Coast Guard's top enlisted leader tells Congress he's unfamiliar with any housing bonus plan

Master Chief Petty Officer Phillip Waldron, the Coast Guard's top enlisted member, told a House subcommittee on Sept. 16 that he was unfamiliar with any proposed housing allowance bonus for high-cost posts like Sitka.

Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, asked whether the service was considering a bonus to break "this hard link between what DoD pays, like, my son in San Diego versus what someone might get, say, in Sitka."

"Ranking member, I'm unfamiliar if anyone has presented a plan for a bonus," Waldron replied. He said the Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, the monthly payment meant to help cover rent, is governed by law, and he deferred to others who could speak to what can be done within it.

About 41 percent of Coast Guard units are in some of the most remote and expensive places in the country, according to the committee staff memo for the hearing, which cited a federal watchdog report.

Waldron said the Coast Guard has few large bases with ample housing, so it leans harder on BAH than other branches. "We recognize that oftentimes we station our folks in very high-cost areas where BAH doesn't meet that need," he said.

He asked the committee for continued support in bringing BAH "on par with what the demands are for the areas that we are stationing people."

The allowance question is separate from construction in Alaska. The Coast Guard announced in June that it will build 30 more housing units and a child development center at Base Kodiak.