I am about to enter active duty after finishing a civilian residency program. I got an orientation letter that states that we should not get a place to live until we arrive on base. This seems crazy although I understand that orders can change at anytime. So we have a few days when we get to our PCS location to in process and find a place to live; which should be fun with a toddler and a newborn. I will also be shipping all of my belonging to where? Storage? Or do I have to find a place then travel back to my home, several states away to make sure the movers don't destroy my belongings then travel back to the base? Can anyone explain how this REALLY works? Thanks!
First time pcs, moving question
- Thread starter EMflyer
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Find a house ahead of time, just don't close until you check into base. Or contact the housing office about living on base, usually not a long wait for CGOs but varies by location for sure. Your stuff is picked up just prior to leaving and, unless you're vacationing en route, shouldn't beat you to your new duty station. If it does, then you are authorized storage x3 mos at gov't expense. Once you check in your commander should authorize you 8 days of permissive TDY for 'house-hunting' (which you'll actually use to close and move in). You should get more on all this as it gets closer to, however lots of good info on this subforum via search too.
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That is absolutely not what you should do. Once you have your official orders in hand you should contact your branch's moving office. (called the "TMO" in the Air Force). There is one on most every military base and you'll get an appt to talk with them about how much stuff you have to move, pick your moving dates, arrange for packing, pickup, delivery, etc. As with any move, you could wait until the last minute, but the mover will need an address to drop your stuff off and unless you want everything in storage (meaning YOU move from storage to your new apt/home) you should plan to find a place ahead of time and have your lease/closing finished before your stuff arrives.
FYI, a lot of the "orientation" materials that you get apply to young enlisted troops, not professionals / officers.
If you think you're getting incorrect instructions or don't know where to go next, best bet is to call the personel office at your new base. Everything is easier after you have orders and are in the system, but even before that they can help you along the way. Worst case scenario would be you have to look up the website of the base you're PCS'ing to, call their operator, and then ask for numbers for "inprocessing" or "personnel".
I'm sure others here can chime in, but it would be easier if you could tell us what base and branch you're joining?
Good luck!
FYI, a lot of the "orientation" materials that you get apply to young enlisted troops, not professionals / officers.
If you think you're getting incorrect instructions or don't know where to go next, best bet is to call the personel office at your new base. Everything is easier after you have orders and are in the system, but even before that they can help you along the way. Worst case scenario would be you have to look up the website of the base you're PCS'ing to, call their operator, and then ask for numbers for "inprocessing" or "personnel".
I'm sure others here can chime in, but it would be easier if you could tell us what base and branch you're joining?
Good luck!
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Hi EMflyer,
I am also getting ready to do my first PCS this summer, entering on active duty as an intern in USAF. If you're army/navy, hopefully this will help someone else looking for this information. Regarding moving your household goods, the first thing to do is contact your nearest base JPPSO/TMO. If in doubt, call the nearest base family-readiness center and ask about the closest TMO to your location.
If you haven't already you can go to www.move.mil and set up and register for an online DPS account. After a period of up to 48 hours for them to activate your account, you can log in to the DPS online application (HAS to be on a PC, there is no support for macs unfortunately). During the application you'll select the closest TMO from a list. Also of note during the application is that for destination you can initially select the destination city and omit adding a street address. Once you've gone about the process of finding a place, you can update your TMO with that information in whatever way they prefer.
Once you've completed the whole application, you'll have two documents that it will provide you: DD Forms 1299 and 1797. Sign and date the form 1299 in blocks 15A and B, for 1797 just sign. All the other info is filled out from your online stuff. Fax those signed forms PLUS all pages of your orders to the TMO office you selected.
I called after to make sure they got everything afterwards. My TMO is a small two-man operation, so I'll reiterate the importance of calling ahead of time since operating procedures will definitely differ office to office. Good luck with the move, I hope this was helpful, and private message me if you need any help with the DPS/move.mil stuff!
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I lived by Eglin for several years, if you have any specific questions about moving to the area let me know. I know a great real estate agent in the area (wife of retired officer) who can get a list of rentals together for you as well if you're interested.
EMFlyer, I'm in the same situation and headed to Lackland this summer. I'm glad you started this thread for all of us that are learning to navigate the system over the coming months. PM me sometime so we can keep on the same page. What EM program are you coming from?
What are the best areas to live around Eglin? Are there certain places to avoid? I would definitely be interested in a list of rentals. Thanks for your help!
Palmetto Health in Columbia, SC. What about you?
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Ill send you a PM with details and contacts
Coming from University of New Mexico and excited about San Antonio this summer. This week I'll be starting the online stuff through www.move.mil as I start an elective month and learn more details about what to expect this summer (staffing, scheduling, COT class, etc.) Feel free to PM anytime. My wife and I have been browsing several good online sites for rentals (www.ahrn.com, www.realtor.com, and www.militarybyowner.com)
I will my doing my first PCS and was contacted by the moving company. They are going to pack up my stuff on Tues 7/24, pick up my stuff on Thurs 7/26, and plan to deliver on Fri 8/3. My current address is 2.5-3 hrs from my new address. How can it possibly take over a week to get there?? I contacted back the moving company to inquire and was told they cannot predict when the truck will arrive at my new address. Can anyone shed some insight? Is it typical for delivery to be delayed like this? Also, my report date is 7/30 and they said they are not required to deliver by the report date. What do I do for the 5 days until my stuff arrives? air mattress?
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Depending on how much stuff you have you might not be the only person with goods on the truck. Often times they'll put 3 or 4 shipments on one big truck. If you're the 1st one on, then you'd be the last off. If they're delaying delivery by a week I'd guess there's another person who is getting stuff loaded after & delivered before you.
Delays in delivery are common and after some time in the military you'll start to hear the horror stories. As with any move, don't pack anything in the truck that you absolutely can't do without; put it in your car or ship it yourself by more easily tracked/reliable methods. The movers that the gov't uses tend to be established and more reliable companies, but as the industry is still unregulated there's always a chance you'll get screwed. Air mattress--yes. Plus a couple uniforms so you can report in. We all know what a pain it is to move so don't be surprised when you report in and they tell you to just call back when your goods are situated. All in all, from someone who's done full DITY (do it yourself) moves of a 4bdrm house as well as had the movers take care of everything, the more that the movers do for you the less stressful the whole process is IMHO.
Delays in delivery are common and after some time in the military you'll start to hear the horror stories. As with any move, don't pack anything in the truck that you absolutely can't do without; put it in your car or ship it yourself by more easily tracked/reliable methods. The movers that the gov't uses tend to be established and more reliable companies, but as the industry is still unregulated there's always a chance you'll get screwed. Air mattress--yes. Plus a couple uniforms so you can report in. We all know what a pain it is to move so don't be surprised when you report in and they tell you to just call back when your goods are situated. All in all, from someone who's done full DITY (do it yourself) moves of a 4bdrm house as well as had the movers take care of everything, the more that the movers do for you the less stressful the whole process is IMHO.
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Does anyone know how much will be reimbursed for hotel stays? For example - I plan on moving about 1600 miles, was planning on staying 2 nights in hotels - are we paid the per diem rate of the hotels in the area that we stay, or is there a different formula?
www.move.mil has not been working for me by the way - anyone else having problems with that?
www.move.mil has not been working for me by the way - anyone else having problems with that?
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You will probable be getting a flat travel rate with the perdiem worked in. There are alot of factors that will determin how much you will be getting to move (ie how many vehicles you will be moving, dependants, etc..). You are generally given a flat rate for the number of miles to your new station as well. It is usually predetermined how many miles/day you should be traveling so this will determine the number of days of travel you should get as well. If its just you and you are not moving anything, then you will get a plane ticket and a smile. 🙂
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I am reviving this thread as I am headed to Eglin AFB in a few months, also coming from a civilian residency program. Anyone have any good information to share about the surrounding area in regards to housing, things to do on base, etc...?
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