Filing a claim for your HHG 101
Military life can be very stressful, more so when the time to pcs comes around. You find yourself thinking of every little thing and making endless lists of everything you will need. From contact numbers for lodging, making an appointment with the moving company, clearing post (if you are the service member) and the list goes on and on. One thing you should know is that when the movers come and pack your things the waiting process can be very long for some depending where you go next. Once you arrive to your next duty station and wait for your HHG you will be notified of their arrival as soon as they get there by the shipping company. Ensure that all lines of communication are working so you can get all status updates. Remember to do this on moving day before they pack your stuff. Make sure you have every bit of information including the drivers name and contact info. Be sure the remarks the movers indicated for each item are correct. Once your HHG arrives to Hawaii and you are notified then an appointment will be set up to schedule a delivery date and time. When the delivery arrives, you will do a walk through and identify pre-existing damages. Then ask for an inventory sheet from the driver or have your own copy from moving day. As they unload you can check the items off the inventory list and inspect everything for damages. Make sure everything has been delivered before you sign off on any paperwork given by the driver. If there are any lost or damaged items request a Loss/Damage AT Delivery Form from the driver and annotate the damages. If you missed anything you have 180 days from the date of delivery to notify the moving company in writing of any lost or damaged items that you intend to file a claim for. If you noticed more damages and are ready to file a claim you will have to sign in to the DPS website. https://dps.sddc.army.mil/cust/standard/user/home.xhtml (This is the same site you should have already signed in before you moved). You should already have a log in. When you login to the system, you can expect to see two paths - Lost/Damage Report and Claims Submission. As per the DPS site…. “Filling out the Loss or Damage AT Delivery Form lets the moving company know that some of your items were missing or damaged during the delivery process. This form must be done within 75 days (applicable to household good shipments picked up prior to May 15, 2020) or 180 within days (applicable to household goods shipments picked up May 15, 2020 and after) of your delivery date. If the items cannot be found or they cannot fix the damage, you must file a claim to be reimbursed”. If MOLD is discovered, stop the move immediately and contact your transportation office, Quality Assurance Inspector, and move coordinator. When filing a claim, it’s recommended that you have before and after pictures of the items that you’re claiming. It is helpful to show any receipts, quotes for repair, or other documentation that show the value of the item. The mover is responsible for paying for repair estimates so you should request a copy of this estimate before accepting settlement on your claim. For high value items, you may receive a request for proof of value. This can usually be accomplished by providing a copy of the original receipt, credit card statement, or cancelled check. If for some reason you and the transportation provider can’t agree on a claim the Military Claims office will be there to help. They will advocate in your behalf, however keep in mind that all documentation will have to be submitted through their own system. https://www.move.mil/customer-service#claims You can find a step-by-step tutorial for a loss and damaged report here https://www.move.mil/tutorials/file-a-loss-%26-damage-report The moving company must provide acknowledgement of receipt of your claim within 15 calendar days of receipt of a complete claim. the moving company must pay, deny or make an offer on all claims valued at $1000 or less within 30 days of receipt of completed claim submission and within 60 days on all other completed claim submissions. We know the process can be very tedious and stressful and we hope this quick breakdown helps you find new links and information for your move and claims process.
Moving Out Tips to PCS Like a Pro
We all know that the PCS journey can be full of ups and downs. Making everything work while getting ready to PCS is stressful and even though at times, we rely on military resources to make it all work out it is always better to do as much preparing on your own for a smoother road ahead. Here are some helpful tips to make your pcs process easier and more manageable when it comes to moving out: 1. Declutter your home! Minimal is in, so take advantage of that latest Netflix show on house organization and declutter. This will make packing way simpler and you will not have to worry about every single piece in your home to account for. Something that helps is starting to sell stuff. Once you have hard orders or a pack out day spend a couple days separating the items that could be sold and have a yard sale or team up with your neighbors to have a block yard sale for a better and bigger turn out. If you cannot sell everything you can always donate the items you do not want to your local thrift stores or donations centers. If you do not have the time to drop off donations giving them away to a family who just moved to your neighborhood or posting a curb alert of your community’s Facebook page works too. A resource that always helps is knowing your entitlements before you move and the weight limit allowed for your household. You do not want to go over your limit otherwise the excess comes out of your pocket. For more information on your entitlements you can check out https://move.mil/entitlements 2. Clean up! Once you have a date for your move and have started decluttering it is a good idea to start doing some cleaning around your home so that in the end your house whether selling or renting will not have much to work on last minute. If you are living on military housing start making a list of things that need to be replaced such as blinds, door handles and stoppers; and home repairs that maintenance can take care of before you let your housing office know you are moving …work on making your moving out cost minimal. You can visit your leasing office and request a move out check list to know everything that will be expected from you when you leave. 3. One room at the time. Life will be chaotic, do not make it a bigger mess. Start working on your move out check list one room at the time. Start decluttering, cleaning, labeling per room instead of making a huge mess in your living room or all over the house. Start labeling items from each room to keep everything organized, color coding works too! Pack items how you want to find them as you unpack or put items together in groups for the movers to know they go together. Get rid of things you do not want packed otherwise the movers will put in a box for your next duty station. 