Army's regulation on family support is not a substitute for court action. It is not an entitlement program; it is an in- terim measure only, and it is based on the public policy interest in government employees supporting their families. In most cases, if ABC Corporation receives a letter indicating that one of its employees is not supporting his or her family, the corporation's response would be limited to sympathy. Soldiers, however, are public servants who often are required by orders to move to foreign countries. Even so, the amount of required support is limited. The Army focuses on the allowance that it pays to a soldier for housing. Specifically, it focuses on the extra allowance that it pays to soldiers with family members. Single soldiers are provided government quarters or basic allowance for quarters (BAQ) off post. Married soldiers are provided larger govern- ment quarters or more money (BAQ-WITH) specifically because of the presence of a spouse and/or children. If the Army is paying more for family members, it expects a soldier to spend that amount, at a minimum, on the same family members. If the soldier is not supporting the family, however, the Army (continued on page 8) IN THIS IU The LAMPlighter Says ....................................................... 2 Legal Readiness Checkup Pilot Project ............................. 3 The Tariff Sheriff ................................................................ 5 Chair's Column ................................................................ 7 Illustration bv Jim Starr