POLICY/INFORMATION

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ARMED FORCES (REMUNERATION) ALLOWANCES – PROVIDING ENHANCED SUPPORT
TO SERVICE PERSONNEL DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Armed Forces (Remuneration) Allowances (REM Allces) team has worked hard to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on our people. Working diligently with the single Services and UK STRATCOM, the team has ensured that Service personnel (SP) have received the right level of support to allow them to continue to carry out their duties, whether abroad or in the UK. Recognising the increased pressures and difficulties faced by SP, the team has been innovative in their response to adaptaing policy to ensure that there is enough flexibility to support SP during these unique and unfamiliar circumstances. To date, 15 Directed Letters (DLs) have been published and promulgated. These DLs have ranged from clarifying entitlement to extending exceptional eligibility, this has ensured that allowances remain targeted to the needs of the SP. Of note, the team has provided enhanced flexibility in allowances policy in order to:

• Support SP and their families, particularly those serving abroad, by enhancing
allowances that allow families to be reunited and by supporting children’s education;

• Provide flexibility and enhancements in allowances that allow SP that are required to
relocate to use methods and timeframes that are more flexible in an uncertain time;

• Enhance allowances attached to operational tours to ensure that SP that are required
to deploy to specified operational locations continue to receive the appropriate
allowances during periods of quarantine.

Link to covering letter

Should Service personnel have any queries, they are to liaise with their NSE.