Unaccompanied BSA

[SirToppamHat]

I will remove this post shortly so as not to distract from the more entertaining fare.

Are any RAF guys out there serving 'voluntary unaccompanied' yet still in receipt of Boarding School Allowance?

If so, I would be grateful for a PM (outlining circumstances would help); PMA has recently changed its plans for me and I may have a bit of a battle on my hands.

Regards

STH

Edited for bad spellin'

[norvenmunky]

Sir T, I didn't realise there was such an animal as 'voluntary unaccompanied bsa'??

[handysnaks]

and I thought this was a thread about old british motorcycles...
I'll get me coat.....

[Vage Rot]

STH,

A mate of mine was in that position. He still got BSA but only because one kiddie was at Boarding school before he went Vol unaccompanied. The other 2 kids stayed at home with mum.

Good luck!

[SirToppamHat]

Perhaps I should explain for the motorcyclists out there!

I am not an occupant of Handbrake House, so Adminers out there please feel free to correct the following:

Boarding School Allowance (BSA) is available to all ranks and is worth up to 90% of fees (with a fixed upper limit) for the children of service parents to attend a boarding school (from an approved list). BSA is intended to provide continuity of education for children whose parents move around a lot. Or, to put it another way, it is designed to allow parents to serve accompanied without their children having to change schools every year or 2.

If you are posted, and there is FQ accommodation available at your next unit, the Service expects both parents to move. If only one goes, he/she is serving 'Voluntary Unaccompanied'; entitlement to BSA will normally cease on posting. If there is no FQ accommodation available, then the posting will be 'Involuntary Unaccompanied'; BSA entitlement continues.

However, I am sure that sometimes there is a good case for BSA to be retained for those who elect to serve unaccompanied. For example, where the non-service partner has enrolled on a long-term course, where the duration of the proposed posting will be short, where a sibling is too young for boarding school, where the decision to send a child to boarding school was based on the reasonable expectation that support would be available for a given period. etc etc.

I was simply looking around for any evidence of this before going into bat for myself.

[norvenmunky]

Sir T, I fully understand where you are coming from and I've had big decisions to make with regards to this subject. The bottom line is .... (VOLUNTARY + No quarter=NO BSA) . Good luck, If you manage to succeed I would be very very interested.

[Blunty]

SirT

I have known cases that have been approved to retain BSA while voluntarily unaccompanied. You can appeal to retain through OC PMS/PSF, that's if you think you have a good case.

[BATS]

STH

Each case is reviewed on it's relative merits; however, the only stated exceptions that I know of are for those who are posted into central London and for those at sea. Get hold of a copy of AP 3392 ?? Lflt 140 and 141 before you go into bat as they lay down the rules and where exceptions may be made.

B

[Impiger]

Sir TH

There is also a 'reasonableness' test that can be applied. For example if you put your child into boarding school based on a posting from PMA which was subsequently changed it would be 'unreasonable' to expect you to withdraw him in the light of a change in posting.

Contrary to public opinion there are a lot of reasonable folk out there in handbrake central.

[vascodegama]

STH

Good luck with your application. Just a word of warning; I knew of a Wg Cdr whose career came to rapid halt because he ended up bean stealing and claiming BSA. As far as I understand the 2 are not allowed at the same time.

[SirToppamHat]

Vasco

Thanks for the advice. IIRC the form asks you to confirm that you are serving accompanied, and I guess, on a large station, one might just get away with signing it off if it wasn't checked. However. if they subsequently checked and you were found lying, then it would be fraud.

I am trying to put a case for a waiver of the AP 3392, and believe I have a good case. However, I sought other examples of individuals having succeeded prior to putting my own case forward.

For what it's worth, my next tour will be 12-15 mths in length (in the UK). I have 2 children at boarding school and a 6 year old at the local First School. He is too young for boarding school, and this is his second school already. If we all move this summer, by the age of 9 he will be on his fourth school. I am trying to avoid this. There is shortage of FQs where we are being posted, but the one we are in is surplus to local requirements. Serving separated will not impact on my operational availability.

Regards

STH