§3657a Quarters allowances

Summary

Allows the Department of Defense to give a housing (quarters) payment to certain U.S. citizen civilian employees whose permanent duty station is in the area that, before October 1, 1979, was called the Canal Zone. Position means a civilian job. Employee means someone in the Defense Department with that permanent duty station. It covers two groups: U.S. citizens who, before October 1, 1979, worked for the Panama Canal Company, the Canal Zone Government, or another agency in the Canal Zone; and other U.S. citizens who were recruited in the United States at any time. The payment amount is set by rules made under the President’s authority. For any period, the allowance cannot be more than the smaller of (a) the actual rent and utility costs the employee paid while living off government housing or the maximum allowed by the Department of State Standardized Regulations (Government Civilians, Foreign Areas), and (b) the estimated rent and utilities the employee would have been charged if government-owned or leased housing had been provided on a rental basis. This rule applies even if the Department of Defense has made a related election under another law.