Rewards for service

September 18, 2024

AFF Money & Allowances Specialist Claire Hallam takes a look at the role of the army allowance team…

The two-person allowance team that sits within remuneration policy is currently made up of Lieutenant Colonel Iain Wallace OBE and Major William Hodgson, who are based at the MOD in Whitehall, London.

They sit on the sixth floor amongst the Defence People team, within armed forces remuneration alongside the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Pay Colonel teams. Allowances policy is tri-service and is owned by Chief of Defence People (CDP).

The team develops and communicates financial conditions of service to match the needs of the army – they work hard to explain policy, whilst also listening to the voice of the service person and their family.

For Iain and Will to influence and highlight the interests of the army, they work to understand the impact of allowances on service personnel and families and use this feedback to protect current allowances, and where possible, enhance them.

Major Hodgson says: “We have cemented a strong and lasting relationship with AFF, who provide a vital feedback loop so that we can hone in on issues affecting service personnel and army families. In conjunction with AFF, we are constantly looking at ways to communicate allowance policy.”

ALLOWANCE IMPROVEMENTS

With limited additional funding, the allowance team has been able to improve the offer. They have made a difference in passport and visa provisions for service personnel and their families, simplified Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA), enabled more soldiers to be eligible for Overseas Private Vehicle Provision and made several improvements to Get You Home (Overseas) policy.

Although outside of the scope of allowances, the team was also able to bid and secure funding to issue all new joiners to the army with a free HM Forces Railcard, both Regular and Reserve, which was a positive change, especially for junior ranks.

They have also made changes to Respite Provision and School Children’s Visits.

CHANGES TO POLICY

Get You Home (Overseas)

Changes to policy to allow those with dual nationality to use their flight allowance to return to their country of origin. In addition, service personnel are now able to claim night and day subsistence for long journeys and car parking fees at the port of embarkation.

Respite Provision (RP)

Service personnel can now use the accommodation element of RP when back in the UK as part of GYH(O). This combined offer creates more flexibility.

Passports and visas

Personnel are now able to claim for new passports and improved subsistence for those who require travel for visas.

School Children’s Visits (SCVs)

To counter incorrect use of SCVs, an additional one-way journey is now provided to allow a child to travel at public expense to begin higher education if they are abroad at the start of their course. Working with AFF, the offer was changed in six weeks.

Local Overseas Allowance (LOA)

The allowance was enhanced to contribute towards high car insurance costs in the USA.

Overseas Private Vehicle Provision (OPVP)

Service personnel can now claim OPVP when they sell their car in the UK and lease overseas – a new option which became available from 1 January 2024.

Disturbance Expense – Child Element

Feedback from families with children is vitally important, and the team’s paper to increase the Child Element of Disturbance Expense was approved. From 1 April 2024 it increased from £81 to £109.41.