Chances are, with frequent moves around the world, most military and government civilian Families will need to deal with a military claims office at some point.
Understanding how the claims process works before moving can make it as quick and painless as possible, according to Gregory Hand, attorney advisor and claims chief at the Fort Belvoir Claims Office, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.
Most claims are filed online, through the Defense Personal Property System, or DPS, at www.move.mil. The system allows members to deal directly with the Transportation System Provider, or moving company, Hand said.
When government civilian or military Families (or "members") arrive at their new duty station, they should first report any damage or loss they see when they're unpacking items on the mover's delivery sheet, Hand said.
Then, they should complete a loss and damage report online through DPS within 75 days of move-in. They just need to log in, click on "claims" and then click on "Step 1: Complete a loss and damage report." This report just notifies the TSP of lost or damaged items, Hand said.
After filing a notice, members can fill out "Step 2: Complete and submit the claim report" which is a more detailed report of the damaged or missing items. A claim must be filed within nine months for the member to be eligible for the full replacement value of the damaged or lost items; members can file a claim for a depreciated replacement value up to two years after delivery.
"They go in and actually present information regarding the purchase date of the item, the purchase price, or whether they think it's reparable or not," Hand said.
Don't forget to click "submit" at the bottom of the page, he added.
Members can also upload documents and photos supporting their claim, according to Will Foster, lead claims examiner at the Fort Belvoir Claims Office.
Families who take a detailed inventory of their household goods before they move are in the best position to receive compensation for lost or damaged goods, he said.
After a claim is filed, the TSP is required to contact the member to schedule a time for a qualified repair technician to inspect any damaged items, to determine whether or not they can be fixed.
"If there are items that are repairable, the TSP is responsible for arranging a repair technician to come out there, look at their damaged items to get an estimate of repair or to determine whether it's not economically repairable," Hand said. "Then, the TSP will consider the claim and generally make an offer, based on their assessment."
It takes around three months or more for Families to receive reimbursement for damaged or lost items, Foster said.
"The guideline says the TSP has 60 days from the date of the receipt (of the claim) to make an offer," he said. "After they make an offer and the member accepts, they have another 30 days to make the payment, so that could be three months at a minimum."
Whenever there is a disagreement over a claim, members should call the claims office, Hand said.
"We're trying to make sure that the TSP is operating by the rules and that the member is also," he said. "When there is a disagreement, we encourage people before rejecting or making a decision that they may not be happy with, to come and see us, and we can advise them."
For more information, visit the Fort Belvoir Claims Office webpage at https://www.belvoir.army.mil/sja/newsite/claimMain.asp, or call (703) 805-4380/4395. The Claims Office is located at Building 257 (Hill Hall, or the OSJA building) on 23rd Street on Fort Belvoir.
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