Photo By Senior Airman Iain Stanley | U.S Army Maj. Gen. Lance G. Curtis, Permanent Change of Station Joint Task Force...... read more read more
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – Military spouses from across the Joint Force joined the Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Joint Task Force for a virtual town hall Aug. 27 to share their experiences and recommendations regarding household goods.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Lance Curtis, PCS Joint Task Force commanding general, hosted the town hall to capture the voices of military families and ensure their perspectives inform upcoming recommendations to the Secretary of Defense. PCS Joint Task Force leaders and subject-matter experts from every branch of the military facilitated the discussion, hearing firsthand accounts from spouses worldwide about the challenges they faced during PCS moves.
The town hall centered on three primary topics:
● How the Department of Defense can better prepare service members and families for the PCS season.
● Concerns about the quality of service from movers and the industry at large.
● Challenges with the household goods claims process.
Spouses emphasized the need for clearer communication and earlier access to information, suggesting standardized checklists, mobile apps, or information hubs to reduce confusion during moves. Childcare support emerged as a repeated concern, with many spouses noting the difficulty of monitoring movers while caring for children.
Other issues included inconsistent guidance from relocation counselors, unexpected out-of-pocket expenses, concerns about data privacy during digital home surveys, and frustrations with claims and reimbursement timelines. Families also called for stronger accountability and vetting of moving companies to ensure professionalism and safeguard their belongings.
The PCS Joint Task Force highlighted that their work is already underway to address these concerns. The task force is comprised of representatives from every service, including officers, enlisted personnel, reservists, DoD civilians and even a civilian spouse, ensuring a wide range of perspectives are represented.
Since its creation earlier this year, the team has taken decisive actions, including terminating a major contractor that failed to meet expectations. They have launched a 24/7 PCS call center that, over the course of about one month, has resolved over 635 household goods issues, often within 24–48 hours. The task force has also proactively reached out to nearly 1,000 families to offer support, hosted an industry day with moving companies, and conducted joint planning sessions with the military services to shape long-term solutions.
“We care about you,” said Curtis. “That’s why we’re doing this, we have empathy and we want to make things better. Please continue to communicate with us; we want to help you.”
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2025 18:38 |
| Story ID: | 546703 |
| Location: | SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 258 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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