Punxsutawney Phil may have said 6 more weeks of winter, but with PCS time around the corner for some, military families’ minds have turned to spring cleaning. There is something therapeutic in clearing out a closet and going through that box you moved with two moves ago. Whether you are moving or not this summer, take a month to clean out clutter and organize your home makes moving the next time that much easier. If you are spring cleaning this year, consider using these items that you can get from your base Exchange to tidy up around your home.

1. Storage Tote Bags: These are the unsung heroes of many a move. These square bags come in a variety of sizes from small to extra large. Store quilts, blankets, and towels in them when you are not using them seasonally. Place seasonal clothing in them in a closet. This removes clutter from valuable drawer space, but the clear bags keep them in eyesight so you are prepared when the season is upon you again. And the best part, they slide easily into moving boxes. When you unpack them on the other end, you pull them out and are ready to use them.
2. Seasonal storage: Have ornaments, lights, and stockings? Put them all in one storage bin and label it for the holidays. Better yet, get specific containers for ornament storage to protect valuable and sentimental items. More into pumpkins, ghouls, and spider webs? Get a large storage bin to provide better protection than a cardboard box for a move. Labeling each tote will help you determine what everything is in your storage area at a quick glance. If you are moving, labeling will help you determine where to put it when you unwrap the non-descript brown paper the movers placed on it. And goodness knows it will be labeled “tote” and not “Halloween decorations.”
3. Binders: Yes, raid the school supply section for binders. Even if you aren’t moving, keep a list of high-value items updated each year, updating it during spring cleaning. If a high-value item breaks in a move, the amount provided by the moving company should be replacement value. It helps to have an updated link of the high-value item and the item number for this replacement. Keeping all high-value items in one location in a binder is paramount.
4. File folder: Every year update your families’ paperwork – make sure you have copies of marriage certificates, divorce decrees, any legal documents, passports, birth certificates, etc. Have them all in one place. This allows for easy reference if needed but also to ensures you have everything updated. Renew passports, as you are able to. Make sure you have enough copies of birth certificates, especially if you have a consular birth abroad certificate as these can take several weeks to process and receive a new copy if the original is lost.
5. Stamps/Stickers: Consider a family stamp or sticker to put on totes as you organize and spring clean. This makes it easy to identify what items you may have added to your household goods during a move, and what you may be able to thin out and purge If you have duplicates of.
6. Zip ties: This may sound silly, but hear me out. All those cords you have behind the tv, or the desk, can be messy. Zip ties are helpful to keep things clean and organized. When going through cords you may find you have extras you don’t need anymore – that charger for the computer that died can be recycled through e-waste.
7. Denture Cleaning Tabs: These multi-use tabs clean a lot of things. Clean out your coffee pot of all the build-up with these tabs, or pop one in the toilet to get it squeaky clean. Cleaning these daily use items keeps them working longer for you, and prepares them for moves.
8. Dishwashing gloves: While images of a 1950s housewife may pop into your mind when you see these listed here, they are worth it. Spring cleaning, and quite often post-PCS clean, involves washing a lot of dishes and cleaning a lot in general. These gloves protect your hands from the deluge of water and cleaning solutions.
9. Disinfectant Wipes: If you can find them this year, these wipes are useful for cleaning and disinfecting bathroom and kitchen surfaces quickly and easily.
10. An all-in-one mop: Cleaning the floors is not an easy task. A mop with the convenient storage of the cleaning fluid and spray is a lot easier than mopping the old way with a bucket and solution. And older children can manage it to help with the spring cleaning to-do list.
11. Bleach: When diluted with water, this cleaning fluid can also disinfect non-porous surfaces and floors. Clean off mirrors in the bathroom easily, or wipe out the bathtub.
12. White Vinegar: Another double-duty cleaner- use vinegar to clean out your washing machine, descale your coffee pot or single-use coffee maker. Mixed with water, vinegar is a useful multi-use cleaner for daily cleaning. Because it is also used in cooking, it is safe for younger children to clean with as well.
13. Baking soda: This soft abrasive is well known for its disinfecting powers while you put one in the fridge and freezer to stop unwanted smells. It is also great for scrubbing bathtubs, toilets, and kitchen counters.  It can pull up grime and yuck
14. Broom: Sweeping under the cabinet’s nooks and crannies may not be done daily, but spring cleaning is a great reminder to get at it.

Spring cleaning isn’t everyone’s favorite thing to do. Doing a large scale clean helps make the daily cleaning a little bit easier. And for a military family, can prepare them for an expected or unexpected PCS.

What is your favorite spring cleaning tool?

Childcare in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic has had its challenges for the military family. The Child Development Center (CDC), on most bases, provides care for children ages 6 weeks through school-age up to the summer after 7th grade. These centers provide up to full-day care for the children of active duty military service members, spouses of active duty members, and government service employees. At times, children of retirees can even receive care at the CDC, depending on the space available.

