Stay ConnectedMilitary service members and families know moving with the U.S. military is anything but simple. Through engaging and entertaining interviews, host Amy Bushatz, executive editor of Military.com, brings you all the tips, tricks, benefits and information you need to make your military move as smooth as possible.
PCS With Military.com is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Copyright: © 2023, Military.com
No matter how many times you’ve relocated or how long you think you’re going to be at your new duty station, every military PCS comes with this major question: Where are you going to live?
Whether you rent or buy a home depends on a host of factors specific to your situation. But you also need to take into consideration the current housing market. So what do you need to know, going into this military move season? In this episode of PCS with Military.com, VA home loan and mortgage industry insider Michelle Crumley sits down to talk us through the many considerations for deciding whether to buy when the home market is wild. Listen now.
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You’re excited for an overseas military PCS move with your service member until … that is, until you realize that taking your career with you is likely to be very complicated. Even if you’re a remote employee already, the rules around working while living at an OCONUS duty station are murky at best. And even if you can figure them out, you still have to convince your employer to let you do it.
Those rules are created by what’s known as a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the host nation. So how do you figure out what you need to know about taking your career overseas? In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Beth Conlin, a military spouse and OCONUS career advocate, explains the ins and outs of SOFA, how to figure out what you need to know and some steps for working with your employer to take your job with you when you move. Listen now.
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Two military spouses walk into a bar …
No, that’s not the kind of joke we’re looking for. Military moves can be wildly stressful, but if you can find the humor in them and learn to laugh through what you’re dealing with? It makes everything just a little bit easier.
Comedian and Air Force spouse Ashley Gutermuth knows that is true. Through her many military moves, she has learned to flip circumstances around to find the humor, and the standup comedy she does as a result is downright hilarious. This episode of PCS with Military.com shares plenty of laughter as Ashley reveals her secrets for finding the funny in military life, why she owns six Roombas and her jokes that make people mad. Listen now.
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In a world where dual-income households are the norm, leaving a civilian career behind every few years thanks to a military PCS move creates a host of challenges. Even if you can easily find a role in your profession, how are you supposed to grow a career when you keep hopping jobs?
A series of programs offered by the Defense Department seeks to help with that problem. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, director Eddy Mentzer walks us through what those programs are, where to find them and how to get the most out of the assistance available. Listen now.
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Ready for your 2023 military PCS? Each year, the Defense Department updates the rules and regulations around military moves. Knowing and using those changes is an important part of making a successful PCS.
But learning what they are and understanding how they impact you? That’s where things get harder. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, military move expert Megan Harless gives us a quick view of the most important changes for 2023 and what you need to do about them. Listen now.
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If you have kids, relocating with the military can also mean moving schools and sorting through a maze of academic requirements and rules. That’s just one of the reasons many military families choose homeschooling instead.
But it still brings plenty of challenges. Rules for homeschooling vary by state, and getting plugged into a new, supportive community can be a challenge, no matter how often you do it. Toss learning to navigate homeschooling thanks to an overseas PCS, and the process can seem even more complicated.
Military homeschooling expert Natalie Mack has the tips, tricks and insight for making military homeschooling just a little bit easier. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, she lays out the help you need for moving with your homeschooled family and making the best of schooling, no matter where you are stationed. Listen now.
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Think doing your PCS move yourself without the help of the on-base transportation office is too much work? Military spouse Mallory Pevoto, aka the “DITY Mama,” says think again. A Personally Procured Move (PPM), also known as a DITY move, might sound like too much to handle, but by organizing packers and movers yourself without the help of Uncle Sam, you can have more control over what happens with your household goods and maybe even make some money in the process, she says.
In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Mallory talks us through why military families should strongly consider a PPM for their next military move and what to do if you find yourself facing one when it’s not what you want. Listen now.
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You’ve unpacked the boxes and registered your kids for school. Your military PCS is all wrapped up, and now you’re friend single and ready to mingle.
If only plugging yourself in to your new duty station was that simple. No matter your cultural background or interests, finding that perfect new community wherever you are can feel hard. So how do you successfully relocate those passion points while dodging the temptation to reinvent yourself after every move? In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Air National Guard spouse Tawny Trottier Cale, an activist and small business owner, talks about how she navigates the tricky subject of relocating culture and passion, and shares her tips on how you can successfully do the same. Listen now.
