PCS move gone off course? Find the right resource

The Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Assist Team wants to ensure that everyone gets the help they need when they need it — and would like to clear up some confusion.

“We at PCS Assist are extremely successful at solving situations entirely outside the scope of admin shops, particularly with advocacy for members whose moves have gone awry,” said CWO-3 Jeremy Bloom, team lead. “But our phone lines have been busy, often with requests to troubleshoot programs we aren’t equipped to work.”

We don’t want members transferring this year stuck wondering “who you gonna call,” so we pulled together a quick troubleshooting guide to get your questions to the right place.

PCS orders

Initial assistance: Contact your Personnel and Administrative (P&A) office.
No signed orders after 14 days: Follow up with the P&A office.
Additional assistance only after follow up with P&A office: Reach out to the PCS Assist Team ((844) 727-2022 or email PCSAssist@uscg.mil) to contact your P&A office on your behalf.

Moving date

Initial planning: Use the Defense Personal Property System (DPS).
Help accessing DPS: Contact your managing Personal Property Shipping Office (PPSO), who typically creates a yearly guide on the process. If that doesn’t work, reach out to DPS Customer Service.
Moving date issues: The PCS Assist Team recommends you accept your moving date, even if it isn’t ideal. Once you receive a general bill of lading (GBL) and have a transportation service provider (TSP) for your move, ask the TSP directly for a different date. If your TSP cannot help, ask the PCS Assist Team to contact the TSP on your behalf.

PPM movers

Serious issues with Personally Procured Move (PPM) movers (fraudulent movers, companies not familiar with the government reimbursement process, etc.): Contact the PCS Assist Team. (Note: Please keep in mind that despite their solid track record, the PCS Assist Team can’t guarantee success negotiating with a third-party vendor.)
PPM claims: FINCEN has a new process for PPM claims you can get the claims process started by going to the PPM Claims Request Application on CG Portal. Then click the “Submit & View Claims” button.

PCS claims

Initial assistance: Start with the PCS Advances and Vouchers User Guide, which explains using the Electronic-Gov Travel System (ETS)
ETS troubleshooting: Use the ETS Job Aid.
Issues not addressed or resolved by job aids/user guides: Contact your Servicing Personnel Office (SPO). (If your SPO needs support, they will submit either a PPC ticket or a SNOW ticket.)