Getting a coveted spot at the CDC is not an easy task. The first stop is often the Department of Defense website militarychildcare.com. After setting up an account, find the specific type of care desired of full-time or part-time care at a CDC, or perhaps a home-based child care program on base (also known as an FCC). If there is no available spot at the CDC or on-base in-home providers, Child Care Aware of America can be utilized to find fee assistance.

While already dealing with the unknown of child care and moving, the pandemic has added a new unknown variable.  Many CDC centers on base have the added hurdle of being open to essential personnel only, prioritizing active duty military and dual working couples. While the priority has always been to provide dual active duty and working families childcare, this year has lessened the ability for parents who are students to find care at the on-base CDC. With smaller class sizes and short-staffed facilities, many families have moved to seek care off base through fee-assisted care through Child Care Aware.  Families with a spot for fee assistance may have challenges if a childcare center temporarily shuts down or if work care has been delayed. These questions and more have been answered here.

If the on-base CDC has moved to essential personnel only and your family is unable to receive child care there, the military family is able to apply for community child care fee assistance.

If space is offered under the fee assistance waitlist, and there is not an immediate start date, the start date must be shared as soon as it is known.

If a family voluntarily removes a child from care, the family will still be provided the fee assistance if they are required to pay the provider during the absence.

If fee assistance is provided for one childcare program and that program is shut down, fees will not be paid for the same dates of service.

Due to these changes in care availability, many military families are seeking fee-assisted care for their childcare needs, which is not surprising. It is hard enough maintaining professional careers or pursuing a degree with multiple moves and around the world, child care is necessary for families with children. COVID-19 has led to less available at the affordable on-base CDC options, leading to increased use and need of Child Care Aware. Have you been affected by the change in childcare availability in the last year? How have you overcome this obstacle?

Over 124,000 working military retirees and their families were dropped from TRICARE Select at the beginning of the year due to a change in the requirement for a monthly enrollment fee. In June 2020, Tricare notified TRICARE Select beneficiaries that are Group A (sponsor’s initial enlistment or appointment occurred before January 1, 2018) they must pay monthly enrollment fees to maintain their TRICARE health coverage beginning on January 1, 2021. This change is the first time this group will pay enrollment fees. At that time, Dr. Danita Hunter, director of the TRICARE Health Plan at the Defense Health Agency said, “In 2021, some TRICARE beneficiaries will pay enrollment fees for the first time, a change mandated by Congress. We’re communicating this well before the change is implemented so beneficiaries can be informed about the change, as well as their TRICARE plan and cost options.”

The initial group of more than 124,000 was dropped due to failure to set up payment for the new fees. Thru January about 75% have set up payment. For those that did not set up payment you were disenrolled and have 180 days from your disenrollment date to be reinstated.

What You Need to Know

Why is this happening?

This change to pay enrollment fees was part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017. The Defense Health Agency received a delay in implementation to calendar year 2021.

Who did this affect?

This only affected Group A which is those that entered the military prior to January 1, 2018 and are enrolled in TRICARE Select. Active duty family members enrolled in TRICARE Select won’t pay enrollment fees and see no change. Those that use TRICARE For Life, TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Young Adult will also see no change.

How do I set up payments?

Your TRICARE regional contractor can help you set up payments. Don’t set up your payment through your Department of Defense (DoD) pay center you must go through TRICARE. If you don’t receive payments from a DoD pay center you can set up payment through electronic funds transfer, a credit card or a debit card.

How do I know when changes are made to TRICARE?

Visit the TRICARE website and sign up for email alerts. It is important to keep up to date so you are prepared for changes.

Additional Information

The new enrollment fees are $12.50 per month for an individual plan or $150 annually and $25 a month or $300 annually for a family plan. Only those family members enrolled in TRICARE Select with a Group A retiree sponsor pay the enrollment fee. You can have family members enrolled in different plans. So, if you only have one family member enrolled in Select you will pay the individual fee not the family rate. The catastrophic cap is increasing from $3,000 to $3,500. TRICARE Select enrollment fees count towards your catastrophic cap. The enrollment fees are waived if you are an active duty family member, a medically retired retiree or family member, or if you are a survivor of an active duty sponsor or a medically retired retiree.

For those in TRICARE East contact Humana Military at 800-444-5445. For TRICARE West contact

Health Net at 844-866-9378. TRICARE Overseas contact International SOS or contact your TOP Regional Call Center.

Women have a long history of service in the military dating back to the Revolutionary War where they supported the troops in unofficial roles. During the Civil War, Dr. Mary Walker provided medical care as a surgeon and become the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor. In World War I, women finally had official roles during the final two years of the war.

Women have come a long way in the military and today can serve in all branches of the military as well as any job they are qualified for. Basic Training is now coed. Here are some military women who will go down in history for the ceilings they broke and the many firsts.

