FORT MCPHERSON, Ga. -- Since the stimulus bill was signed into law Feb. 17 by President Barack Obama, many Americans have been asking the question "When am I going to get my piece of the pie'" For some serving in the military and selected Civilian employees, the answer is pretty soon.

As part of the stimulus passed, an $555 million has been added to the funds in the Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP), said Linda Fountain, HAP manager for the Savannah district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the agency responsible for administering the program.

HAP helps eligible homeowners who face a financial loss when selling their homes when being relocated, according to USACE. Relocation can be either due to a permanent change of station (PCS) or base realignment and closure (BRAC). Wounded warriors forced to relocate to be closer to a care facility are also eligible for the program, Fountain added.

Although the law is old, having been enacted by Congress in Section 1013 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966, it is returning to the limelight because of the current economic crisis.

For Soldiers and Civilian employees at Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem, the expansion comes at a good time due to the upcoming closures.

Billy Birdwell, chief of public affairs for the Savannah district of USACE, said the program has also been helpful for those stationed at Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, a military airport also on the BRAC list.

Under the program, the DoD buys the home from the seller by either paying off the mortgage or purchasing it at 75 percent of the market value listed at the time of the base closure, whichever is higher, Fountain said. If the homeowners owe less than 75 percent of the market value on the mortgage, they are paid the difference. Fountain added that the HAP, under stimulus law, may have more limits and may not provide as many benefit as previous HAP operations.

Although that may not cover all of a person's losses, it does cover some, she added, helping to ease hardship in rough economic times.

Fountain said these numbers may change for the better because the current rates are made based on budgets before the addition of the stimulus money.

More information on how the new stimulus money will be used has yet to be released by DoD, Birdwell said. Once information is available, it will be posted on the USACE Web site at www.sas.usace .army.mil//hapinv/index.html. Appli-cations are also available at the site.

People interested in the program should download an application immediately, even though it can't be processed until the DoD releases guidance on using the new funds, said Jeanne Hodge, deputy public affairs officer for the Savannah USACE Public Affairs Office.

"We need this guidance regarding eligibility of benefits before we can begin processing the applications," Hodge said. "However, once the guidance is given, we will begin processing the applications immediately."

Guidance is expected to be released in a few weeks, Fountain said. She also said that for applications to be approved, Soldiers must have permanent change of duty stations orders accompanying the completed application.

The program is voluntary. If applicants decide they no longer want to participate once the guidance is available, they can voluntarily withdraw their application, Fountain said.

Birdwell said it would be in a person's interest to apply, even if unsure.

"The only thing you lose is the time needed to fill out the application and mail it," he said.

For more information, visit the USACE Web site or call 1-800-861-8144. Questions can also be sent by e-ail message to dodhap1@usace.army .mil. Because of the volume of questions coming in, answers may not be available immediately.

"It may not be immediate, but we will answer all e-mail messages," Birdwell said.