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Ready to take on the challenge of your first military move? In the complex world of military permanent change-of-station (PCS) moves, it’s hard to know what you’re getting yourself into until you’ve done it. From packing to dealing with the move itself, a maze of rules, guidance and advice is waiting for you. So how do you know what to do? And is there a way to simply learn the best practices without first making mistakes?
In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Army veteran, spouse and military move industry insider Isabel Schmitt lays out her best tips for military families getting ready for a PCS. Co-founder of LOGSA Mil Moves, Isabel’s help is based on her boots-on-the-ground knowledge about how military packers and movers really work. Listen now.
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Making a military PCS move carries a hefty financial burden for military families. That means smart money management and knowing and using all of your PCS entitlements is necessary for getting you from Point A to Point B without draining your bank account.
And even as you balance that cash flow, you also need to keep another life management factor in mind: All of that paperwork that makes the military life go ’round. From passports to shot records, knowing where your documents are won’t just save your sanity, it can also save you money.
In this episode of PCS with Military.com, financial columnist and accredited financial counselor Kate Horrell joins us to share her best tips and tricks for a financially smart and sanity-safe military move.
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Are you ready for your next military move? Make sure you have all the information, tips and tricks you need to help make your next PCS a success. Military.com’s executive editor and Army spouse Amy Bushatz brings you another season of PCS With Military.com, packed with everything you need to get your next PCS season started.
Whether it’s your first PCS or your 10th, PCS With Military.com will help you navigate the how-tos of military moves, from military money insights to insight on the latest PCS changes you need to know.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts starting May 1, 2023.
Whether you’re PCSing across the country or just down the road, you still need to find a place to live. But base housing is often not the right fit or even readily available, and finding a home off base can be really expensive, especially in a tight housing market. Military members and veterans have access to a special home loan benefit through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA home loan. Yet using it can feel too complicated, while how it works is often surrounded in rumor and misinformation. So what’s the real deal? Today’s guest, real-estate expert and military veteran JP Pena, gives his best advice for buying a home using a VA home loan. Connect with this episode: Get military PCS advice in your inbox Learn more about military PCSing Get free VA home loan rate quotes Visit the JP Pena Real Estate Team Facebook page Follow the JP Pena Real Estate Team on Instagram
After two decades, a variety of military spouse-focused nonprofits and government programs are still working to find solutions to a long-term problem: military spouse unemployment. With the spouse unemployment rate sitting at about 24%, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Foundation, the turn to remote work during COVID and consistent employer education campaigns from military organizations are starting to help. But military spouses continue to face issues around finding and growing careers that meet their skill sets and geographic locations. Those are the kind of challenges Brian Alvarado, who leads the Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Program, is trying to solve. In today’s episode, Brian talks through those challenges and ways military spouses can navigate employment issues during and around a military PCS.
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Military members spend an average of $5,000 out of pocket without being reimbursed for each Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, according to data from the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN). And that’s just one of the reasons having a financial plan going into your PCS is a good idea.
But even if you didn’t plan ahead for your military move, you can still have a financially confident PCS, says Kia McCallister-Young, an Air Force veteran and former military spouse who now leads the nonprofit America Saves program. In this episode, Kia explains ways military members can start planning today for a PCS, even if they’re already in the middle of one.
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You attended the transportation briefings, read the military’s moving instructions website, talked to friends, gleaned advice from Facebook groups, prepared for the movers and said goodbye to your favorite coffee shop. But did you ever stop to think about how understanding your personal psychology can help you create a successful military Permanent Change of Station (PCS)? The Enneagram system helps individuals not just understand how they tend to approach and think about the world, but also how to not just move through challenges, but come out better on the other side. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Kellie Artis, a certified Enneagram expert, explains how to not just understand your own type, but use it to make your PCS move awesome. Connect with this episode:
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Military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) stress can feel like one thing after another piling on until you’re just so exhausted, you crack. One way to lower stress ahead of time is to get organized around your move. That can include leaning into organizational tools or even an Excel spreadsheet. For CC Gallagher, an Army spouse and military spouse resource expert, that means leveraging a label system for your pack-out. When she couldn’t find one that fit her needs, she created it herself and now sells it through her website. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, CC talks about her favorite PCS organizational tools and her Stressless PCS Kit. Connect with this episode:
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Rules and regulations around military moves are set by two sources: laws passed by Congress, and policies created and directed by the Pentagon. How those are implemented is up to U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the military and civilian officials there who oversee the military move system. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Brig. Gen. Joel Safranek, who oversees the personal property system, and Kristen Johnson Barnat, a TRANSCOM spokesperson, give us the inside view on rule and regulation changes that impact the 2022 PCS season.
