MOVING TO NORFOLK VA

[angelmarie]

I have a few questions regarding our first pcs move with a family. My husband leaves A-School December 3 and has to report to Norfolk Va December 15. Im a little lost on how to get our move started. How do we get the money upfront to move, or do we have to pay out of pocket and then they pay us back? I have contacted fleet and family services and i was told he would have to make an appointment to attend a finacial class to recieve the money upfront. Since he is still in A-School how can he do that? Do they offer that class there? If anyone could help me understand our first move, i would really appreciate it.

[Anti M]

He can make arrangements although he is still in school. It will be inconvenient for him, but he can get it done. He needs to talk to his school and his SDC, to PSD and to PPO, right NOW to get things done. He should not leave it all to you. In fact, for the advanced pay, he cannot leave it to you and he cannot wait until the last minute. He should be talking to people today, school or not. They will tell him how he can get things done.

You could also arrange for the Navy to pack out your belongings through the Personal Property Office, and online. Join the PCS/moving group for great links and advice.

Right now, concentrate on making sure your home is ready for a move. Are you in an apartment? Start throwing out stuff which is just junk, sell or donate anything which you don't need. Set up a folder/file with all your important documents so you will have them handy (there's a discussion in the GF group about this). Do NOT pack anything until you find out if you're moving your things yourself, of if the Navy is packing you out.

Best of luck. And remember, this won't kill you, just make you crazy!

[Anna]

A good website is http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil and military one source. actually, you can contact them and request info about moving. When i did this they sent a HUGE document. very helpful

there are basically 2 types of moves. You can move yourself or have the military move you. If you want the military to move you they will hire people to pack up your house, move everything to your new home, and unpack. If you want to move yourself (PPM or DITY) the military will pay for your move. you will get most the money upfront and the rest after moving.

my husband took a class during A school that covers moving and he was given a couple of weeks after he finished classes to complete the checking out process. he was able to take care of most of it during that time.

there is a Dislocation Allowance (DLA) that he can request in addition to the moving allowances. Make sure he asks for it.

contact me if you have more specific questions after reviewing the websites. I'd be happy to help

Good Luck!

Anna

[angelmarie]

I was told that we will not get the DLA because this is our first move. They only give DLA when moving from one base to another. Is this correct or should we look into it further? Right now we are waiting on his sponsor to contact him. We sent emails to the sponsor line on Monday. They said that a sponsor was assigned to him and that he would be in contact very soon. Well its Friday now and no contact. My husband said we cannot apply for any of the money until he is contacted by his sponser. He was also told that he will only get 10 days from the time he finishes A-School. Which 5 of that will be spent driving. So not much time will be left to find an apartment. Is there any help with a place to stay when you first get there? Or do you have to pay for this out of pocket?

[Anna]

I would look into the DLA more. I think you are eligable for it with any PCS move. It is meant to offset some of the expenses that aren't accounted for with other allowances.

look into the Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE). I have never used it but is supposed to give lodging reimbursement when ordered to or from a duty station.

We had a sponsor once. He was single, living in the barracks, and deployed at the time. So he was completely unfamiliar with our situation and IMPOSSIBLE to get a hold of. They can be a great resource but keep making plans while waiting for him. you could also try contacting your new command's ombudsman.

Hopefully you will not need to pay for anything out of pocket. I am able to move without doing so. But it requires getting a lot of paper work processed fast. I know when I had short notice I was able to get them to rush my paperwork for me so I could get my PPM (DITY) money before starting our move. Just keep calling and asking questions.

I have not heard of needing to wait for a sponsor before starting the paperwork but you never know.

He will probably get 10 days from the time he checks out of his A school. it can take a few days to get checked out because you have to collect a lot of signatures and sometimes visit medical and run lots of errands. It was during that time that my husband was able to work on making our moving plans.

He can also request a house hunting chit from his new command when he checks in. if his command approves it, he can get up to 10 days for "house hunting" and setting up the home (doesn't come out of his leave).

[Anna]

i would also get a list of apartment options going before you arrive in Norfolk. call them and ask for the prices on rent, utilities, security deposits, ect. When you arrive in Norfolk you can just visit the ones at the top of your list. its good to find an apartment that has the "military clause." you can always take your lease to the legal office before signing too.

my favorite way to search for apartments is with google maps. i would go to Norfolk on the map and enter "real estate" in the search. check the box for renting, price range, ect. then you can find places by location.