Hurlburt Field servicemembers and employees may be eligible for housing assistance Published Oct. 29, 2009 By 2nd Lt. Mark Lazane 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Local servicemembers struggling to pay their mortgages because of a host of military-specific circumstances have relief on the way. In February, $555 million was allotted from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the economic stimulus package, to assist military members and their families. The application window has finally opened, and the infrastructure is being put in place to begin processing claims for distressed military members and their families, said Tom Snyder, financial assistance counselor for the Airman & Family Readiness Center. Those who are hoping to receive assistance from the fund need to move quickly and be organized, Mr. Snyder said. "People need to actively pursue the program. Put in your application. If nothing else, fill out the application to get yourself into the system, and don't wait to sell your house," he said. According to Mr. Snyder, a homeowner who waits until the last moment to sell their house, hoping to put themselves in a better situation to receive funds, may be doing themselves a disservice, as it may delay their application from being processed in a timely manner. Servicemembers potentially eligible for the program include active and former servicemembers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard, civilian employees of the Department of Defense, Coast Guard and non-appropriated fund activities and surviving spouses of both fallen servicemembers and civilian employees. The allocated funds are in addition to the stimulus money already established for construction projects on military bases, which is money geared toward generating immediate revenue for local businesses. Potential eligible personnel who have sold a primary home for a loss or are considering selling their home are encouraged to visit the DoD HAP Web site at http://hap.usace.army.mil to check specific program criteria, and if eligible, apply online. The DoD HAP has provided financial assistance to military personnel and DoD civilians since 1966, mainly at base realignment and closure sites where government action caused a decrease in market home values. While the HAP expansion is not designed to pay 100 percent of losses or to cover all declines in value, it can help protect eligible applicants from financial difficulties due to significant losses in their home values. ARRA funding allows the DoD to temporarily expand HAP to partially reimburse losses from the sale of a primary residence in the following priority order: 1. Homeowners wounded, injured or ill in the line of duty while deployed since Sept. 11, 2001, and relocating in furtherance of medical treatment; 2. Surviving spouse homeowners relocating within two years after the death of their spouse; 3. Homeowners affected by the 2005 BRAC round, without the need to prove that a base closure announcement caused a local housing market decline; and 4. Servicemember homeowners receiving orders dated between Feb. 1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2009, for a permanent change of station move. The orders must specify a report-no-later-than date on or before Feb. 28, 2010, to a new duty station or home port outside a 50-mile radius of the service member's former duty station. These dates may be extended to Sept. 30, 2012, based on availability of funds. Each of these general categories has more specific eligibility requirements which have been updated at the DoD HAP web site. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers executes the program for all the military branches and HAP administrators have already began processing applications. For assistance at Hurlburt Field, call Mr. Snyder at 884-6800 or visit him at the A&FRC.