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It’s easy to feel nervous about the entire military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) process when every step seems packed with risk that your belongings will be lost, broken or stolen. But have you ever stopped to hear from the people who have an insider view on the moving industry? In this episode of PCS with Military.com, moving industry representative Katie McMichael offers a window into how the industry operates, the best way for military families to work with the people hired to pack and move their belongings and what military members and families need to know about this peak PCS season. Connect with this episode:
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When it comes to paying for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, pets are left out in the cold. That’s because while the military pays to move your household goods and your human family, they don’t provide any funding or help moving animals. If you want to relocate a dog, cat or anything else, it’s up to you to pay for it and figure out a way to make it happen. That gets complicated and expensive for any overseas move. Not only do you need to get your pet on a plane, but you have to understand and abide by local destination laws. Military families and service members often spend thousands of dollars working to get a pet to and from a new duty station – a price that only goes up if the wrong flight is booked or rules are misunderstood.
That’s where pet shippers like Kari Mendoza and Island Pet Movers come. Shipping pets worldwide for military families has become Kari’s expertise, post-Navy service. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Kari gives the best tips and tricks for moving pets based on her years in the industry.
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They come in, wrap your stuff, stick it in boxes and help get it in the truck while you helplessly watch, hoping that your household goods make it to the other end in one piece – or make it to the other end at all. Working with the individuals or “agents” packing your home can be one of the most stressful parts of any military Permanent Change of Station (PCS). Fortunately, Isabel Garcia Schmitt and Wendy Way want to help. Army veterans and military spouses, Isabel and Wendy started LOGSA Mil Moves to provide military packers who understand the challenges because they’ve lived the military PCS life. In this episode, Wendy and Isabel talk about working with your military movers to create the best PCS experience possible.
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Read a Military.com article about what military movers can and cannot pack.
It’s been a rocky few years for military PCS moves as COVID restrictions and labor and truck-driver shortages continue to bring their unique challenges. So how can military members and their families best prepare for the 2022 moving season, and what should they learn from seasons past? In this episode, Megan Harless, an Army veteran and spouse, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) advocate and expert in military moves, shares her best advice and insider tips for getting through whatever move Uncle Sam has in store for you this year. Connect with this episode: Get military PCS advice in your inbox Learn more about military PCSing Visit PCSLikeaPro.org Find PCS Like a Pro on Facebook Join the PCS like a Pro Facebook group Find moving information Military OneSource Read the Defense Department’s Joint Travel Regulation Read the Defense Department’s Defense Transportation Regulation
Do you have all the information, tips, tricks and help you need to make your next PCS a success? Join Military.com executive editor and Army spouse Amy Bushatz for Season 2 of PCS with Military.com as we navigate the how-tos of military moves, from home organization help and military money insights to the insider scoop from military move officials on the latest changes you need to know.
While you hit the road to your next duty station, we'll answer your questions about PCS hacks and regulation changes through engaging interviews with plenty of laughs along the way.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts starting May 2, 2022.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves with kids come with their own layers of challenges, not the least of which is switching schools. For military parents who do not homeschool, each move is met with the task of finding a new school, shifting school records and meeting the teachers and staff. Many parents also face the additional challenge of dealing with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or gifted and special education programs. And for the parents with high schoolers nearing graduation, things are even more complicated.
In this episode of PCS with Military.com, education advocate and expert Meg Flanagan walks us through things every parent needs to know and gives us insights on how the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) can help military parents tackle this tough PCS-related topic.