4. Proof We all know and have heard stories of pcs moves gone wrong, things getting damaged during shipping, items missing… take photos and make notes of the items you cherish, the items that are expensive and the items that have a bit too many pieces. Take photos of your TVs with the screen on, take photos of your collection pieces, your exercise equipment, anything fragile… The claims process might be easier if you are better prepared. 5. Create a binder Organization is key. You do not want to leave out anything important you might need. Creating a binder with all the information you might need during your move is very important and can be very helpful. You can have everything in it: passports, shot records, household goods inventory, copy of orders, marriage certificate, travel reservations, insurance documents and more. HHG can take up to more than 6 weeks depending on where you are heading to. You really want certain documents on hand to get started once you arrive to your destination. 6. Moving out with children. Make specific lists for your children, more so if they tend to like certain items that might make your life easier. That stuffed animal your baby sleeps with every night (don’t let the movers take him), the night light your daughter has to have on (staying with you), a light stroller for travel (don’t let it go), the tablets for games, the pacifiers, the headphones, activities for traveling (put them aside, you will need them). 7. Unaccompanied baggage. You are entitled for unaccompanied baggage for Oconus moves. This is a small subset from your allowed weight that is expedited to your new duty station. Use unaccompanied baggage to pack items that you will need faster than your HHG. Many families pack some kitchen items like pots and pans, cutlery, bedding, towels, work uniforms, pack and plays, baby carriages, light housekeeping items… Unaccompanied baggage is usually packed by movers prior to your set HHG pack out date. Make a check list for these items to know what you will need. 8. Show some appreciation! The day your movers come show them a little appreciation and treat them to some lunch. Many families order pizza others have cold beverages and snacks available. Whatever it is showing that you appreciate their work goes a long way. You can also ask them if they have a preference according to your budget. Some movers will not want anything but drinks. Good to ask. 9. Keep your receipts. The military will cover most of your move, that means they will need your receipts to make reimbursements on your spending. Anything from hotel stays, per diem allowance for meals and incidentals and pov mileage. Keep receipts on your move out walk through inspection, utilities when closing accounts… You do not want a local company billing you for service that you did not use and it is good to have proof. 10. Do not ship small valuables. Things like cash and jewelry should be with you throughout your move. Do not have the movers pack it. Things like these can travel with you to your next destination. Hopefully you can use these tips through out your move out experience to make things a bit less hectic. It is also great to use community pages such as this one to ask others about their own experience. The military community is always great at sharing information on what worked for them during their pcs.
Hawaii Culture Do’s & Don’ts
Welcome to Hawaii! You have finally arrived to the island of Oahu, and now it's adventure time! But is there anything you need to know about Hawaii and its rich culture before you step out of your hotel and disrespect someone by accident without even knowing what you did wrong? This happens quite often due to the lack of knowledge about the island, its history, people, do’s and don’ts. We are here to help you with a breakdown of things you should know before going out and about to explore Oahu. Let’s start by understanding the language. You can only use the term “Hawaiian” when it comes to describing the people and culture of Hawaii. Anyone not Hawaiian is known as “locals” or “Kamaaina” (“Child of the land”). Hawaiian Pidgin English is creole language which to new comers might sound like broken English, however it is a mixture of words from different languages. It is preferred if you do not attempt to speak Hawaiian Pidgin unless you are very proficient at it otherwise it is taken as disrespectful or as if you are mocking. Driving around the island can be both a little intimidating and nice. Always tough to make your way through traffic and drivers from different parts of the World and tourist buses. However, when someone is courteous and let’s you through on their lane throwing a shaka is encouraged! It is not common in Hawaii to use your car’s horn while driving unless honking as a friendly greeting! The gifts of Lei in Hawaii are a beautiful tradition and a huge must do! Lei are flower, shells, nuts or leaves garlands worn around the neck or head to show appreciation. In Hawaiian history these were used by ancient chiefs and were a tradition brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Polynesian voyagers coming from Tahiti. A lei is worn draped over the shoulders hanging on both your front and back. Lei are part of all special occasions but you can wear them just because if you want. A big don’t which you have probably heard of before is to never take lava rocks from a volcano or rocks and sand from a beach. Superstition says this will bring on a curse on whoever takes them. Hawaii culture has always show high esteem on rocks due to the many ways they were used through out the years to build, use as tools and even deities. Leave them where you found them, do not take them with you! While in Hawaii remember to always take care of the Aina. Wherever you go take with you whatever you brought. Do not leave trash behind while hiking or at the beach. Do not throw waste in the ocean, do not disturb the wild life. Hawaii’s ecosystem is a wonderful thing to explore but do so while showing respect to the land always. For example: The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Honu) are protected by State and Federal laws. Never touch a Sea Turtle in the water or while sun bathing or nesting! The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle is the only Indigenous reptile found in Hawaii. For Hawaiians the Honu is symbol of good luck. There are many ways in which you can gain more understanding about Hawaii and everything that encompasses this beautiful place. These are just come cultural do’s and don’ts but if you are interested in knowing more about the history of the islands you can always visit our local museums to learn more and acquire new knowledge. Here are some of our favorite must visit places to further your knowledge: 1. The Bishop Museum 1525 Bernice St, Honolulu, HI 96817https://www.bishopmuseum.org/ 2. Iolani Palace State Monument 364 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96813https://www.iolanipalace.org/ 3. Queen Emma Summer Place 2913 HI-61, Honolulu, HI 96817https://hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/queen-emma-summer-palace/ 4. Washington Place 320 S Beretania St, Honolulu, HI 96813http://www.washingtonplacefoundation.org/ 5. Hawaiian Mission Houses 553 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96813https://www.missionhouses.org/ Remember to show Aloha wherever you go, be thankful and respectful!
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