General (ret.) Lori J. Robinson

Air Force General (ret.) Lori J. Robinson was the first woman in U.S. history to lead a combatant command at this level. At the time she served as the commander of the United State Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) she was the highest-ranking woman in U.S. military history. She retired with 37 years of military service.

General (ret.) Ann Elizabeth Dunwoody

General (ret.) Ann Elizabeth Dunwoody was the first woman in achieve the rank of a four-star general in 2008. Prior to that she was the top-ranking female in the Army when she was promoted to lieutenant general. She became the Commanding General of the United States Army Materiel Command. She retired from the Army in 2021.

Lt. General (ret.) Patricia D. Horoho

Lt. General (ret.) Patricia D. Horoho was the first woman and first Nurse Corps officer to serve as the 43^rd Surgeon General of the United States Army and she served as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command.

First Female Rangers

These three women broke barriers by graduating from the United States Army Ranger School. Kristen Marie Griest and Shaye Lynne Haver both Army Officers were the first to graduate in 2015. Staff Sgt. Amanda Kelley became the first female enlisted graduate in 2018.

Admiral(ret.) Michelle Howard

In 2014, Admiral(ret.) Michelle Howard became the highest-ranking female officer in U.S. Navy history when she was promoted the first female four-star admiral. She served as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, the second highest position in the Navy.

Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-ILL

Iraq War veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-ILL, lost both legs when the Black Hawk helicopter she was flying was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. She continued serving in the Army National Guard until 2014 when she retired as a lieutenant colonel. She was first elected to Congress in 2012 and is now serving as a Senator.

Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz

Retired colonel and Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz broke many firsts during her time in the Air Force. She was the first female fighter pilot to fly an A-10 Thunderbolt II in combat. She was also the first female to command in combat a fighter squadron. In the court case McSally v. Rumsfeld, she successfully sued the U.S. Department of Defense to change military policy that required U.S. women stationed in Saudi Arabia to wear an abaya, the body-covering gown, when traveling off base. McSally served in Congress from 2015-2019.

Colonel (Ret) Eileen Collins

Colonel (Ret) Eileen Collins became the first female space shuttle commander in 1999. She joined the Air Force in 1999 and became a T-38 flight instructor. During her time at the Air Force Test Pilot School in 1990 she was selected for the astronaut program by NASA.

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester

March 20, 2005 Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester’s squad was providing support to a supply convoy when it was ambushed by anti-Iraqi fighters. She was instrumental in the counterattack to repel the enemy. Hester’s bravery let to her receiving the Silver Star. She was the first woman to receive it since World War II for exceptional valor.  

This is just a small selection to honor the Women who serve in our Armed Forces.

It’s that time of year…when the military families around the world await that magical notification – the report of orders. Some families are expecting them. Some families are not.  Either way, when the military tells you to move, the service member has no choice but to go. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to prepare for your move – know your joint travel regulations.

The Joint Travel Regulations (or JTR) are updated annually to reflect the policy changes in regards to the travel and transportations allowances (i.e.: reimbursement) when it comes to temporary duty (TDY) and permanent changes of station (PCS).  While these regulations’ core remains the same, some key issues are discussed every year within the military spouse groups. It often feels like they are the first military family ever to move from their duty station when dealing with the moving office on the military base. Do yourself a favor – download the Joint Travel Regulations every year you PCS. Highlight key passages (specific sections discussed today are listed below) and know what applies to you. Just don’t try to print it, it’s huge!

Here are key notes to know and remember:

Reimbursement for Personally Procured Move (PPM), formerly known as Do-It-Yourself (DITY) moves

Section 051502 in Chapter 5 of the Joint Travel Regulations covers personally procured HHG transportation – aka PPM or DITY.  The amendment made to the 2021 JTR is that the actual cost of the shipment is covered 100% of the maximum weight allowance. When you find your own movers, or move yourself, the government will reimburse up to 100% of your weight allowance utilizing the Monetary Allowance Method is used to determine the amount the Government would cover for a move if Government-procured moving transportation was provided. Check the entitlements page of move.mil to determine your moving allowance when getting quotes from moving companies or when purchasing supplies and renting trucks to make your own move.

Pro-Gear Weight Entitlements

Whether you are doing your own move or having Government-procured movers move you, there are pro-gear entitlements. These pro-gear weights are not included in the household goods weights and are not counted against the full weight allowance. This means if your total weight of household goods allowance is 10,000 pounds, the pro-gear is allowance of 2,000 pounds per service member is allowed separate from this.

The service member may claim up to 2,000 pounds of pro-gear. The spouse may claim up to 500 pounds of work-related pro-gear. The pro-gear must be separated from the household goods and marked as such on the moving inventory. This can be accomplished by telling the movers what pro-gear is and asking them to mark the weight on the inventory. Technically, the pro-gear is supposed to be weighed separately from household goods, but historically the moving company has guessed the weights and removed that weight from the total inventory.