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This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Every military family has a stash of curtains purchased for odd window sizes in a previous home. But today’s guest, interior design expert and Army spouse Maria Reed, has built an expertise out of saving families undergoing their latest military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move from bad curtains and misfit furniture.
In this episode, Maria shares her best advice for creating a living space that can move with you, no matter the size of your home or shape of your space.
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If only a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move was as simple as letting the movers pack your stuff and then unpacking it on the other end. Instead, you’ve still got a pretty big decision left on your plate: where to live.
Deonte Cole, a Marine Corps veteran and real-estate agent, and Derrick Abbott, a loan officer who has spent his career helping families access and use their VA home loans, work together in the Tampa, Florida, area. In this episode of PCS with Military.com, Derrick and Deonte share their best tips, tricks and insight on house hunting and using the VA home-loan benefit.
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One of the challenges with any military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move is that you likely won’t ever see your new home until you actually arrive with your stuff already packed away. The Pentagon doesn’t pay for house-hunting trips or new duty station fact-finding missions.
In this episode, Army spouse Kellie Artis shares her best tips and tricks for understanding your future home and dealing with all of the things you need to know about it without actually being there. Artis is the chief operations officer of Millie, a company that helps military members move by connecting them with resources and local insight on their upcoming location.
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Military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves are going to happen whether you’re ready or not. Moving is simply a part of military life. You can make things a little bit easier on yourself by preparing not just your home and family ahead of time, but also your wallet.
Clay Stackhouse is a regional outreach manager for Navy Federal Credit Union, which sponsored season one of PCS with Military.com. In this sponsored episode, he shares some financial tips and tricks every military member should keep in mind while preparing for a military move, plus how Navy Federal Credit Union can help military members and their families get ready for whatever the next duty station brings.
See full show notes on Military.com.
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Military spouses know the challenges of a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move don’t end with the packing and unpacking. Relocating a career or a small business adds an entirely new layer of complexity.
Fortunately, highly successful military spouses like Marine Corps spouse Lakesha Cole are willing to pass on what they’ve learned to make life a little bit easier for the next person. In this episode, Lakesha skips the how-tos on paperwork and goes straight to the things business owners need to think about that may not have even made the to-do list.
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Theoretically, the U.S. military covers the cost of each Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move. But any service member or military family member will tell you that’s not entirely true. Fortunately, military discounts offered by businesses nationwide can make the financial pinch a little easier.
In this episode, Military.com social media manager and military lifestyle blogger Joanna Guldin-Noll shares her best tips and tricks for finding and using military discounts during and around your military move.
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Preparing for and unpacking from a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) is an exercise in patience and wherewithal and a test of organizational skills. Many military members and families also use it as an opportunity to see, sort and organize everything they own. After all, who doesn’t love a good PCS purge?
But the process also can be incredibly overwhelming. In this episode, Navy spouse and home organizational expert and consultant Christa Curtis, owner of Permanent Change of Storing, joins us to discuss her best tips and tricks for getting your home ready for and recovered from a military move.
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Moving can be really expensive. The Defense Department is supposed to foot the bill for your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move, but reimbursement isn’t immediate and there are plenty of financial gotchas to consider as you get ready for and recover from a move.
In this episode, Military.com financial columnist Ryan Guina lays out some of the money issues service members and military families should keep in mind as they relocate -- and what the Defense Department does to help.
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While much of navigating your military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move is up to you, some things are just a matter of rules and regulations. But navigating that information can be confusing and riddled with rumor and misinformation based on one individual’s experience.
On this episode of the PCS with Military.com podcast, Matt Butler, a Defense Department civilian employee at Transcom whose 22-year Air Force career focused on helping service members move their personal belongings, gives us insight and information on those rules and regulations. His special focus on details just for the 2021 moving season will help you make your military move the best it can be.
See full show notes on Military.com.
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This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Surviving your military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move isn’t magic or rocket science. By taking time to plan and keep your paperwork and move organized, you can get to the other side of your current or next PCS experience with at least your sanity safe and sound.
In this episode, Megan Harless, an Army veteran and spouse, and unintentional advocate and expert in military moves, shares her best advice for smoothly navigating your military move from start to finish, including building a great military PCS binder.
See full show notes on Military.com.
This episode is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.
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