There are numerous steps in the Permanent Change of Station (PCS) process. Through various agencies the Army provides guidance and counseling to assist Soldiers and their families in making the best choices.
To further ease the process of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, the Secretary of Defense has directed the Department to:
- Permanently increase standard TLE maximum coverage from 10 to 14 days for CONUS moves and allow up to 60 days of TLE if a Service member is in a specified Military Housing Area with a housing shortage, that went into effect October 2022.
- Increase the Dislocation Allowance (DLA) for E-1 to E-6 Service members, to further help offset personal expenses for PCS moves. DLA payments for all Service members will be paid automatically one month prior to their move date to pre-empt out-of-pocket expenses. This went into effect October 2022.
For more information, please visit: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3167769/dod-announces-immediate-and-long-term-actions-to-help-strengthen-the-economic-s/
Modifications to the Defense Personal Property Program
In a memorandum dated May 20, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) to change how the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) is implemented to better serve military families.
USTRANSCOM was directed to take the following actions during the 2025 PCS season and beyond:
- Implement adjustments to the GHC reimbursement rates of personally procured moves (PPM) from May 15, 2025, through September 30, 2025, to reflect market rates at 130% instead of 100%.
- Hold the GHC and Tender of Service (ToS) programs accountable for meeting their key performance indicators and provide weekly updates to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)) and the Office of the USD for Personnel and Readiness (P&R).
- Fully leverage both the GHC and legacy ToS program to ensure maximum coverage for moves during the 2025 peak season.
- Offramp non-serviced GHC customer shipments into the ToS program based on capacity shortfalls.
- Review and, if appropriate, implement Economic Price Adjustment provisions in the GHC contract.
- Develop and implement ToS rates, as required, to ensure vendor capacity.
For more information on the Memorandum Directing Immediate Modifications to the Personal Property Program, please visit: https://media.defense.gov/2025/May/20/2003719625/-1/-1/1/MEMORANDUM-DIRECTING-IMMEDIATE-MODIFICATIONS-TO-THE-PERSONAL-PROPERTY-PROGRAM.PDF
- Regular Army: Active Duty
- Regular Army: Retired
- Army National Guard: Active Duty Under Title 10 USC or Title 32 USC (Full-Time National Guard Duty)
- Army National Guard: State Active Duty
- Army National Guard: Drilling
- Army National Guard: Retired
- Army Reserve: Active Duty
- Army Reserve: Drilling
- Army Reserve: Retired
The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.
"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."
The families also change while the Soldier is deployed.
"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."
When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.