When you arrive here in Washington, DC area, it is imperative that you reach us to have your contact information entered into our system. If you provide contact numbers, we will call you anywhere in CONUS to advise you that your shipment has arrived. If you have a residence at destination and want a direct delivery, this office must be able to contact you and make delivery arrangements with the carrier no later than 2 hours from the time the carrier offers the shipment for delivery (one hour if the origin is less than 200 miles). We cannot send a driver to your residence without confirmation that someone is home. If we cannot reach you within the 2 hour time limit, your household goods may be put into temporary storage, requiring extra and unnecessary handling of your personal property.
If you cannot take direct delivery, you can schedule your delivery for a later date or place the shipment in temporary storage for 90 days. From June through August, deliveries from storage can take from five to fifteen days after notice to the carrier. During this period agent crews and equipment availability are stretched to the maximum. Weekend deliveries are sometimes available depending on the agents schedule and their capability.
The preferred contact method is to fill out the Member Information Form and click on the "SUBMIT" button to send us the information - alternatively, you can telephone us, but this is a less preferred method since our telephone system is overburdened during our peak season.
Unfortunately, some personal property shipments may not arrive by the Required Delivery Date (RDD), shown at block 8 on the Bill of Lading. The Transportation Service Provider, identified in block 1 on the Bill of Lading, will trace shipments upon customer or government request. They will provide a response within 24 hours on domestic shipments and international shipments. For tracer actions requested on a weekend or holiday, the 24 hours will begin the next business day. Tracing requests must contain the Bill of Lading number also located in on your Bill of Lading form. You may elect to either trace your shipment directly with the Transportation Service Provider or through your transportation office.
Transportation Service Provider Tracing
It is essential that you trace the shipment with the Transportation Service Provider shown in block 1 of your Bill of Lading. If you are unable to locate the name, then use the Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) located in block 2 in the Bill of Lading to identify your Transportation Service Provider.
Transportation Service Provider Phone Numbers
Look up Transportation Provider using SCAC
Transportation Offices Tracing Contact your appropriate Transportation Office to request tracer action on your shipment:
Inconvenience Claim
If you have been inconvenienced during a move because the carrier failed to pickup or deliver your shipment on the agreed date, customers may be entitled to file an inconvenience claim.
You must document your claim fully with an itemized list of charges and accompanying receipts. Out-of-pocket expenses claimed must be reasonable and relate directly to relieving a definite hardship being suffered by the member/employee or the member’s /employee’s dependents. The carrier is not liable for these costs if the delay was caused by acts of God, acts of the public enemy, acts of the government, acts of the public authority, violent strikes, mob interference, or delays caused by the government in which carrier negligence did not contribute to the delay.
The carrier will acknowledge receipt of an inconvenience claim within 15 calendar days from the date of receipt. The carrier will reimburse the member/employee within 30 days from receipt for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses limited to the following items and other items needed by a member/employee while awaiting the delivery of his or her shipment.
Expenses: Out-of-pocket expenses are all expenses incurred by a member/employee and their family members because they are not able to use the items in the shipment or to establish his or her household. Expenses include but are not limited to, lodging, meals, laundry service, furniture and/or appliance rental, to include rental of a television or other similar expenses such as towels (two per person), pots, pans, paper plates, plastic knives, plastic spoons, plastic forks, paper and/or plastic cups, and napkins. A request for reimbursement of alcoholic beverages in any quantity is prohibited. If the carrier purchases tangible household items such as towels, pots and pans, the carrier may make arrangements to reclaim those items upon delivery of the member’s/employee’s shipment.
The maximum liability for lodging will not exceed the per diem lodging rate, based on the number of people in the member’s/employee’s family, e.g., the member/employee and spouse would be expected to share one room in a hotel; additional family members, depending on age and sex, may require additional rooms. Carrier’s maximum liability for meals and incidental expenses will not exceed the Meals and Incidental Expenses rate for the member/employee and each family member.
In the event of a disputed claim, the carrier may appeal the case to the destination Transportation Office no later than the 35th day. The Transportation Office will make every effort to resolve the dispute by the 45th day.
Direct delivery minimizes potential loss and damage to your household goods because it eliminates the need to handle your shipment two additional times; one to unload in temporary storage and another to re-load it back on the truck for delivery to your home. If you want a direct delivery, we must be able to contact you and make delivery arrangments with the carrier no later than 2 hours from the time the carrier offers the shipment for delivery (one hour if the origin is less than 200 miles). We cannot send a driver to your residence without confirmation that someone is home. Give the Inbound Division a call to ensure we have current and correct contact information in our system and your preference for a direct delivery.
Partial Delivery (Military only)
You are authorized one partial release from temporary storage at government expense. Additional partial release requests for the same shipment will be at the member's expense. To request a partial release, it is important for us to receive the delivery request form as well as a copy of the inventory sheets with the requested items circled. Please send us a copy of each document via fax to (703) 806-0144.
Full Delivery
To schedule the delivery of your personal property we will need your delivery address and a date (weekday, non-holiday). Deliveries are accomplished Monday through Friday, between the hours of 0800 to 1700, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and US holidays. Specific delivery times cannot be scheduled. Property owners or their designated agent must be at the residence during those hours on the day of the delivery. Members should not schedule a delivery on the closing date of residence. To schedule a delivery, use one of the following methods;
2) Contact one of our Inbound transportation agents during duty hours at 1-800-762-7186, Commercial (703) 806-4900 , or DSN 656-4900 between 0800 - 16:30.
If you will not be available for the delivery of your property, you can designate an agent to act on your behalf. This individual can be your spouse, family member (over 18), a friend, co-worker, etc… If you have an emergency on the delivery day, you can designate an agent by leaving written authorization, naming the agent. The agent gives this authorization to the carrier. You may designate agents by using a Power of Attorney or Informal Letter of Authority. Also, if you leave your residence and leave the movers alone, they will stop working and you may be charged waiting time.
Unloading at destination includes the one-time laying of rugs and the one-time placement of furniture and like items in the room of the dwelling or a room designated by the customer. All articles disassembled by the Transportation Service Provider or originating from nontemporary storage will be reassembled. On a one-time basis, all barrels, boxes, cartons, and/or crates will be unpacked and the contents will be placed in a room designated by the member/employee. This includes the placement of articles in cabinets, cupboards, or on shelving in the kitchen when convenient and consistent with safety of the article(s) and proximity of the area desired by the customer, but does not include arranging the articles in a manner desired by the customer. The unpacking service and removal of debris will be performed to the customer’s satisfaction at the time the goods are delivered to the residence unless specifically waived in writing by the customer or customer’s agent. The Transportation Service Provider, agent, or contractor shall have all tools for reassembling on hand. If unpacking is waived, Transportation Service Provider is not required to pickup empty boxes at a later date.
The customer or the customer’s designated agent must be at the residence when the carrier arrives.
Your Responsibilities at Delivery
1) You, or your designated representative must be at home on the day of delivery. Memorandum of designated represntative must be submitted to the Inbound Division NLT one day prior to delivery.
2) Know in advance where you want each piece of furniture placed. The mover is required to place each piece only one time.
3) Check each carton or item off the inventory. Make sure everything that was picked up is delivered.
4) List any damage or missing items with appropriate inventory numbers on the DD Form 1840, "Joint Statement of Loss or Damage at Delivery," to avoid problems. Make sure you look over your property and list any missing inventory line items or noticeable damage at this time.
5) Refuse to sign for services not performed (see Mover's Responsibilities at Destination).
6) Call the Quality Assurance Office at (703) 806-0974 if problems arise while the movers are at your delivery address. Do not argue with the mover.
Mover’s Responsibilities at Delivery
You can expect the mover to begin delivery of your shipment between the hours of 0800 and 1700, and complete delivery services by 2100 hours. Your mover will:
1) Unpack and unwrap all cartons, boxes and crates.
2) Place each item or carton in the room you indicate. This includes placement of unpacked articles in cabinets, cupboards or on kitchen shelves when convenient and consistent with the safety of the articles and in the order that it is unwrapped or unpacked. Have placement of furniture and carton planned out prior to the arrival of your mover.
3) Assemble all furniture and equipment disassembled by the movers at origin. NOTE: The carrier may not be able to reassemble some items due to damaged parts, missing hardware or complexity of the item to be reassembled. In the event items are damaged or have hardware missing, you must first complete the claims process for damaged or missing pieces. Once the claims process has been completed, contact JPPSOWA and we will schedule the carrier to return and complete the reassembly of the items. In the event items can not be reassembled due to complexity, the carrier must contact the JPPSOWA and receive approval to schedule a third pary company who may be familiar with the type of article to be reassembled. Be advised that this process may take 3 - 5 days to accomplish.
4) Remove packing and blocking from appliances. (The mover is not required to connect appliances to electric, gas or water outlets.)
5) Remove all packing material resulting from the unpacking.
6) If you decide to do some, or all, of your unpacking, the mover is not required to return to pick up any packing debris.
7) Jointly with you, make a written record of any loss or damage on the DD Form 1840, "Joint Statement of Loss or Damage at Delivery," sign the document and obtain your signature. The mover must leave three copies of the DD Form 1840 with you.
If authorized, temporary storage may be used in lieu of delivery. Members may be entitled to 90 days’ temporary storage for any authorized HHG transportation. If HHG aren’t removed from storage before expiration of the first 90-day period, storage charges accruing thereafter are the member's responsibility unless additional storage is authorized and approved.
