Photo By Kristen Wong | Sgt. Stephen Kroulik (right), a PCS noncommissioned officer for the Outbound Branch of...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - The orders are staring you in the face. It is time to change duty stations. Soon you’ll be heading for a new home. Pack belongings? Check. Buy a plane ticket? Check. Ready? Not so fast.
Permanent changes of station are common across all branches of service, the peak season being from April to August each year. Generally, a service member can expect to move five times during a 20-year career, according to Marie Calvo, the program manager of the Family Member Employment Assistance Program and Relocation Services.
Moving can be stressful, whether a service member is preparing to PCS, retire or separate from the military. When PCSing, service members have many responsibilities; some more obvious, such as packing household goods, while others might be overlooked, like forwarding mail.
Calvo said one of the challenges service members face is learning that they will soon receive orders to move, but they are not sure where or when they will move.
“We encourage them to come to the (PCS and Moving) workshop to get all the information,” Calvo said. “There’s so much you can do to plan your move that doesn’t require PCS orders and coming to the workshop offers that. So once you do get your orders (and) the countdown (starts), you’ve got a good plan in place to execute a move that best suits your needs.”
Initially, she recommends creating or renewing one’s account at move.mil, the Defense Personal Property System website developed by the Department of Defense U.S. Transportation Command to help with moving. Calvo said the process of creating an account does take time.
Second, she recommends registering for the PCS and Moving Workshop, run by Marine Corps Community Services’ FMEAPRS. Last year, 688 active-duty Marines and Sailors attended this four-hour workshop. The workshop is held twice a month through the busy PCS season, and once a month after August. Active-duty service members who are changing duty stations are required to take the workshop, while it is optional for those retiring or separating from the military.
At the workshop, service members will receive an overview of their responsibilities before leaving the base, with briefings and time to chat with representatives of several departments, including the Finance Office, Legal Assistance and the Personal Financial Management Program.
Although service members and spouses are encouraged to attend this workshop three to four months before they are scheduled to leave the island, Calvo said they are allowed to attend earlier, and multiple times if they wish. She added that it’s not uncommon for spouses to come to the workshop first alone, then again with their service member.
Department of Defense civilians who need to PCS are also eligible to take the workshop. Registration is required, but service members do not need to have their orders yet to attend.
Additionally, Calvo recommends that service members schedule the detachment (service member’s last day at work) and departure (service member’s last day on island) date to be on the same day. Doing so can prove more cost effective as a service member may not realize how much excess money they would be spending while vacationing.
She also advises service members to stay organized. She has samples of organization systems which she shares at the workshops. One can organize their PCS move simply by having a binder or folders for all their paperwork.
One of the first places service members visit to begin the official transition is the Installation Personnel Administration Center, where orders are processed, entitlements are explained and flights are coordinated.
Once the service member receives their orders, Sgt. Stephen Kroulik, a PCS noncommissioned officer for the Outbound Branch recommends that they come to the center immediately; the same day if possible. The center is the least busy around 7:45 in the morning, and no appointment is necessary.
“We will sit down and explain the whole PCS process to them,” Kroulik said. “It’ll help them with their timeline to make sure that they don’t feel that pressure.”
Kroulik, of Umatilla, Fla., has experience PCSing to Marine Corps Base Hawaii from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. He faced several challenges, from having only 25 days for his transition, to fulfilling all requirements to move his pet to Hawaii and ensure his household goods arrived in time for his family.
Household goods are the specialty of the Distribution Management Office, which Kroulik, and Cpl. Victoria Ellis, DMO household goods clerk, recommend is the second stop on the PCS journey. At DMO, located in building 209, service members obtain their itineraries, tickets and government passports, and arrange for their furniture, vehicles and other belongings to be shipped to their next destination.
Ellis, of Elgin, Ill., advises service members to learn as much information as they can about DMO entitlements and make sure to ship their household goods as soon as possible. Often, she said many people do not know what they are eligible to ship. In addition, she said many end up staying later than anticipated or selling items because they waited too long to start the process.
“(Obtaining flight tickets) is pretty fast; we can get that done within a week,” Ellis said. “But household goods (generally take) a couple weeks.”
The next two PCS and Moving Workshops are scheduled for May 27 and June 10. For more information about the PCS and Moving Workshop, call 257-8354 or visit mccshawaii.com/trpworkshops.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2015 18:17 |
| Story ID: | 163507 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Hometown: | ELGIN, IL, US |
| Hometown: | UMATILLA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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