[Propriety of Payment of Increased Basic Quarters Allowance]

The U.S. Coast Guard submitted several questions concerning the propriety of paying an increased basic allowance for quarters on account of dependents, as claimed by two Coast Guard members who are married to each other and are not assigned to government quarters. GAO determined that both uniformed service members, who are married to each other and had dependent children in their own right prior to their marriage, may be paid an increased allowance for quarters when the spouses do not reside together as a family unit because of their duty assignments. Whether the dependents reside with one, both, or neither of them would not affect their entitlement, provided that each member individually supports his or her dependents and is not assigned to government quarters. However, when the two members are assigned to the same or adjacent bases, are not assigned government quarters, and live together as a family unit, only one member may receive a quarters allowance at the increased with-dependents rate, and the other member may receive it at the without-dependents rate. Only one set of family quarters is required and all of the dependent children belong to the same class of dependents upon which the increased allowance is based, regardless of whether the children live with the members or not. Further, when a member's child meets the qualifications for becoming the member's dependent following the member's marriage to another member who is not the child's natural parent and the members have other dependent children, that child joins the class of dependent children upon which the member parent's increased quarters allowance entitlement is determined. GAO found that the Secretary of the service concerned may make dependency and relationship determinations for enlisted members' quarters allowance entitlements which are final and not for review by GAO. However, that provision does not apply to officers, and GAO renders decisions in officers' cases and in enlisted members' cases when requested by the service. In the interest of uniformity, it would be appropriate for the services to forward doubtful cases to GAO for a decision, particularly those involving the marriage of an officer and an enlisted member.