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.

Contact the Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) for guidance and assistance in making preparations for the move to your next duty assignment. Once you have your orders in hand, contact your new Command and request a Sponsor. This person becomes your partner in your move and he/she can be very helpful by providing additional information and answering questions. The FFSC Staff at your new duty station is also willing to assist you. Communicate your needs and follow-up. Communication is the key to a successful move! Become a fan of Naval Submarine Base (NSB), Kings Bay Facebook page.

Newly arriving Service Members and family members should be aware that the Kings Bay Fleet and Family Support Center’s Relocation Assistance Program is designed to make your transition into our community an easier, more pleasant experience.

Hospitality kits are available for temporary use while your household goods are being moved or stored. We have pots, pans, dishes, cots, highchairs and playpens, as well as other necessities that you may need including irons and ironing boards.

We're glad you're coming, please take advantage of the programs and services designed to make you feel at home.

There's so much to do during a relocation that your time is precious. Military families are no different than other families in that they worry about their family's well-being during the move. Some helpful hints follow to keep your family members intact, both physically and emotionally. 

Relocation Assistance Program (RAP)

Fleet and Family Support Center and area agencies offer services to military families entering or leaving the Kings Bay area.  Active-duty personnel and their family members are encouraged to take advantage of the many services available through the Relocation Assistance Program to include Welcome Aboard Packets, Hospitality Kits, Plan My Move, Smooth Move Workshops, DPS sessions and Sponsor Orientation.   

Lending Locker --Active-duty service members on PCS orders may check out a hospitality kit up to 30 days either after household goods have been shipped or while awaiting their arrival. The kit contains the necessary essentials including dishes, cookware, coffee pot, silverware, serving utensils, etc.

The Career Support and Retention Office at FFSC has tools and informational resources to obtain information concerning a Permanent Change of Station or final move. The resource center provides the following tools and equipment: computers with printer capabilities and internet access, long-distance telephone access, and fax capabilities.

Family relocation checklist:

• Talk it out - Sit down as a family and discuss your feelings about the move. Allow and encourage everyone to express their honest feelings, good and bad.
• Give yourself a break - Each family member will handle stress differently. Don't ignore signals of stress, but don't dwell on them either. Just be aware, be patient and be willing to look for help if it is needed.
• Say your goodbyes - It is important to deal with goodbyes and express feelings of sadness so you can move on emotionally as well as physically.
• Keep familiar patterns - As much as possible, try to stick to the old routine such as mealtimes and bedtimes. Familiarity provides security.
• Explore the new environment - Get up, get out and get involved. The best medicine for loneliness is people and the best way to overcome the feeling of being uprooted is to put down roots in the new location.
• Accentuate the positive - Make a list of things you're looking forward to about the new location, and a list of good memories from the old. Take time to have some fun. Laughter can heal a lot of hurt.
• Keep an eye on the kids - Since moving can be traumatic for kids, staying in touch with teachers is very important. Help your kids to find ways to meet new friends but don't push. Even though most kids do adjust, it's essential for parents to watch for possible danger signs such as a child spending too much time alone, loss of interest in favorite things, loss of energy or appetite or other behavior pattern changes.
• Everybody plans - Let children be involved in the planning process for the new home so they feel less helpless about the move.
• Take charge of your move - Being fully prepared for a move is the best way to reduce relocation stress. As soon as you have orders, get a notebook (your moving book) and start planning. Assess your financial situation, determine what you'll need, make inventories, establish a guideline, get information on the new location and set aside some time to deal with your feelings.
• Be optimistic but stay flexible - Things rarely turn out just the way we imagine them in our worst or our best expectations. An open mind and a determination to make a positive experience is the best insurance that you'll adjust well wherever you go. Change can mean opportunity if you reach out and take hold of it.
• Don't go it alone - Moving isn't easy and though you'll probably manage it well, there may be a time when you'll need some special support and assistance. You can find that support through your Relocation Manager, your Minister or Rabbie, your neighbors or friends and family and social services in your community. The Relocation Program provides information and referral assistance to subbase and community services, Smooth Move Workshop, Welcome Aboard packages, hospitality kits, resource library and a computerized roadmap and itinerary for traveling by privately owned vehicle to your new duty station or other points of interest.

You will need to contact your personal property office to arrange for shipment of your household goods, contact your Command personnel and pay advisor to get information on your pay entitlements and contact your housing office if you presently live in base housing. Make an inventory of your possessions and valuables. Organize your personal records, such as birth certificates, insurance papers, school records, etc. Take care of necessary medical and dental appointments. If the Service Member is going on temporary duty travel in advance of their PCS, have a power of attorney prepared for your spouse. Take care of auto maintenance and repairs if traveling by automobile. Have your pets checked by the vet and be sure all vaccinations/inoculations are updated and take a copy of these records. Notify the schools to arrange to pick up school records.

For more information on planning your move, contact the Relocation Assistance Program at your installation. Regarding separation, as soon as you receive your paperwork for separation or retirement you need to contact your Command Career Counselor.