Financial Assistance

Remember! Any advance pay is just a loan and has to be repaid to the government. 

Check with your military pay center or civilian pay office to ask for possible entitlements. 

Altus Air Force Base does not have a Cost of Living Allowance.

Temporary Lodging Allowance

TLA is used to partially reimburse a member for the above normal expenses incurred during occupancy of temporary lodging and expenses of meals obtained as a direct result of use of temporary lodging outside the continental United States. 

The OCONUS base handles the paperwork and processing of TLA.

Temporary Lodging Expenses

TLE is intended to partially reimburse members for lodging and meal expenses when a member/dependent(s) occupy temporary quarters in the continental U.S. in conjunction with a permanent change of station.

Housing and Utility Costs

Rentals and property to purchase can be challenging, but several developments are being built to help with more available housing. 

Three-bedroom rentals start at about $1200 and up depending on the location in town, and purchase prices for three-bedroom homes begin at $150,000 and can range to the upper $300,000s as they vary drastically depending on the location and the size of the lot. 

Utility costs will vary considerably throughout the year. 

The summers usually bring high electric bills, and winters bring high gas bills. 

Making a permanent change of station can be expensive.

There are many hidden costs involved in moving, and it is important to plan for these hidden costs.

Your spending plan can be reviewed to start saving extra money early to assist with the moving expenses. 

If you are married, your spouse should be involved in the development of the revised spending plan.

Please contact the Military and Family Readiness Center at 580-481-6761 for information on personal financial management counseling and other financial matters that may be affected by your move. 

Everyone would do well to formulate a personal financial plan.

Your quality of life depends on how well you manage your resources.

Those who plan for the future reap the benefit of peace of mind for themselves and their family. 

The Personal Financial Management Program can be of tremendous value to you in making sound decisions affecting your personal financial administration.

Remember, it is not your level of income but how you manage the income that matters over the long term.

The Air Force Aid Society is the official charity of the United States Air Force. 

A private, non-profit organization, AFAS promotes the Air Force mission by providing worldwide emergency assistance, sponsoring education assistance programs and offering a variety of base community enhancement programs which improve quality of life for airmen and their families.

The AFAS assists with rent, food, shelter, vehicle repairs including parts and labor and emergency travel for death or serious illness of immediate family members.

Child Care for Permanent Change of Station

Sponsored by the AFAS, this program offers relocating families 20 hours of free child care per child within 60 days of a PCS.

Child care is authorized for both inbound and outbound families.

Care is normally provided by a on-base licensed family childcare provider, however, being in a remote location, the CDC/YC accommodate the needs, but parents must coordinate in advance with these agencies.

Give Parents a Break

The AFAS recognizes that Air Force families are subject to unique stresses due to the nature of military life, including deployments, remote tours of duty and extended working hours.

In an effort to help these families, the AFAS, in cooperation with the Air Force childcare community, has agreed to provide funding for childcare under our Give Parents a Break program.

The purpose of this program is to offer eligible parents a few hours’ break from the stresses of parenting. 

Active-duty Air Force families may use this time to suit their personal needs.

AFAS will pay the cost of having the base Child Development Center open once a month for families referred to the program.

Families will not be charged for the care.

Respite Care

The AFAS Respite Care Program is intended for active-duty Air Force families who have a family member with special needs.

The goal of the program is to provide a break for a few hours a week or month to families who have the responsibility of 24-hours-a-day care for an ill or disabled family member.

This person may be a child, spouse or parent living in the household.

AFAS assistance for respite care is based on need, the need for respite time as well as financial need, and assistance is always given as a grant.

Families with a special needs family member who have the financial means to pay for care should do so.

Our program is intended to assist those who cannot afford the care and would otherwise never get a break.

Families are referred to the AFAS for respite care through the Exceptional Family Member Program or the Family Advocacy Office.

Be advised that Altus AFB is a remote location and may not have the availability or resources. 

PCS Pet Expense Reimbursement Entitlement

A service member is eligible to be reimbursed the cost to ship one household pet.

For moves within CONUS, they may be reimbursed up to $550, and for OCONUS they may be reimbursed up to $2000.

This reimbursement is for a singular household pet per PCS order, and any additional pets will need to be shipped at the member’s expense.

While the service member is only allowed to reimburse 1 pet, they are allowed to choose which pet they reimburse.

If a member can fly with a pet for $85 and had to ship the second for $1,000, they can chose whether to reimburse either the $85 or the $1,000.

If a mil-to-mil couple are traveling on separate valid PCS orders, both may seek reimbursement for a household pet, two household pets total.

Each should claim a pet when they file their travel vouchers.

Note: hotel pet fees are a valid expense to be reimbursed; av household pet is defined by the JTR as a cat or dog.

The member must provide all receipts, including those under $75.

These receipts must be itemized, if at all possible, include the name of the pet, and if shipped via cargo because of the pet’s weight they must include the weight of the animal.

Provide a non-availability letter, if provided, and all documentation submitted to receive the non-availability letter, such as a mission impact statement.

Non-availability letters allow a member to book their own commercial travel.

Members who have additional questions about non-availability letters should contact their local TMO office.

A service member can ship their pet as soon as their PCS orders become effective.

Please refer to the following websites for relocation information:

• Altus AFB, OK
• MilitaryINSTALLATIONS
• Plan My Move
• Military Youth on the Move
• Military OneSource

Government Travel Card

Use your government credit card only for those expenses authorized, and make sure you stay within your daily allowances. Save all receipts especially if your expenses exceed your authorizations since they may be tax deductible items.

Contracts

Take care in signing financial contracts after you arrive. Pay special attention to certain types of contracts such as rent to own agreements. Those contracts can result in final costs that may range as high as 300% more than the actual cost of the item purchased.

If you have concerns or questions about any sales agreements or interest rates, the staff at the M&FRC would be happy to review them with you before you enter into any final agreement.