LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Spring and summer mark the time when military families prepare for "Permanent Change of Station season," the relocation of Service members and their families to new bases and different places.
According to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Antwina Ashmon, 633rd Force Support Squadron Outbound Assignments noncommissioned officer in charge, most PCSs occur between June and August to prevent dependent children from missing part of the school year. This "peak season" is when more than half of all Department of Defense household goods shipments are performed, meaning Service members need to be diligent in preparing their families for the move.
After Service members receive PCS notifications, they will begin an outprocessing checklist through the Virtual Military Personnel Flight section on the Air Force portal website. This checklist guides military families through various steps and tasks required to move from their current duty station, said Ashmon.
"The PCS season is extremely busy especially scheduling household goods moves through the Travel Management Office," said Ashmon. "Do not wait until the last minute to turn in paperwork for outprocessing actions. Some checklist items, like TMO and medical, have an extensive process and if not started in a timely manner, can delay your move."
Completing the checklist is only part of outprocessing. It is vital for active duty members to pay close attention to their PCS notification said Ashmon.
"Service members need to read their assignment notification from top to bottom," said Master Sgt. Liesbeth Bowen, 633rd Comptroller Squadron first sergeant. "I've seen many delays and unneeded stress from outprocessing that could've been avoided if the member had just read the notification."
In addition to carefully reading the notification, another important part of the process is setting and changing departure dates to ensure the PCS process moves smoothly.
The departure date for PCS assignments is established by Air Force Personnel Center. If the date needs to change, the Service member must route it to their supervisor and commander for approval as soon as possible to avoid delays.
Bowen also recommends Service members be proactive and not procrastinate when they receive an assignment.
"If you're going overseas, apply for passports immediately," said Bowen. "I've seen Service members waiting for passports up until the week of their departure and have to use large amounts of leave or leave family members behind until the passports came in."
According to Perry Mills, 733rd Mission Support Group reassignment lead and human resource specialist at Fort Eustis, it can take eight weeks to get an official, no-fee passport approved.
Soldiers also need to attend the reassignment briefing held every other Wednesday, to learn important information about moving, especially with dependents.
"Attending the reassignment briefing can give answers to questions to make the change of station move successful," said Mills. "My team has representatives from finance and accounting, Army Community Service, in and out processing, Exceptional Family Member Program, Transportation and Household Goods Shipment and Airline Ticket Office."
Being organized can make the PCS transition smoother, said Bowen. She recommended printing everything related to a move, such as assignment orders, memos, family records, medical information, correspondence, and organizing the documents into a PCS portfolio.
"I've had the same PCS folder since I left basic training," said Bowen. "I put all important documents inside I need for outprocessing, and then replace everything when I get a new assignment."
Bowen recommended carrying the portfolio everywhere in case certain documents are needed on the spot. This will save time, energy and stress from recreating paperwork, making prints or looking for important information.
All agree that one of the most important steps for PCSing is to visit the local TMO office for household goods shipment coordination as soon as orders are generated. Service members may also log on to the Defense Personal Property System at www.move.mil to manage the relocation of their household goods.
"It's a lot of work, but if you organize things early, don't procrastinate, and read everything carefully, there is no reason why you can't have a successful PCS," said Ashmon.
For additional information, contact the Langley Outbound Assignments office at 764-7047 or the Fort Eustis office at 878-5392