Military PCS Question...?

Question

I currently reside in Hawaii, and we're PCSing back to the mainland. Because my husband and I haven't been married for over a year we're already having to pay for my ticket, my children's plane tickets and such to our new duty station. We're not entitled to any TLA to help off set the cost of the hotel once we move out of our rental, because of our duration of marriage, while we're still here in Hawaii. My question is, when we arrive in the mainland at our new duty station, will the Army then pick up the tab for all of us, or just continue to only pay for my husband? It frustrates me because they said I had to be a native islander in order for the Army to pay for my children and myself, even though I've lived here for 2 + years.

When we got married his command didn't allow sponsorship because of how close a time it was to his PCS date. We've only been married just over a month.

We had the orders amended to add myself and the children right after we got married. He came home from Iraq with PCS orders in October, we married November, and now we're moving in less than 2 weeks

Question remaining, once we're CONUS, will we finally be able to receive TLA and such for with dependents?

Answer 1

You will get no benefits from the Move from Hawaii because you were not command sponsored. That is why you have to pay for the tickets yourself. I have seen this many times while we were stationed in Germany, some soldier getting married about 2-3 months before he PCS'd back to the States. They had to pay for everything to be sent back to the states over his allowable weight limit. Well the army paid for his stuff to be moved and then they paid for the rest of the household goods to be sent. They even had to pay for her car to be sent back stateside.

Once you are at your new duty station, you will then start to get the benefits you deserve. Such as housing (BAH, and such). And all the other goodies that follow. However, you should of been able to get on DEERS and medical as soon as you were married provided you gave the documents that were asked for and turned in. I have seen a few times that soldiers had to extend their time overseas (OCONUS) so that their family could get command sponsored and be able to move back with him and have the army pay for it.

Sorry this is probably what you don't want to hear but this is how the government works sometimes. Even though you are married you are still considered Non Command Sponsored: Non-Command Sponsored (NCS): NCS family members do not have the same entitlements as command sponsored (CS) family members. Individuals must closely review their status and what they are entitled to prior to a permanent change of station.

However, if your husband talks to the commander, he should be able to get you on Space A though and travel that way.


Good luck once you get stateside though and remember once you do, you should get all benefits.

Welcome to the Military Life

EDIT: I found this maybe you can have hubby look into it:
Your sponsor needs to read AR 55-46. Paragraph 1-14b states that "Major overseas commanders may approve space available travel for family members acquired in an overseas area during the course of a soldier’s tour of duty there (if not otherwise entitled to transportation at Government expense), provided command regulations
pertaining to their acquisition were complied with."

Now, paragraph 1-14a(3) states: "If family members enter the area without prior approval and reside in the vicinity of a soldier’s duty station, the appropriate commander may, upon the soldier’s request and after a reasonable period of time, recognize them as “ command sponsored” family members. The commander will also require the soldier to complete the “ accompanied” tour or have at least 12 months remaining on the tour after their arrival, whichever is longer. Soldiers must have sufficient remaining service to complete the prescribed tour. It is the commander’s prerogative to determine the “ reasonable period of time.” Subsequent departure of family members will not be cause for a soldier to revert to the unaccompanied tour status."

What this says is that if the sponsor has completed the prescribed period of time for an accompanied tour, the overseas commander may recognize the dependent as "command sponsored" and authorize space required travel back to the US.

Answer 2

OK hubby needs to speak to his command, personnel , JAG, and whoever else will listen -- S1 should be able to straighten this out! He needs to be willing to go up the chain on this one and request to see the regs in writing.

If you are a US citizen & were IN Hawaii when you met and married then you don't require command sponsorship for him to bring you there or hence back to the States. If you are married and on his orders (he's done the paperwork to show you are all now his dependants - DEERS, marriage license, ID cards, etc) then you are authorized "normal" Army moving allowances, etc. If you are not on the orders you need to be ASAP! You may have to fight your way up the chain on this one but some body's giving you the Wrong Info!! Sounds like they just don't want to do the paperwork. Generally command sponsorship only applys if you are going somewhere where it's optional - say Korea or he only wants to do a 1 to 2 year tour in Europe and then changes his mind and wants to bring you over, otherwise once you are married you are on the orders. The only exception would be if there's no housing where you're headed next, he's deploying,things like that and even then you would just be defered.

