Question on chow hall charges

[SemperFiParent]

My daughter just arrived at Keesler AFB for her MOS training.
She told me that she is being charged for eating in the chow hall.
I figured she had herself turned around, she never mentioned anything like this when she was at boot, or when she went through MCT at Camp Geiger.
I tried checking into this myself, and I'm jusr getting more confused.

Is she being charged for her meals at the chow hall, is the money coming out of her pay?

And can someone explain to me if a BAS covers these charges or not?

[1stSgtMell]

My Grandson tells me they receive $230.00 per month in BAS. When they eat in the Mess hall, the meal price is deducted depending on which meal they consume. If they don't use the Mess hall they will receive the difference in their pay.

[GT6238]

Charged for eating in the mess hall...imagine!

[SlingerDun]

Thats a pretty good ration allowance, for a single person. I wonder if Marines with a family collect more?

[SlingerDun]

In fact it's $30.00 more per month than the maximum food stamp individual benefits in Oregon

[Skosh59]

I entered the Corps in 1959 and as far as I know there has always been a charge for those living off base aka BROWN BAGGERS & others not having a chow pass. Can't remember all the rules, but charging is not new.

[josephd]

Is she paying each time she goes to chow?...like out of pocket?...

If she is under student status I don't believe she should be paying on her own for chow. It should just be coming out of her pay each month.

[1stSgtMell]

Regarding the Mess Hall charges, your daughter receives this as a monthly stipend and only meals she eats for that month at the Mess hall is deducted from her allowance. She does not have to pay out of pocket but rather it is deducted from the BAS (Basic Allowance For Subsistence) which allows all Military Personnel this benefit regardless whether they are married or not. I'm not sure if a married Marine, or otherwise, draws a different amount or not, but my Grandson was single drawing $230.00 a month.

[1stSgtMell]

Correction to my last post: The BAS allowance is now up to $323.87 per month as of January 2010 with no increase expected for the coming year. I googled this information and this allowance has been in effect since 2002. All members draw this regardless of marital status. Since I've been retired for 37 years this past 30 September, this is all new to me because I received $33.00 and was happy to get it.

[Old Marine]

Is this the same thing as Communted Rations, that we used to get. I don't remember how much it was, but any little thing helped. I would have been in hog heaven if I received 323.00 a month for communted rations. I am assuming that meals are much more than we had to pay back when I pulled mess duty at the Last Supper.

[1stSgtMell]

Comm Rats as, we called them back in ancient times, is one and the same as BAS. There is no pay lines as we knew them and everything is done by computer whereas each person has a debit card that keeps track of their bank balance,etc. Daily rations at the Mess hall average $1.85 for breakfast, $4.25 for lunch and $4.75 for dinner. They have their debit card swiped as they enter the Mess Hall for a particular meal and that amount is deducted from their account. BAS is based on food costs annually and are intended for feeding a member only and not his family.

[SemperFiParent]

Comm Rats as, we called them back in ancient times, is one and the same as BAS. There is no pay lines as we knew them and everything is done by computer whereas each person has a debit card that keeps track of their bank balance,etc. Daily rations at the Mess hall average $1.85 for breakfast, $4.25 for lunch and $4.75 for dinner. They have their debit card swiped as they enter the Mess Hall for a particular meal and that amount is deducted from their account. BAS is based on food costs annually and are intended for feeding a member only and not his family.

Thanks 1st Sgt, that clears it up for me.
Appreciate you taking the time to relay the info.

[Old Marine]

1stSgt. Looks like they are still serving very good meals at a very reasonable price. When I was in 2nd RTBn and took a break from the field and was the RTR S4 Chief one of my duties was making the Chow Schedule for all Recruits. Along with that I used to make the movement schedule for going/returning from Edson Range. That was really a lot of fun and sometimes turned into a regular Chinese Fire Drill

[gungygal48]

see the reference for info regarding Subsistance Allowance

http://www.usmc.mil/news/publication...W%20CH%201.pdf

[SlingerDun]

... Daily rations at the Mess hall average $1.85 for breakfast, $4.25 for lunch and $4.75 for dinner...

Well that about takes care of $323.87 per month.

Old Marine: Did you feed from the same chow trough as the recruits while you were a D.I.? What's the scuttle on the Saltpeter