Dependents shall not accompany officers on the TDY portion of GSA assignments. Based on the arduous nature of these assignments, GSA officers are entitled to move dependents to the new ECRC duty station or to leave them at their detaching Permanent Duty Station (PDS).
Due to Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA) with host nations, members of foreign OCONUS duty stations may not be authorized to leave dependents in place at the detaching OCONUS PDS; they may not be covered by the SOFA even if otherwise authorized to stay.
For example, a spouse who is a citizen of the foreign nation may choose to stay at the foreign duty station, but may not be covered under the SOFA once the service member executes PCS out of country. Dependents remaining at the detaching duty station are entitled to retain military housing and BAH entitlements based on current PDS or dependent location.
If the GSA assignment exceeds 210 days (pre-deployment training and in-theater time combined), officers may qualify for a designated place move via Indeterminate Temporary Duty (ITDY) orders. Contact your detailer for more information.
For additional information on GSA entitlements, refer to the attached document.
OPNAV (N130) GSA Pay Entitlement Policy