JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
A move cannot begin without orders, but that doesn't mean you can't plan ahead. With the peak personal property moving season of May through August quickly approaching, people are encouraged to start proactively planning their moves.
When first notified of a permanent change of station assignment, immediately visit the Defense Personal Property System website at http://www.Move.mil. It contains a wealth of information covering many relocation topics. The majority of service members can use this site to set-up and manage their personal property shipments.
DPS website topics include personally procured move information, Department of Defense service policies for personal-property moves, a transportation office locator, loss and damage claims filing information and an authorized weight allowance table
As a start, validate your weight allowance using the table in the "It's Your Move" pamphlet at http://www.Move.mil or the "Plan My Move pamphlet at https://apps.militaryonesource.mil. Service members can find basic entitlement information, shipment estimating tools, as well as "do's and don'ts" info that can prevent people from incurring personal debt due to excess costs.
Once PCS orders are in hand, set up your move online using http://www.Move.mil or immediately contact your installation transportation office. Being proactive will maximize your potential to receive your desired move dates.
If you are retiring, separating or if this is your first move, contact the local installation transportation office to receive one-on-one counseling. A counselor will provide a detailed explanation of entitlements and transportation service providers performance requirements. Listen carefully and ask lots of questions.
The months of May through August are the busiest months for personal property shipments. Prepare early and be as flexible as you can in offering alternate dates for packing/pick-up of your property.
Additionally, never schedule a pick-up or delivery on the same date you will be vacating or gaining access to your residence. Also, do not schedule two different shipments for pick-up or delivery on the same day. A conflict that causes you to be unavailable during the agreed upon pickup or delivery date can - and will - be billed to you.
Once movement dates are confirmed, the TSP will contact you to conduct a pre-move survey. Make sure you ask for this to occur at least five days prior to your initial pack date. Expect one pack day for every 4,000 pounds of estimated weight.
If you believe you have exceeded your weight allowance, request a reweigh with your TSP prior to accepting delivery of your property.
To ensure your pack and pick-up dates go unhindered, clean residence and furniture, unplug appliances, remove pictures from walls and move items from crawl spaces.
In addition, separate professional gear from the rest of your personal property and ensure the TSP annotates it on your inventory. If documented at time of pick up, professional gear does not count against your authorized weight entitlement.
During packing up and pick up, safeguard passports, luggage, etc., and remove unused or unwanted items lying around the house. Time is money to the TSP and if not segregated, they will pack items you didn't intend to ship.
Claims for personal property loss and/or damage can also be filed via http://www.Move.mil. Military members and DOD employees have 75 days from their property delivery date to initiate a claim. If there are issues settling a claim, contact the service-specific claims office. This information is available at http://www.move.mil/dod/claims_css/dod_claims.cfm.
Remember to file claims directly with the TSP. If an agreement cannot be reached on the monetary value between you and the TSP, or you discover additional damage at a later date, contact your service claims office for mediation or assistance.
For more information, call the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Transportation Office at 221-1605, the JBSA-Lackland PPPO at 671-2821 or the JBSA-Randolph PPPO at 652-1848/1849.