Following these tips will help you transition into your moving day with less stress and a lot more confidence. Do you have any additional tips, stories or advice you’d like to share? We’d love to hear them in the comments section below!

Your Final Delivery and Tips to Know After Your Move

When the movers deliver your goods:

• Inventory and inspect all items delivered: Check off the inventory list as they bring items in. Do NOT sign the final inventory until everything has been accounted for. Inspect for damage of each item and note it immediately on the “Joint Statement of Loss or Damage at Delivery” form, then in exact detail on the back of the form titled “Notice of Loss or Damage” (AKA DD-Form 1840). Please note: You have up to 70 days to inspect and note all loss and damage. The completed DD-Form 1840 MUST be delivered to your local claims office no later than 70 days from the date of delivery. Keep copies of EVERYTHING and take pictures of all damaged items. Keep the damaged items on hand until the claims process is finalized, as the moving company has a right to recover those broken items once they are paid out.
• Make them unpack everything and put it back together and in their place: If the movers took it apart, then they should put it back together for you. If you know you want the TV cabinet against the wall by the bay window and not by the fireplace, don’t let them leave it in the middle of the room or next to the fireplace. Make them put it where it is supposed to go.

Bonus Tips for a Final PCS Move: (If you don’t know to ask for it, you won’t get it!)

• You have up to one year to use your final PCS move benefit, which may be extended if needed: If you need an extension for your move due to situations like recovering from surgery or for a much-needed and prolonged recovery time from combat injuries, you can request an extension once a year to extend the final move benefit. Contact your local transportation office to ask how to submit your written request for an extension.
• You may be authorized for additional weight at no additional cost: According to Section 1: Chapter 5, paragraph B-1 (U5310) of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations, you may submit a waiver request before your move to authorize additional weight. Effective on or after October 1, 2007, a higher weight allowance may be authorized on a case-by-case basis, not to exceed 18,000 pounds for a member below the pay grade of O-6. It states: “The Secretary Concerned or the Secretarial Process decision maker must issue a determination that failure to increase the member’s weight allowance would create a significant hardship to the member or member’s dependents.”

The most important thing take with you: your sense of humor.

Speaking as an Army wife, this needs to be a permanent package that goes with you everywhere. As Murphy’s Law dictates:  Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. The fact is, something is going to go wrong! Try to take it in stride and just smile and move on. Getting angry and upset will only make the move harder and add stress to your life and to the people around you. Try to laugh and make the best of it, find the lighter side of the situation, remember that this is only temporary …so don’t forget to laugh! Keeping a great sense of humor will make for great stories later down the road, opening your stories at dinner parties with, “This one time, in the Army….”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and found tips to make your next PCS move easier. If you have any additional advice, suggestions, or even your own PCS move war stories, we’d love to hear them in the comments section below!

Previous articles in this series

This is Part 4 in a four-part series covering nearly every aspect of a military PCS move. You can read the entire series by clicking the following links:

Part 1:  Introduction and PCS Timeline – What to expect before your move and things to take care of before your moving day

Part 2:  Moving Day Tips – Ways to save time, energy and your sanity on your moving day

Part 3:  Children and Relocation – Making a PCS Move Easier for Children

About the Author:
Torrey Shannon is a Blue Star Mom and wife of a severely injured veteran. After her husband’s injury in 2004 due to a gunshot wound to the head, the Shannon family spent three years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. After dealing with the invisible wounds of war on a daily basis for the last 8 years, Torrey continues to share her experiences and help others who are going through the same hardships.  She is a freelance writer for a variety of publications and has been seen in multiple media outlets featuring her advocacy work. You can learn more about Torrey by visiting her blog at TorreyShannon.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest.