technical moving question

[mitchconnie]

As I prepare to leave the Air Force, it is my understanding that I am entititled to shipment of household goods to any location which is not farther away than my last home of record. However, my new civilian employer also will reimburse all costs associated with moving--a much more generous package than the military offers.

So my question is whether it is possible to get Air force money for the move, even if another company (paid by my new employer) actually moved my goods.

I have heard that it is possible by filing the move as a DITY with the military, but then actually moving with a civilian company. This sounds feasible, but marginally legal. Anyone have experience with this?

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[IgD]

Why not use the movers contracted by the government? There is full replacement value coverage now. I think that would be the simple solution.

My new employer had a 5% relocation allowance so I focused on using it for a house search, rental car etc. I tried to get them to just give me the relocation bonus with no strings attached but they wanted detailed receipts etc. I wasn't able to get the full bonus because I used the government movers.

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

So my question is whether it is possible to get Air force money for the move, even if another company (paid by my new employer) actually moved my goods.

I have heard that it is possible by filing the move as a DITY with the military, but then actually moving with a civilian company. This sounds feasible, but marginally legal. Anyone have experience with this?

While I am all for using the system to our best advantage, this does sound a little like fraud -> I'm going to get paid to do something that I'm not doing.

Again, I get where you're coming from, but if your expenses are covered, I'd call it a day.

 

[mitchconnie]

Why not use the movers contracted by the government? There is full replacement value coverage now. I think that would be the simple solution.

Yeah, that would be OK, but we have not had great experiences with the whole government moving process. I realize that many people think government moves are great, however we have found the timing to be very inflexible and the movers of questionable quality. Last time we moved, they broke some very expensive furniture and then did a makeshift repair to try and hide it without telling us. Then when we finally figured it out, it required years (yes...literally 2 years) of paperwork, multiple visits to various offices, several appeals, three estimates for repair and a lot of haggling to get any compensation at all.

 

[IgD]

Yeah, that would be OK, but we have not had great experiences with the whole government moving process. I realize that many people think government moves are great, however we have found the timing to be very inflexible and the movers of questionable quality. Last time we moved, they broke some very expensive furniture and then did a makeshift repair to try and hide it without telling us. Then when we finally figured it out, it required years (yes...literally 2 years) of paperwork, multiple visits to various offices, several appeals, three estimates for repair and a lot of haggling to get any compensation at all.

Do a Google search on "full replacement value claim"

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I plan to do a DITY move when I get out (and have the AF pay ME to move my own stuff across the country.) I will try to negotiate any type of relocation allowance from the employer into a signing bonus, preferably paid in the tax year before I get out, so I end up paying less tax on it.

I agree with you that getting paid two moving allowances is probably illegal. That's why they demand the paperwork/weight receipts/receipts etc.

 

[trail doc]

Yeah, that would be OK, but we have not had great experiences with the whole government moving process.

But the government moving process is the civilian moving process. You're likely to have the same contractor show up at your house either way, just as likely to break or lift any of your things.
I see no conflict with getting the benefit of a government move (which you are entitled to) and getting a benefit of a move from your civilian employer (which was a negotiated part of your contract). It seems the easiest way to do this would be to have your new employer move you, and submit the weight receipts for a DitY move.

 

[mitchconnie]

After working my way up through the usual clueless desk jockies at the TMO to someone who actually knows what they are talking about, I finally got an answer to this one. It is perfectly permissable to file for your move as a DITY (name has actually changed to PPM--personally procured move) and then have a company of your choice move you. In my case the company will be contracted and paid by my new employer. You get 95% of the reimbursement that would be paid to a government contracted mover. All that needs to be submitted is official weight tickets. In the case of a DITY, no one cares who drove the truck or who paid them, you just get a check based on the weight moved.

Here's the one minor rub. You get taxed at a 28% rate on any reimbursement above what you actually spent. So ordinarily you would turn in receipts for the truck, gas, etc. and if the total was less than the payout, you get taxed on the difference. In my case, since my new employer pays for the move, I would not have those receipts and will get taxed on the full amount.