Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 NEWS
 Guardmembers eligible for 'Safe Haven' compensation By Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy, U.S. Army
                National Guard Bureau
 ARLINGTON, Va. - When Hurricane Ike made landfall on the Texas coast, it left behind damaged and destroyed buildings, massive flooding, and thousands of residents without power or, in many cases, without homes. For many of those affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters, it can be a time of uncertainty. But for some National Guard members, assistance is available if a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes. The Safe Haven program offers additional financial compensation to Guardmembers on Title 10 or Title 32 active duty status who must evacuate an area because of a natural disaster. "Safe Haven provides for a National Guard or an active duty member or a federal employee to be compensated for their relocation to a safe haven," said Blaine Coffey, chief of Personnel Readiness and Compensation at the National Guard Bureau. That compensation, said Coffey, covers transportation expenses to a safe area as well as expenses to return to the Guardmember's home or duty station. Additionally, Guardmembers are eligible for compensation at the full per diem rate, which includes lodging, meals and incidental expenses, for up to 30 days. They may be compensated for up to 180 days, but the daily per diem rate drops to 60 percent after the first 30 days. Before a Guardmember can take advantage of the benefit, however, an evacuation order must be issued in writing by federal or local officials. "It's incumbent upon the competent authority to declare your duty station or quarters to be uninhabitable," said Coffey. Additional limitations apply to what qualifies as a safe haven location. One limitation is that if the Guardmember elects to stay with family or friends, that individual does not qualify for lodging expenses, said Coffey. The Safe Haven entitlement grew out of an older benefit intended for those in embassies and other overseas locations. "It was more associated with embassies and locales that in many, many cases had to be evacuated based upon the threat to life or limb of the members, not from natural disasters necessarily, but that of actual armed conflict," said Coffey. That began to change when Hurricane Andrew devastated southern Florida in 1992. "When there had been major incidents in the United States back in the early '90s beginning with the evacuation of Homestead Air Force Base [because of Hurricane Andrew], DoD began to look in more detail at the authority for entitlements of the active component member and his or her family to be evacuated from an installation like Homestead," said Coffey. Hurricane Katrina changed the way the law affected Guardmembers. "We had a number of Guardmembers in two major brigades in Mississippi and Louisiana that were on Title 10 orders. So they were active duty members having their homes destroyed, having their duty locations destroyed - whether it be Jackson Barracks or any number of installations in Louisiana," said Coffey. While Soldiers on Title 10 orders were covered by Safe Haven, those on Title 32 orders were not. That changed with Hurricane Katrina. "What we did during Katrina and Rita was to get an exception to policy waiver authority to include Title 32 members for eligibility for Safe Haven benefits," said Coffey. "At the same time, we recognized that Katrina was not isolated. We are going to continue to have this potential issue." The authority to have similar benefits apply if a similar disaster occurred was put into place and recently the law was changed to include Title 32 Guardmembers as well. The number of people who have taken advantage of the Safe Haven benefits during recent hurricanes has been low. "Within the Guard, at this point the numbers aren't tremendously large, but during Katrina it was close to 1,000 members," said Coffey. "You had so many Title 10 mobilized Soldiers returning and many of them were given the option to stay on duty. That was part of the soft landing that we tried to formulate for the Soldiers." Those who believe they may be eligible for benefits under Safe Haven should contact their state's joint forces headquarters personnel office. "The state J1, human resources office and the [United States Property and Fiscal Office] administer the program under the Joint Federal Travel Regulations," he said. "The J1 usually issues a statement of items which would make the member eligible."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 5 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 12 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 13 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil