Wednesday, April 18, 2018

A to Z Challenge - P is for Permanent Change of Station (PCS)



A Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move is a move from one duty station to another, or from your final duty station to home of record upon retirement or discharge.

In the military, you can be required to move at any time, but it is most common to move every 2-3 years.

If you receive PCS orders, you are eligible for transportation allowances. The most common reimbursed travel allowances include:

Personal & dependent travel - The government will provide you and your dependents transportation from one duty station to another. They will either issue you a ticket for a common carrier (air, rail, etc.), or provide you money to travel via your privately owned vehicle (POV) [yes, it appears there is a military acronym for almost everything]. They will also pay you per diem, which includes an allowance for meals and lodging for the number of authorized travel days between locations.

Household goods and vehicle shipment - You are authorized to ship your personal belongings from one duty station to another. The government authorizes you a weight limit based on your rank and family status. You may also be authorized to ship or store your personal vehicle depending on your destination.

Dislocation allowance - Dislocation allowance will partially reimburse you for expenses incurred in relocation.

Temporary lodging reimbursement - The government will partially reimburse you for the additional costs you may incur when house hunting or living in temporary quarters in conjunction with a move through either Temporary Lodging Allowance or Temporary Lodging Expense.

I looked up for my son when he moved from his final duty station to his new home in Seattle.
-https://www.move.mil/entitlements
-http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/Docs/perdiem/browse/Travel_Regulations/Regulations_Changes/Immediate/UTD043-17(I).pdf

My son left the Navy with the rank of E-5.  He was single with no dependents.  The military would pay to transport 7000 pounds of household goods, not including his POV.  If he had dependents, it would be 9000 pounds.  If he went over that weight, he would have been responsible to pay for each extra pound.  The cost depends on the distance traveled, from $1 per pound for short distances, to $4 and more per pound for longer distances and/or overseas.  Best to have a yard sale!

Currently in the news is the decision by United Airlines to discontinue overseas transportation of large pets.  United is the only airline from Guam to the US, so servicemembers PCSing from Guam would have had to leave their pets behind.  Here's the latest news:
https://www.militarytimes.com/home-hq/2018/04/03/uniteds-pet-policy-update-a-reprieve-for-troops-planning-pcs-moves-from-guam/

For more information:
http://www.military.com/money/pcs-dity-move


What's next for Q?
Q is for Quartermaster.  What's a Quartermaster?  What do they do?  Which branches of the military have them?  Come back tomorrow and find out!

9 comments:

  1. My son has gon through this several times. He is a nomad at heart so little affected by the limits. Like yours, he's single. His new duty station, Okinawa, he loves. This is a good reason to enjoy that the military does constantly move you. A challenging PCS won't last long!

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    1. My son was deployed to Okinawa for about 4 months. He enjoyed it while he was there. Glad your son enjoys it there.

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    2. Your son is Navy--so Marines? I think they're quite close to the Army base in Okinawa.

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  2. I can't imagine leaving your pet behind :-( It must be hard to move so frequently.

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    1. True. It looks like United Airlines has agreed to transport servicemembers' pets, at least for now. So that's good.

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  3. That sounds very unfair about pets. I'm glad the military pay expenses and the like, but 7000 pounds doesn't sound like that much when you think about everything people have.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - Movie Monsters

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    1. No, it sure wouldn't be enough to move me, even if it was only MY stuff and no one else in my family.

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  4. Wow, it's done on weight! Glad that wasn't what we had when we moved.

    I hope the airline changes its mind about transporting pets, at least from Guam. How heartbreaking for those families! And how much more traumatic for the kids =(

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    Replies
    1. The latest is the airline has "temporarily" made exceptions for military families, so that's good news.

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