The Navy announced Friday in NAVADMIN 159/17 that beginning July 5, most Sailors will receive a Letter of Intent (LOI) that will help them coordinate a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) household good shipment much earlier, as well as complete other necessary screenings.

These mitigation efforts and innovative process changes will now allow most Sailors to complete operational (sea duty) screenings, update security clearances, take permissive Temporary Duty (TDY) to find a residence, and begin the entitlement counseling and application processes for the movement of Household Goods (HHG) before receiving funded orders.

"We understand the impact that compressed PCS lead times have had on Sailors and their families preparing to move," said Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke. "That is why we have been working hard to develop and implement solutions within our control that minimize the impact to our Sailors. Our focus and priority remains on manning the Fleet, and taking care of Sailors and their families."

Previously, only Sailors receiving orders to an overseas duty location were issued LOIs to start the process of completing overseas and medical screenings, dependent entry approval, passport applications and security clearance requests. Now, most Sailors will receive an LOI.

"While we are working hard to ultimately provide Sailors six months of orders lead time, these are tangible changes that will help Sailors prepare for their upcoming move several months in advance," said Burke. "We believe these changes will enable greater flexibility and help alleviate some of the challenges of the already stressful situation associated with a PCS move."

Upon receipt of an LOI, Sailors should access the Defense Personal Property System (DPS), accessible through http://www.move.mil. If not in receipt of funded PCS orders, "NAVYLOI" should be entered as the PCS order number to begin the process of shipping their HHG. When funding is received and PCS orders are issued, NPC will provide the HHG offices with a copy of the Sailor's PCS orders for upload into DPS and send the moving request to industry. Additionally, Personnel Support Detachments can make reservations for travel with the LOI.

However, because an LOI does not contain a line of accounting, it cannot be used to issue tickets, receive advanced military and/or travel pay, ship HHGs and Privately Owned Vehicles (POV) or place them in storage, or used to reimburse for a personally procured move.

While most Sailors will receive an LOI for their PCS orders, the following types of orders are not eligible to receive one: Temporary Limited Duty (TLD), Home Port Changes, Pre Commission units, Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center (ECRC), Afghanistan-Pakistan (AFPAK) Hands, pregnancies, accessions, retirements and separations. These types of orders have defined release timelines well in advance, making an LOI unnecessary.


Service members are encouraged to visit https://www.navsup.navy.mil/household/ for the schedule of Household Goods Entitlement Webinars and other valuable information. This website or the local Personal Property Office will provide families with detailed instructions on completing the online household goods move application. Commands are requested to proactively encourage members to begin the HHG move application process as early as possible.

Commander Navy Installations Command (CNIC) provides the following reminders to facilitate other aspects of PCS move planning:

Those Sailors applying for Navy family housing can be placed on the housing waitlist according to the date of detachment from the Sailor's prior permanent duty station based on their PCS orders, provided that a housing application is submitted within 30 days of the reporting date. Advance applications will be accepted. However, placement on the list will not occur until the Sailor reports to the gaining Command. This ensures Navy family housing waitlists are independent of orders receipt date.

Housing also provides a tool that allows Sailors and their families to engage with Housing Service Center staff at one or more Navy installations worldwide earlier in the PCS process. The Housing Early Assistance Tool (HEAT) can be accessed at http://www.cnic.navy.mil/HEAT, even before PCS orders are issued. No CAC is required to access the website.

Additionally, MilitaryChildCare.com provides a single online gateway for families to access military-operated or military-subsidized child care options worldwide across all Services. Due to the standardized request process and waitlist management tools, the DoD site offers a more streamlined approach for finding and requesting care and providing Anticipated Placement Time (APT) estimates. This allows families to submit requests for care at programs with an APT that most closely fulfills their needs. Since APT estimates may change, families are advised to review all their options on a regular basis and submit requests for all DoD child care operations that may meet their requirements.

For more information on PCS orders lead times and LOI issuance, read NAVADMIN 159/17.

Sailors can also contact the Navy Personnel Customer Service Center at: (866) U-Ask-NPC (827-5672), or via email at: UASKNPC@NAVY.MIL.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit http://www.navy.mil/.