[Request for Decision Concerning Army Officer's Station Housing Allowance]

A decision was requested as to whether authority exists to retroactively authorize a "rent plus" housing allowance for an Army officer. GAO noted that: (1) the officer and his family were assigned government housing in Germany, but the family became ill with unexplained symptoms after occupying the goverment quarters; (2) officials suspected that the illnesses were due to chemicals or sprays found in the quarters; and (3) although the family moved and all symptoms of illness disappeared, the Army was uncertain of whether the move would be permanent and, therefore, failed to immediately request a ceiling for station allowances. GAO found that: (1) the "rent plus" allowance is based on the difference between a member's basic quarters allowance and the actual rent the member pays for overseas housing within a maximum ceiling; (2) at the time the family moved into local housing, a ceiling rate had not been established for the officer's level; (3) the Army's failure to establish a proper ceiling was an administrative error; and (4) since a ceiling allowance was not established and the officer was not authorized an allowance until after he had occupied local quarters for several months, the regulation may be retroactively corrected to allow payment. Accordingly, the housing allowance may be retroactively authorized.