The RAF Side of Life
Access to Military Establishments
Dependants of deployed persons may be able to apply for Visitors Passes/Spouses ID Cards at their local unit or RAF station for the duration of a deployment. Contact the unit for more information.Pay, Allowances and Compensation
RAF Pay
RAF pay is determined by rank, profession/branch or trade, qualifications held and satisfactory performance. The serving person will be able to find out their details from their unit personnel staff and their monthly pay slip or via the intranet.RAF Allowances
Allowances exist to ensure that your RAF person receives financial recompense for the additional costs incurred through the vagaries of Service life. Rates are available via RAF Community Support and the Guide to Pay and Allowances or from unit personnel staff and may include:- Longer Separation Allowance (LSA) This allowance compensates personnel experiencing separation over and above that compensated for by the X-Factor element of basic pay. As a general principle, it is paid at increasing amounts in order to target those who experience the most separation throughout their service.
- Local Overseas Allowance (LOA) This may be payable to those who deploy through for instance Germany or Cyprus but it is not paid in an area or theatre where the Deployment Welfare Package (DWP) is authorised.
- Operational Allowance (OA) OA is paid at a current flat rate for each day that the service person serves on operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and those undertaking certain tasks in Yemen.
- Concessionary Families Travel Warrants For deployments of over four months a travel warrant or motor mileage claim is available for the spouse of a serving person deployed for travel to visit parents, parents-in-law or Nominated Next of Kin/Emergency Contact. The numbers of travel warrants increases the longer the serving person is deployed. Travel can also be reversed to allow parents, family etc to visit you at your home especially if it is difficult for you to travel. Eligibility should be confirmed via your serving person’s unit admin staff.
- Post Operational Leave (POL) All personnel on a 6 month tour will be granted 20 working days POL. For those who do not complete 6 months, their POL is assessed as 1 day POL per 9 days deployed. Any Public Holidays that fall during POL are to be added to the overall entitlement.
- Annual Leave Allowance Annually Service personnel are eligible for 30 working days leave.
- Council Tax Relief for Troops on Operations RAF personnel deploying on operations will benefit from a tax free rebate on the cost of council tax. The serving member will be able to find out the details from their unit admin staff.
Local Currency
The currency used by serving personnel on operations will depend on the local situation, they should be able to tell you more about this after their pre-deployment briefing.Forces Railcard
Although not an allowance, serving personnel are entitled to purchase a Forces Railcard for themselves and their spouse/civil partner which provides discounted rail travel. Railcards are available from the Stn Admin staff. There is a nominal fee, a requirement for a passport sized photograph and once issued may provide for discounted rail travel in the UK.Compensation
Serving personnel or Veterans can apply for compensation if they have an illness or injury and service is the only or main cause. The scheme under which you can claim depends on whether the period of service was before or after 6 April 2005. The schemes are administered by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) For more information about either pension options and compensation schemes, visit www.veterans-uk.info or ring the SPVA helpline on UK 0800 169 2277 or overseas +44 1253 866043.Enquiries
All enquiries about RAF pay, allowances and pensions matters should be made to the serving person’s unit pay or personnel staff in the first instance. Where this is not practicable it is possible to contact the Joint Personnel Administration Centre -Enquiry Centre by email JPAC@afpaa.mod.uk phone 0800 0853600 or fax on 0141224 3586 though data protection issues will affect the amount of personal information that can be provided.Service Family Accommodation
Daily maintenance
It is recommended that you are familiar with the following before your partner departs:- Central heating controls
- Fuse box and trip switch
- Location of main electricity isolation switch
- Turn off for main water supply
- Turn off for main gas supply
- Install/test smoke alarms
Repairs
If you live in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and need to report a fault either routine and emergency please contact the following:England, Wales and Scotland
MODern Housing Solutions for England and Wales Tel 0800 707 6000Regional Prime Contract for Scotland Tel 0800 328 6337 This is a 24/7 service, available to you 365 days a year including Christmas and New Year's Day.
Northern Ireland
Defence Estates Operations Housing Aldergrove Tel 02894 455 012 -Monday to Thursday 08.30 to 16.30, Friday 08.30 to 15.30, contact the Guardroom outside these hours.
British Forces Germany (BFG)
Within BFG the responsibility for the repairs to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) rests with Defence Estates (Europe)/Garrison Works Alliance (DE(E)/GWA).During Normal Working Hours: Defects, faults or repairs are to be reported to the DE(E)/GWA Help Desk. Each Unit or Station DE(E)/GWA Help Desk has its own individual telephone number, the details of which are provided by the Housing & Estate Manager (HEM) to the licensee on moving into the SFA.
Out of Hours: DE(E)/GWA Emergency Service - An emergency repair is defined as one, which is necessary because life or health is endangered, or the building is in danger of extensive damage. In such circumstances you are to contact the duty telephone number provided by the HEM when moving into your SFA. If you have not received a duty contact number then you should contact your unit Duty Officer.
British Forces Cyprus (BFC)
INTERSERVE Tel 8000 2400 - Monday 07.00 to 17.00, Tuesday to Friday 07.00 to 15.00, contact the Guardroom outside of these hours.BATUS
The occupant is to report all faults in SFA and Hirings to the Estate Managers Assistant (Est Man Asst)on Ext 5565. The Est Man Asst logs all faults in Ralston MQ's and forwards them to the Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) by fax on Ext 5537. The Est Man Asst logs all faults in hirings and reports them direct to the relevant landlord by telephone and or fax if available.If it is an out of hours emergency the occupant should call the help desk in Ottawa on Free phone 1 800 903 2342 who will allocate the work service to an on call tradesman. The occupant must then inform the Est Man Asst the next working day.
Brunei and other BFPOs
Before the serving family member deploys ensure that they leave you the contact details. Alternatively, contact your local housing provider.Substitute Service Family Accommodation
SSFA
England, Wales and Scotland only If you live in Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) and need to report a fault please contact both of the following for routine repairs:Your Landlord HCR Maintenance Cell Tel 01256 313764 (during normal working hours 09.00 - 17.30 Monday to Friday)
The HCR maintenance cell needs to record all reported faults and will then monitor the progress of the repair carried out by the landlord or his contractor.
For emergency repairs please contact the HCR out of hours emergency Tel 0333 666 4357. You may also seek support or advice from your Unit Welfare Staff or local HIVE.