In light of the recent mortgage crisis, the Department of Defense has instituted the Homeowners Assistance Program, or HAP. The program is authorized by law and administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, to assist eligible homeowners with military affiliation who stand to lose money when selling their primary residence in areas where real estate values have declined. USACE analyzes the community's real estate market, conducts market impact studies and then makes a recommendation to the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations and Housing for a final determination.

Military servicemembers and federal civilian employees (including non-appropriated fund) who receive transfer orders may receive benefits. Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, Commission announcements affecting value to properties for civilian employees at or near a closing installation are eligible. The area surrounding Joint Base Lewis-McChord has been granted BRAC HAP status, according to the USACE.

HAP provides assistance in four ways to eligible applicants:

• Reimbursement for part of your loss from selling your home;

• Assistance if you don't have funds from the sale of your home to pay off your mortgage;

• Purchase of your home by paying off the mortgage and subsequently selling property to the buyer you have found;

• Provide help if you default on your mortgage.

In addition to the BRAC HAP, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or (ARRA,) has temporarily expanded the program to assist servicemembers and Department of Defense employees who are wounded, injured or have become ill when deployed, as well as surviving spouses of servicemembers or Defense of Department employees killed while deployed. This branch of the program also covers servicemembers who are required to permanently relocate during the mortgage crisis.

The following are the requirements for servicemembers that are PCSing and wish to utilize HAP:

• Permanent reassignment to a new duty station or home port outside a 50-mile radius of the service member's former duty station or home port.

• The reassignment was ordered between February 1, 2006, and September 30, 2012.

• The property was purchased (or contract to purchase was signed) before July 1, 2006, and was the primary residence of the owner.

• The service member has not previously received ARRA Extended HAP benefits.

"The program is definitely underutilized by surviving spouses," said Denise Korpinen, a sales associate with Prudential in San Diego. "They don't realize that Extended HAP now covers them, and it is important that they become aware."

If you are interested in using HAP, visit http://hap.usace.army.mil/HowToApply.html and download the application package. Mail the completed application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District responsible for JBLM: HAP Field Office, 1325 J Street, Sacramento, CA, 95814. For additional information and details, call the Sacramento office at (800) 811-5532.

Coming Next Week: One JBLM soldier's recent experience with HAP.