Military Identification Cards and Authorized Dependent Family Members

Students attending the Command & General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC) are encouraged to bring their dependents. All dependents must be listed on the ITO. All other students are not authorized dependents, as they cannot be command-sponsored. Only the authorized dependents of the CGSOC students will receive ID cards and receive the rights associated with being command sponsored. CGSOC students’ authorized dependents will receive ID cards. Students who enroll their children in the local school system must bring immunization records for their children. Students who are authorized dependents should travel and arrive early to make necessary housing and transportation arrangements prior to dependents’ arrival. All other students are not authorized dependents and will not be command sponsored.

Authorize Dependent Travel  & Finance

Students attending the Command and General Staff Officer Course (OPME-4) are authorized dependent travel and encouraged to bring their families. All other students should be discouraged from bringing dependents, as they cannot be command-sponsored.

Only the authorized dependents of Command and General Staff Officer Course students will receive identification cards and receive the rights associated with being command-sponsored. Students who enroll their children in the school must bring immunization records for their children.

Students authorized dependent travel should arrive early to make necessary housing and transportation arrangements prior to dependent arrival. Students electing to bring dependents at their own expense must make housing and transportation arrangements and have families completely settled prior to the reporting date for the course.

Billeting and Mess

The Bachelor Officer Quarters at Fort Benning is available to officers at $20.50 per day; maid service is mandatory. Officers may eat at the Follow Me Dining Facility in Henry Hall, or the Mini-Mall PX Complex. Cooking in rooms is strictly prohibited.

Enlisted personnel normally will be billeted in Building 2816. Field Intensive Course students also stay in the billets in Building 2816. International Military Education and Training (IMET) enlisted students will be issued a meal card by the company to which they are assigned. The card entitles them to 3 meals a day at no charge in a Dining Facility.

Married students accompanied by their families will reside off-post. The Guest House (30 days maximum stay) is available on a first-come basis. Suitable apartments rent from $350.00 to $650.00 a month. Security deposits are required and range from one-half to one month’s rent. Apartments normally require a six-month lease; with a military clause and a 30-day termination notification, the term may be shorter. Furnished apartments do not include cooking utensils or linens. The Army Community Service (ACS) Lending Closet loans such items, but only for a 30-day period.

Cost of Living

The following is a guideline for costs you may expect during the first month at Fort Benning:

With dependents:
Apartment – $350.00 to $650.00 (may be higher)
Security Deposit – $200.00
Utilities – $100.00
Telephone deposit – $250.00
Automobile – $2,500.00
Auto Insurance – $600.00 (annually)
TOTAL- $4,000.00 – $4,300.00

Without dependents:
BOQ (with maid service) – $615.00
Telephone Deposit – $250.00
Automobile – $2,500.00
Auto Insurance – $600.00 (annually)
TOTAL – $3,765.00

(Note: Not all apartment complexes provide coin-operated laundry services.)

Finances

Please keep cash to a minimum while traveling. Travelers checks (U.S. denominations) can be readily converted to cash at any bank, but certified or cashier checks will not be paid until they have cleared through the International Banking System (15-20 days).

Financial Assistance

Students under the Security-Assistance Program will receive a monthly allowance for housing (BAH), food, and unforeseen expenses (per diem). The basic housing allowance will depend on where the students live; if they live on the Fort Benning Military Installation in the Student Company barracks, the housing allowance is not applicable. Financial assistance for food and unforeseen expenses will be granted to all students, inasmuch as the Department of Defense is the agency responsible for regulating the appropriate funding amounts in accordance with current laws.

Pay vouchers for students receiving living allowances from the Security Assistance Program must be sent to the Finance Division in Rome, New York, and dispersed by Indianapolis to WHINSEC via Fed-Ex mail with payday during the month. Advise students that their first payday will not be until the third or fourth week following their arrival to WHINSEC. Therefore, students should carry a minimal amount of cash when traveling. Students are recommended to have at least four (4) weeks of funds available to cover the cost of meals ($350.00). Students are encouraged to use banking services provided on post. The Student Company provides secure storage of funds for those not using banking services.

IMET Travel and Living Allowance

For IMET students receiving only travel allowance for the continental United States (CONUS), travel status starts at the time of departure from the CONUS port of entry, and terminates upon arrival at Fort Benning. SAOs should ensure the student has same-day connecting flights or overnight accommodations at the port of entry.

Pay vouchers for IMET students must be turned in to the Finance Office by the 15th of each month, with payday on the 30th. Students should be advised that arrival after the 15th of the month means that their first payday will not be until the end of the succeeding month.