Relocation Assistance

Your Military and Family Support Center provides relocation assistance to help make PCS moves as smooth as possible. Resources include:

• PCS planning: Most relocation assistance programs offer consultations to help you with the moving process. If this your first military move, your first time moving overseas or you have challenging or complex circumstances contact your installation Relocation Assistance Program as soon as possible for support.
• Plan My Move: An online Defense Department relocation tool that provides you with customizable checklists and links to helpful resources for the tasks ahead.
• Military OneSource: A website and call center that offer 24/7 support for moving information and resources. Learn more about PCS basics and download this fact sheet 7 Steps to Make Your Household Goods Move a Smart Move. For comprehensive moving resources and information, including Defense Personal Property log in details, visit Moving Your Personal Property.
• Workshops and briefings: Workshops vary by location. You may find classes on housing options, moving with children, moving with pets and more.
• Predeparture briefings: These sessions provide essential information about your move and may be required for some populations.
• Special needs: If you have a child or family member enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, contact your installation EFMP-Family Support office to assist you.
• Settling-in services: Look for welcome programs or local area tours that may offered. Overseas services may include introductory language classes and cultural awareness activities.
• Foreign-born spouse support: Assistance includes information and referral to resources such as immigration and naturalization.
• Emergency assistance: Sometime emergencies occur while moving. The Military and Family Support Center has the resources to provide emergency financial assistance, as well as information and referrals.
• Authorized housing flexibility options: Eligible service members with PCS orders may be entitled to flexibilities such as extended stays in government housing and early housing eligibility. Contact your military personnel office for more information.
• Spouse licensure reimbursement: Your service branch may reimburse spouses up to $1,000 for relicensure and certification costs resulting from relocations or PCS moves. See this Military OneSource article Transferring Your Professional License for more information and specific service branch policies.

Relocation Assistance

Make the BM&FRC a priority stop upon your arrival. Help with employment concerns, educational needs, stress, available base and community resources, and much more is available. If you have children, please take advantage of the free child care provided via the Air Force Aid Society's Child Care for PCS program. You are entitled to 20 hours of free childcare per eligible child to be used within 60 days of your arrival to Barksdale Air Force Base. Stop by the BM&FRC to obtain a certificate for this program in order to give to the Family Care Coordinator (318-456-9689). The relocating service member and family may use the Discovery Resource Center in the Barksdale Military & Family Readiness Center for computer access to the many internet resources offered to assist with military relocation. Educational classes and workshops include the Newcomer's Orientation, more commonly identified as Right Start, and the Online Sponsorship Training Program.

It is important for you to contact someone at your gaining unit and let them know where and how you are. The command post and the American Red Cross Emergency Center are available 24/7 and can assist you in getting information to either your gaining or losing units in an emergency. Local chapters of the American Red Cross are available for emergency assistance and phone numbers are usually listed in the white pages of the phone directory.

All inbound active-duty military members are required to in-process through the Welcome Center and attend the Right Start Newcomer's Orientation.  Spouses are encouraged to attend. To schedule your in-processing appointment at the Welcome Center (2nd floor of the MSG building) click the following link: Barksdale AFB Military & Family Readiness Center Barksdale AFB, LA 71110 (appointment-plus.com). You will be signed up for Right Start Newcomer's Orientation during your Welcome Center appointment.  For further details, call 318-456-0894. 

For more information, check out our website at barksdalelife.com!