Pro Gear is referred to as Professional Books, Papers, and Equipment (PB&E) in Chapter 5 of the JTR, specifically 054309. If you have questions about what counts as pro-gear, refer to your service’s travel office as each service uses the JTR as a baseline and provides specifications for what is covered. For example, furniture and printers are not typically allowances as pro-gear.

Shipping a vehicle for CONUS moves

Part E in Chapter 5 outlines shipment of a privately-owned vehicle, or POV, in the Continental United States (CONUS). Eligibility for shipment of a POV at government expense is authorized when orders are received for change in a ship’s home port or the service member is physically unable to drive or have sufficient time to drive to report to the new duty station.

The most common use of a POV shipment is by the service member during a move or PCS. A service member with eligible dependents (who are on the orders) can ship a POC for a CONUS PCS if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The dependent is eligible for transportation at the Government expense and is relocating with the Service member – aka – the dependent is on the military orders to move.
2. The Service member or the eligible dependent owns more than one POV that must be relocated.
3. The Service member and all the eligible dependents travel at one time in one POV

To recap – if the Service member has eligible dependents on the orders, the Service member and/or dependent has more than one vehicle, and the eligible dependents on military orders are all traveling in one vehicle, you meet the conditions to ship a vehicle.

The reimbursement is based on the government calculated rate.  The reimbursement is not for the entire cost of shipping the POV, and instead is the difference in the monetary allowance in lieu of transportation (MALT). This is a JTR travel entitlement that is handled through your service branch’s administrative office, not DMO. The reimbursement provided by the government is based on the monetary allowance provided by the government for driving two POVs to the new duty station. Refer to Table 5-63 within the Joint Travel Regulations for the breakdown.

If your authorization to ship a POV is provided, no allowances will be provided for commercial travel at government expense for the service member or dependent, government-provided transportation, reimbursement for TDY or MALT to drop off or pick up POV, Government-expensed POV storage, or transportation of a POV within CONUS if the service member was stationed overseas unless it was stored at the Government expense due to inability to transport POV outside of CONUS.

These are just three of the reimbursements and allowances provided by the JTR. The latter is typically well-known by your service branch’s transportation office. The former two points are not always known, so ensure that they are aware of the appropriate allowances and written in your orders. If your administrative office or moving office is unaware of these allowances, print off the specific pages and ask nicely to talk to someone in charge regarding them. You may be able to share the changes with the office and provide a smooth move for not only your family but others as well.

Did you know there are more than 5.5 million military and veteran caregivers? Their voluntary and uncompensated care provides $14 billion in service for wounded warriors each year. Most programs focus on the care recipient not the caregiver. (Source: RAND Corporation – Hidden Heroes, America’s Military Caregivers). They experience much stress as they support their loved ones. It is important as these families transition out of the military that we don’t lose touch with them. Even from afar there are things you can do to support and thank these vital caregivers.

• Write a Letter or Card – Sometimes just being recognized for your hard work is enough. Take the time to write a letter or pick out a nice care and thank the caregiver for their service. Acknowledge the work that they do and express your support.
• Help – Don’t say “let me know if there is anything I can do” rather be very specific. For example, offer to mow the yard or to weed a flower bed. Maybe do some laundry. Make a visit and access the family’s needs.
• Get a group together and offer to pay for a service to clean the house. Having someone come in once a month is an amazing help.
• One thing I have found very helpful is when someone stocks my freezer. Get a group together and make a bunch of freezer meals. There are so many options online with some great ideas. Make sure to include a list which can be posted on the refrigerator so the caregiver will know what is available.
• Put together a care package based on the caregiver’s likes. Self-care items like candles, lotions, aromatherapy or anything to induce relaxing. A good book, a bottle of wine, or some great handcrafted chocolates. Make sure to package it nicely, there is just something about a nice presentation that makes even the simplest items seem special.
• Send dinner – Order a ham or something that can be used for multiple meals.
• Give the Caregiver a Day Off – If the situation allows offer to sit with their loved one so they can take a day off. The gift of time for oneself is precious when you are a primary caregiver 24/7.
• Flowers – Flowers always make a special gift that really shows how much you care. In addition to flowers, house plants also are a thoughtful present.
• Care Milestones – If their loved one has procedures scheduled, do what you can to help relieve their stress. Put together a meal train so they will have meals brought. Offer to be a point of contact and make phone calls to provide updates. Offer to bring necessities to the hospital.
• Gift Cards – These are always a hit whether it is to a favorite restaurant or store. Spa gift cards are a great way to provide a splurge. The nice thing about a gift card is it allows the caregiver to select what they would like.

These are just a few ideas. Visit Pinterest for a wealth of ideas for caregiver gifts.