Joint Base San Antonio (Lackland, Randolph, Sam Houston)  Moving

As soon as you receive your permanent change of station orders, it’s important to coordinate your move immediately by following the 7 Steps to Make Your Household Goods Move a Smart Move.

In addition to planning your move, you can start getting your house and family ready. Clean up and get rid of junk. Hold a yard sale or donate serviceable items you no longer need. Gather important family records. Remember, in overseas areas, houses are generally much smaller than those in the United States and the electric current may be different.

If you are moving overseas, begin to plan what items will go in unaccompanied baggage, in your household goods shipment and in long-term, Non-Temporary Storage, or NTS, storage – check with your sponsor or overseas housing office to assist in determining what items to ship.

You’ll also want to log onto the Defense Personal Property System, the online system you use to request and manage your household goods shipment(s). For how-to guides to assist with your application, go to Move.mil.

Moving with your pet includes researching airline requirements and quarantine restriction laws in your new location. Many airlines have requirements for size, weight, breed, number of animals, kennel construction, documentation and seasonal limitations. Small pets may be shipped on military flights, but availability and regulations frequently change. Contact your local Personal Property Office to request specific country instructions. Military OneSource can make your move easier with helpful tips, resources and hands-on information related to moving with pets and more. For additional information see Pet Information under the Moving Guide tab on Move.mil.

The Defense Personal Property System is the online system you can use to request and manage your household goods shipment(s). For how-to guides to assist with your application, go to Move.mil.

For comprehensive information on military moves, check out the Moving Guide section at Move.mil. The Moving with the Military Overview provides information about household goods shipping and storage, automobiles, and pets. Information on moving allowances and special items can be found under Entitlements/Guidelines. There are also links for retiring and separating members, specific service branch information and more.

You may also want to check out the Tools and Resources section for other valuable information on privately owned vehicles, weight estimators and locators, household goods insurance and ideas for helping children cope with the moving process.

Claims are processed at Bldg. 133 on Dragon Valley Rd, behind Bldg. 134 on Stanley Rd. They operate on a walk-in basis during 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Notify the Transportation Management Office of all your loss or damage. This must be accomplished in less than 70 days and must be done even if you recorded the discrepancies at delivery on the DD 1840. This notification allows the Transportation Management Office to formally put the carrier on notice of the loss and damage and to trace for missing items. This is accomplished by the Transportation Management Office forwarding a DD 1840 to the carrier.

What to take to the Claims Office:

Take all the paperwork associated with your move. This should include:

• Copy of DD 1299 (Application for Shipment of Household Goods)
• Copy of Orders (or other document issued in lieu of orders that authorized you to ship your property)
• Copy of Household goods Descriptive Inventory made by the movers who packed and loaded your property
• Copy of General or Specific Power of Attorney granting you authority to file the claim if you are not the service member to whom the orders were issued

For additional information contact the Claims Office at 210-221-2161.