HR5208119th CongressWALLET

To amend title 37, United States Code, to exclude the basic allowance for housing from the calculation of gross household income for purposes of the basic needs allowance for eligible members of the Armed Forces.

Sponsored By: Representative Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]

Introduced

Summary

Excludes Basic Allowance for Housing from income used to calculate the Basic Needs Allowance.

Show full summary

This bill would make the Basic Allowance for Housing paid to an eligible service member not count as gross household income when determining Basic Needs Allowance eligibility or benefit amounts.

  • Service members and families: Could qualify for larger Basic Needs Allowance payments or become newly eligible because BAH would be excluded from the income test.
  • Military benefit rules: Changes the income calculation used across the BNA framework in Title 37 of the U.S. Code so administrators use a lower gross household income when determining BNA.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Exclude housing allowance from basic needs test

This bill would stop counting your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) as income when checking the Basic Needs Allowance (BNA). If enacted, this could lower your counted income and help you qualify for BNA or get a larger payment. The exclusion would apply only to the BAH paid to the service member. It would not change other parts of the BNA program.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]

CA • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1]

    UT • R

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2]

    VA • R

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Riley (NY)

    NY • D

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2]

    NH • D

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 9/8/2025

  • Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 9/15/2025

  • Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 4/14/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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