Hawaii is considered an overseas pcs (Class 2 they crate your stuff etc) but it is not overseas in the sense of being a foreign country -- there are no limits to my knowledge on how long you must be married you are married period. Again as long as hubby has done all the paperwork then you should be good to go. Unless you require a green card, visa or something like that.

Hang in there!

Answer 3

That is bull, your husband needs to get an order modification to include you on his orders. I went through the same thing going to Hawaii about 6 years ago. The military paid for my wife's ticket and TLA. Tell your husband to talk to someone in disbursing. Good luck.

Answer 4

obviously your husband never filed for command sponsorship or the army would pick up the tab for anyone he has enrolled in DEERS AND has obtained CS for. duration of your marriage should have absolutely nothing to do with it....when you are overseas (and for the purpose of PCS etc Hawaii is overseas) when you get married, give birth, adopt etc. you have to not only enroll them in DEERS, tricare, and obtain IDs but you have to go to a seperate office and get command sponsorship.it is not automatic. since you dont have CS that means that you also have not been obtaining extra COLA for yourself and the children which means you have cheated yourself out of alot of money. i found an article that may explain why the confusion however about the 12 months rule.



COMMAND SPONSORSHIP
Section III, AR 55-46 (Travel Overseas), and paragraph 1-14, AR 55-46, outline the policy on
command sponsorship of dependents who enter the command without prior approval or who are
acquired after the soldier is assigned overseas.
A request for command sponsorship will be submitted to sponsor family members who are
already in the command. To qualify, a soldier must have sufficient time in service remaining to
complete the "With Dependents" tour (36 months for Oahu, Hawaii), and must have a minimum
of 12 months service remaining on that tour after approval of command sponsorship. The
effective date of command sponsorship is the date the request is received and approved by the
DHR, not the date family members arrived in the command, or date legal custody is granted,
etc. If soldier is within 12 months of DEROS, or is on assignment instructions, he/she must
apply for an FSTE to meet the overseas service criteria for command
The following documents will be submitted for processing a request for command
sponsorship: DA Form4187 (hard copy {with the following information included in Section IV:
(l) Name, Relationship, Date of Marriage (Spouse)/Date of Birth (children only), (2) Date of
arrival in Hawaii; Current ETC date, and Current DEROS, (3) Date family member(s) arrived in
the command, and (4) Statement of understanding to complete the normal "with dependents"
tour (36 months for Oahu, Hawaii) or 12 months after approval of command sponsorship,
whichever is longer,}) and a DA Form 5888R Family Member Deployment Screening Sheet
with instructions for completing the 5888R.

basically this states in order to obtain command sponsorship for new family members (either a new marriage or family just entering from CONUS) you must have 12 months of your tour remaining. (this doesnt apply to adding a newborn) so in essence your husband either never applied OR he did apply but was denied because he didnt have a full 12 months left and either was not able to or refused to extend his tour. also if he was single he may have only done a 2 year tour and the minimum amount of time if you get CS is 3 years. most likely at your new duty station because it is CONUS so doesnt require CS everything will be paid for at the dependent rate once your in processed...as far as temp lodging etc you may be on your own though because you arent listed on his orders into the base.

Answer 5

Sounds like someone didn't put in for command sponsorship. The Army should pay for all of your husband's dependents. If they are not, you need to make some noise.

Answer 6

Huh? if your spouse has Accompanied PCS orders, than your tickets, the kids tickets and the move will be paid for. the tickets should NOT be out of pocket,they will provide them, and since this is an OCONUS move.. so will the HHG shipment.

If his current orders do not list him as being married, then he needs to get them amended NOW. becuase they can and will deny reimbursement after the fact.

Answer 7

Even if you're married for only a week the military has to pay to move you. You're husband just has to add your name and your children's names to the copy of his orders.

Answer 8

If your not command sponsored u have to pay I was in Hawaii but my wife was command sponsored. He needs to talk to his chain of command to see if they can rush and get u and ur kids sponsored.

Answer 9

Your husband shouldve put in for command sponsership now you might be SOL =[

Answer 10

Something sounds really hinky.....