Clothing allowances go up for sailors

[unhappycamper]

Clothing allowances go up for sailors
Staff report
Posted : Thursday Oct 11, 2007 10:08:38 EDT

Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, airmen and Marines will see relatively robust increases in their annual clothing allowances to pay for wear and tear on their military uniforms in fiscal 2008, but soldiers had no changes to their uniform clothing bag and thus will see no change in their clothing allowances in fiscal 2008.

The biggest increases are going to sailors and Marines, whose services have made big changes to their working and combat uniforms and have added other comparatively costly items to their seabags. For example, the Navy has a new Gortex parka and liner, which combined list for $236.18.

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The new allowances took effect Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

The military provides a complete set of uniforms for enlisted members when they first enter service. They are then paid annual allowances based on how long it takes each item to wear out, dividing the cost by how many years the item is expected to last. For example, a duffel bag might be expected to last 10 years or more, while T-shirts would be expected to be replaced after a few months.

The clothing allowance typically is paid on the anniversary of the day members entered the military. People with fewer than three years of service receive a basic clothing allowance to begin replacing items from their initial issue as they wear out. Also, at the end of the first year of active duty, enlisted troops receive only half of the yearly allowance because it is assumed they do not need to replace any clothing in their first six months.

After enlisted troops complete three years on active duty, they begin receiving the standard clothing allowance, which is higher than the basic allowance.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/navy_clothing_allowances_071009/