PCS with Military.com

Whether you’re PCSing across the country or just down the road, you still need to find a place to live. But base housing is often not the right fit or even readily available, and finding a home off base can be really expensive, especially in a tight housing market. Military members and veterans have access to a special home loan benefit through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA home loan. Yet using it can feel too complicated, while how it works is often surrounded in rumor and...

After two decades, a variety of military spouse-focused nonprofits and government programs are still working to find solutions to a long-term problem: military spouse unemployment. With the spouse unemployment rate sitting at about 24%, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Foundation, the turn to remote work during COVID and consistent employer education campaigns from military organizations are starting to help. But military spouses continue to face issues around...

Military members spend an average of $5,000 out of pocket without being reimbursed for each Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, according to data from the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN). And that’s just one of the reasons having a financial plan going into your PCS is a good idea. But even if you didn’t plan ahead for your military move, you can still have a financially confident PCS, says Kia McCallister-Young, an Air Force veteran and former military spouse who now leads the...

You attended the transportation briefings, read the military’s moving instructions website, talked to friends, gleaned advice from Facebook groups, prepared for the movers and said goodbye to your favorite coffee shop. But did you ever stop to think about how understanding your personal psychology can help you create a successful military Permanent Change of Station (PCS)? The Enneagram system helps individuals not just understand how they tend to approach and think about the world, but also...

Military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) stress can feel like one thing after another piling on until you’re just so exhausted, you crack. One way to lower stress ahead of time is to get organized around your move. That can include leaning into organizational tools or even an Excel spreadsheet. For CC Gallagher, an Army spouse and military spouse resource expert, that means leveraging a label system for your pack-out. When she couldn’t find one that fit her needs, she created it herself...

Rules and regulations around military moves are set by two sources: laws passed by Congress, and policies created and directed by the Pentagon. How those are implemented is up to U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the military and civilian officials there who oversee the military move system. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Brig. Gen. Joel Safranek, who oversees the personal property system, and Kristen Johnson Barnat, a TRANSCOM spokesperson, give us the inside view on...

It’s easy to feel nervous about the entire military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) process when every step seems packed with risk that your belongings will be lost, broken or stolen. But have you ever stopped to hear from the people who have an insider view on the moving industry? In this episode of PCS with Military.com, moving industry representative Katie McMichael offers a window into how the industry operates, the best way for military families to work with the people hired to pack...

When it comes to paying for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, pets are left out in the cold. That’s because while the military pays to move your household goods and your human family, they don’t provide any funding or help moving animals. If you want to relocate a dog, cat or anything else, it’s up to you to pay for it and figure out a way to make it happen. That gets complicated and expensive for any overseas move. Not only do you need to get your pet on a plane, but you have to...

They come in, wrap your stuff, stick it in boxes and help get it in the truck while you helplessly watch, hoping that your household goods make it to the other end in one piece – or make it to the other end at all. Working with the individuals or “agents” packing your home can be one of the most stressful parts of any military Permanent Change of Station (PCS). Fortunately, Isabel Garcia Schmitt and Wendy Way want to help. Army veterans and military spouses, Isabel and Wendy started LOGSA...

It’s been a rocky few years for military PCS moves as COVID restrictions and labor and truck-driver shortages continue to bring their unique challenges. So how can military members and their families best prepare for the 2022 moving season, and what should they learn from seasons past? In this episode, Megan Harless, an Army veteran and spouse, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) advocate and expert in military moves, shares her best advice and insider tips for getting through whatever move...

Do you have all the information, tips, tricks and help you need to make your next PCS a success? Join Military.com executive editor and Army spouse Amy Bushatz for Season 2 of PCS with Military.com as we navigate the how-tos of military moves, from home organization help and military money insights to the insider scoop from military move officials on the latest changes you need to know. While you hit the road to your next duty station, we'll answer your questions about PCS hacks and...

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves with kids come with their own layers of challenges, not the least of which is switching schools. For military parents who do not homeschool, each move is met with the task of finding a new school, shifting school records and meeting the teachers and staff. Many parents also face the additional challenge of dealing with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or gifted and special education programs. And for the parents with high schoolers nearing...

Every military family has a stash of curtains purchased for odd window sizes in a previous home. But today’s guest, interior design expert and Army spouse Maria Reed, has built an expertise out of saving families undergoing their latest military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move from bad curtains and misfit furniture. In this episode, Maria shares her best advice for creating a living space that can move with you, no matter the size of your home or shape of your space. See full show...

If only a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move was as simple as letting the movers pack your stuff and then unpacking it on the other end. Instead, you’ve still got a pretty big decision left on your plate: where to live. Deonte Cole, a Marine Corps veteran and real-estate agent, and Derrick Abbott, a loan officer who has spent his career helping families access and use their VA home loans, work together in the Tampa, Florida, area. In this episode of PCS with Military.com,...

One of the challenges with any military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move is that you likely won’t ever see your new home until you actually arrive with your stuff already packed away. The Pentagon doesn’t pay for house-hunting trips or new duty station fact-finding missions. In this episode, Army spouse Kellie Artis shares her best tips and tricks for understanding your future home and dealing with all of the things you need to know about it without actually being there. Artis is the...

Military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves are going to happen whether you’re ready or not. Moving is simply a part of military life. You can make things a little bit easier on yourself by preparing not just your home and family ahead of time, but also your wallet. Clay Stackhouse is a regional outreach manager for Navy Federal Credit Union, which sponsored season one of PCS with Military.com. In this sponsored episode, he shares some financial tips and tricks every military member...

Military spouses know the challenges of a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move don’t end with the packing and unpacking. Relocating a career or a small business adds an entirely new layer of complexity. Fortunately, highly successful military spouses like Marine Corps spouse Lakesha Cole are willing to pass on what they’ve learned to make life a little bit easier for the next person. In this episode, Lakesha skips the how-tos on paperwork and goes straight to the things business...

Theoretically, the U.S. military covers the cost of each Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move. But any service member or military family member will tell you that’s not entirely true. Fortunately, military discounts offered by businesses nationwide can make the financial pinch a little easier. In this episode, Military.com social media manager and military lifestyle blogger Joanna Guldin-Noll shares her best tips and tricks for finding and using military discounts during and around your...

Preparing for and unpacking from a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is an exercise in patience and wherewithal and a test of organizational skills. Many military members and families also use it as an opportunity to see, sort and organize everything they own. After all, who doesn’t love a good PCS purge? But the process also can be incredibly overwhelming. In this episode, Navy spouse and home organizational expert and consultant Christa Curtis, owner of Permanent Change of...

Moving can be really expensive. The Defense Department is supposed to foot the bill for your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, but reimbursement isn’t immediate and there are plenty of financial gotchas to consider as you get ready for and recover from a move. In this episode, Military.com financial columnist Ryan Guina lays out some of the money issues service members and military families should keep in mind as they relocate -- and what the Defense Department does to help. See full...