Certain circumstances may warrant an extension of this temporary storage entitlement. You must apply for an extension by completing a DD Form 1857 if you need to keep your personal property in temporary storage beyond 90 days. A statement from the member, containing all of the facts, must accompany requests for authorization/approval of such additional storage. Please note, if you're a civilian employee you'll also need to attach an amended copy of your orders with the authorization to extend storage. Extension requests must be received prior to the current expiration date. Some valid examples of temporary storage extensions are:
Serious illness of the member
Serious illness or death of a dependent
Impending assignment to Government quarters
Directed TDY after arrival at permanent duty station
Non-availability of suitable civilian housing
Awaiting completion of residence under construction, and
NOTE - If you do not follow these new loss and damage claim procedures, you may not be able to recover the cost of any loss or damage.
At the time of delivery of your household goods/unaccompanied baggage, your mover will give you five copies of a two-sided form -- DD Form 1840. If they do not have these forms for you, immediately notify the Quality Assurance Office of the Joint Personal Property Shipping Office at (703) 806-0974.
On your inventory, carefully check off each piece or carton received by inventory number as it is unloaded from the mover's vehicle. Examine any damage carefully and detail the exact damage on the 1840. List all missing items by inventory item number and description. All damage and/or loss you notice at delivery should be identified on the DD Form 1840 by inventory number, name or item description, and type of damage (or loss).
Be sure the mover signs and dates all copies legibly. Be sure they leave you three of the five copies of the completed form which you and the mover have signed. As soon as possible, but not later than 70 days after delivery, you must examine every item in your shipment and record any additional damage or loss which was not noted or listed at delivery on the DD Form 1840R (reverse side of the DD Form 1840) by inventory number, name of item, and the type/extent of damage or loss. You must deliver those three copies of the completed form to your claims office Claims Office Page within 70 days of your household goods/unaccompanied baggage delivery. The claims office will retain two copies. The third copy will be stamped with the date received and returned to you for your use when you submit your claim.
PERSONNEL PROPERTY CLAIM
This instruction sheet covers the time limitations and basic procedures for filing a household goods or baggage claim.
1. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS: The government under the provisions of AR 27-20 may pay no claim unless it is presented in within with TWO YEARS (2) from the date the shipment was received, or you are notified in writing that the entire shipment is lost. THIS TIME LIMIT CANNOT BE WAIVED.
2. NOTIFICATION TO THE CARRIER: All loss and/or damage must be reported on the DD Form 1840(R) and the form turned into the Claims Office within 70 DAYS from the date of delivery of the shipment. If you turn in the DD Form 1840(R) to the Claims Office and later find further damage or missing items, it is your responsibility to return to the Claims Office within the remainder of the 70 day time period specifying the items later discovered, and a supplemental DD Form 1840(R) will be dispatched by the Claims Office.
3. DISPOSAL OF PROPERTY AND CARRIER INSPECTION RIGHTS: DO NOT dispose of any items, which may be part of your claim without the approval of the Claims Office. The carrier has a right to inspect all property up to 45 days from the last dispatch date of the DD Form 1840(R).
4. SALVAGE RIGHTS: If it is necessary for the government to replace a damaged item on any shipment except DPM, local moves, and local storage, the carrier has salvage rights to the property. The property should be set-aside for at least 90 days after payment of your claim to give the carrier the opportunity to obtain the property. On DPM, local moves, and local storage, the government has salvage rights, and the items will be turned in before payment of your claim.
5. ESTIMATES OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AND ESTIMATE FEES:
Estimate of repair: An estimate is required for any externally damaged item, if the repair cost will exceed $50.00. On internally damaged items (such as VCRs, TVs, stereos, etc.), an estimate is required regardless of the cost.
Estimate on replacement cost: An estimate is required for any item that damaged beyond repair, if the replacement cost will exceed $100.00. When you ask to replace an item damaged beyond repair or missing and the replacement cost of that item exceeds $100.00, you will need to provide substantiation of the amount claimed. (You can use paid receipts, a picture of that item from a catalog or something printed from the Internet). When replacing an item that is missing or damaged beyond repair and the exact item cannot be found, the price of something of similar quality will be accepted.
Estimate Fees: The estimators will charge for their time. That cost is paid by you and added to your claim. The Claims Office refunds this cost to you unless the estimator deducts the fee from the final repair bill.
6. IRREPARABLE ITEMS: When claiming replacement cost for property damaged beyond repair, an irreparability statement from a reputable dealer must be submitted with the estimate of replacement cost.
7. LOST ITEMS: If an item is lost that is not listed on the inventory; proof of purchase may be required. Receipts, canceled checks, or affidavits from disinterested parties may be used for this purpose.
8. AUTHORIZATION TO FILE CLAIM: If a claim is filed by an agent, a Power of Attorney must be submitted. If the agent is the spouse of the service member, a letter of authorization may be used.
9. FALSE CLAIMS: The following penalties may be imposed for filing a false claim:
DENIAL for payment on items tainted by false information.
COMPLETE DENIAL of claim.
If fraud is detected after you have received a settlement on your claim, the Claims Office can recover the money from you.
Criminal prosecution that could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both.