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The year was 2011, and we were preparing to move overseas with our pet. We received orders to move overseas in April – with a timeline of arrival by the end of June. That did not happen, because overseas screening takes that amount of time to complete. While the orders report date was extended, there were still not spots on the military contract flight out of Seattle for us, or for our pet. We were given commercial tickets, and now we had two options – find someone in the states to take our pet, or pay for her spot ourselves. I made probably dozens of phone calls to the airlines to confirm pet space, and cost – including to all the connecting flights to make sure we knew total cost.
We were not alone. Many military families struggled with this debate. For those moving in the summer, there were restrictions on when pets could fly due to the outdoor temperatures. With the height of PCS in the season coinciding with the height of temperatures in the summer, many families had to leave their beloved pets with family members to send along later, alone. Or hire a service to fly with their pet overseas. This cost many families upwards of $5,000 for that one way trip. And that isn’t including a mandatory quarantine that is often required by countries that are rabies-free.
The Marine Corps has an answer to these soaring costs for military families. In MARADMIN 301/23, it expanded on the FY 2023 NDAA provision for pets. It stated that the new pet relocation reimbursement noted in the FY 2023 NDAA would not be in effect for the peak season of moving this summer of 2023, and was not expecting the Pet Transportation entitlement to go into effect until 1 January 2024.
Per section 624 of the bill, military members PCSing within the continental United States (CONUS) could receive up to $550 in reimbursement to cover costs for relocations. It further stated that for those military families moving OCONUS, outside the continental United States, could be reimbursed up to $4,000. These costs are included in the cost for the total budget for the DOD. The FY 2023 NDAA was signed into law in December by President Biden. There was no specific date listed within the bill for enacting the reimbursement. It is expected that more details and requirements will be released when the entitlement is available and may be service branch dependent.
The US Army stated in December that the pet reimbursement should take place in 180 days from signing, providing up to $2,000 for pet relocation. However, no updated publication was found at this writing detailing the reimbursement process.
Will this affect your family in the 2024 year? What have been your pet costs for shipping and moving with the military?
