2.  The applicant requests that he be reimbursed for the movement of his dependents and household goods from Orlando, FL to his new assignment at Fort Huachuca, AZ and that he receive dislocation allowance.  He states that if he had received his permanent change of station (PCS) orders in a timely manner, he would not be in this situation.

3.  While assigned to a unit in Orlando, FL, the applicant reenlisted sometime around August 1996 for station of choice, Fort Huachuca, AZ with a report date of on or about 21 February 1997.

4.  In August 1996, his unit was readying for deployment to Bosnia and he was selected to go with the unit.  

5.  The applicant wanted to settle his family at Fort Huachuca prior to his deployment by way of a Do-It-Yourself (DITY) move.  However, his servicing transportation office could not process the paperwork for a standard DITY move because his PCS orders had not been published.  His transportation office did tell him that, since he was already on assignment, though, it could be processed as an “after the fact” DITY move.  With his commander’s approval, the applicant
moved his family to Arizona in early September 1996.

6.  .Without yet having received his PCS orders, the applicant finally deployed to Bosnia in November 1996.

7.  The Personnel Service Support Team at MacDill Air Force Base, FL published the applicant’s PCS orders on 13 December 1996.  

8.  The applicant returned from Bosnia and on 13 January 1997 submitted the paperwork for a DITY move.  He was not reimbursed for his move.

9.  In the processing of this case, a staff advisory opinion was obtained from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service - Indianapolis (DFAS-IN).  That opinion noted that the Joint Federal Travel Regulation, paragraph U5203-C provides for travel before orders are issued.  A soldier may be reimbursed if he provides a statement from the order issuing official that he was advised before the PCS orders are issued that they would be issued.  The length of time before the PCS orders are issued may not exceed a relatively short period between the time when a determination is made to order the member to make a PCS and the date on which the orders are actually issued.  The opinion noted that the applicant provided no statement from the order-issuing official and that the orders were not issued in a timely manner.

10.  A message from the applicant’s commander noted that during the time he reenlisted and was awaiting PCS orders, he and the unit were in the middle of a deployment to Bosnia.  Unit personnel who should have been involved in processing his orders were tied up in deployment operations.  He also noted that personnel service support provided at MacDill Air Force Base was marginal at best.  The support team was understaffed, plus paperwork had to go through their parent unit at Fort Stewart, GA for processing.  It was quite difficult to get any paperwork done in a timely manner.  

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  The applicant made every reasonable effort to obtain his PCS orders so he could relocate his family prior to his deployment to Bosnia.  When his orders were not forthcoming and upon the transportation office’s recommendation, his unit commander allowed him to move his family prior receipt of his orders.  The unit then made more than reasonable efforts to retain him in Orlando so he could obtain those orders, until they could not justify not deploying him any longer.

2.  The personnel service support team published his PCS orders while he was in Bosnia.  He submitted the paperwork for his DITY move as soon as he redeployed from Bosnia.

3.  In view of the foregoing, it would be in the interest of justice to correct the applicant’s records as recommended below.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.  That all of the Department of the Army records related to this case be corrected by showing:

     a.  that the individual concerned is authorized reimbursement for all reasonable expenses incurred while making his DITY move from Orlando, FL to Fort Huachuca; and

     b.  that the individual concerned is authorized payment for any dislocation allowance authorized during this period.

BOARD VOTE:

                       GRANT AS STATED IN RECOMMENDATION

                       GRANT FORMAL HEARING

                       DENY APPLICATION

                                                                                                                  
						    CHAIRPERSON