ATTACHMENT J.19 - Value Dollar Information.pdf

This is an informational document describing the U.S. Army's campus-style dining venues and meal card program for soldiers living in barracks.

The Army provides barracks soldiers with meal cards that convert daily meal allowances into dining venue credits: $9.57 for breakfast, $15.88 for lunch, and $13.57 for dinner. Soldiers can spend these allocated "dollars" at campus-style dining venues throughout the day in any order, with unused breakfast funds rolling into lunch and dinner values. The daily meal value totals $39 and resets daily without carryover. Soldiers with Meal Entitlement Code 09 can view their remaining balance on receipts to optimize their daily spending. A critical requirement states that soldiers living in barracks must verify their Meal Entitlement Code is set to 09 by their unit S-1 for CAC scan access at dining venues.

Soldiers are restricted from using the same meal scan at multiple locations; if a meal scan at a dining venue exceeds the allocated value, soldiers may use part of another meal's value to cover the difference but cannot visit a different dining facility later to scan again. The $39 daily value is sourced from the Basic Allowance for Substance (BAS) at $13.65 per day deducted from soldier pay, not from additional military funds. The dining venues are open to all personnel—soldiers on BAS, families, civilians, and contractors—who pay à la carte for items ordered, similar to commercial dining establishments.