USCG Improves Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Process

When it’s time to pick up stakes, the Coast Guard’s Work-Life Programs are looking at even more ways to help.

By Julie Sturgeon - March 25, 2012

Coast Guard Vice Commandant Vice Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara presents the Coast Guard Family of the Year award to the Henley family at this year’s National Military Family Award ceremony. Petty Officer 1st Class Jayon Henley and his wife, Keysha, look at each move as an adventure and a chance to meet new people. “We try to make each move fun for the kids by visiting new places on the way. It gives us an opportunity for change of scenery and a new life experience,” said Mrs. Henley. U.S. Coast Guard by photo by Telfair H. Brown Sr.

The Nuts and Bolts

PCSes generally take place between April and September, with families receiving their new location orders in the first quarter of the year. The shortest time frame the Vanderwerfs had was a two-month notice. For an experienced military family, that’s usually plenty of time to pull off the move, as long as you stay focused and ask for help, she told other USCG families. The checklist starts with common sense:

Obtain copies of medical records, school records for children, vet records for pets.
Apply for a new driver’s license. The Sailor and Soldiers Civil Relief Act allows families to keep their residency, but if the new state requires its residents to change licenses, you can’t get around that.
Explore professional licensing. Laura Vanderwerf, a dental assistant, couldn’t work in her field when she moved to California, despite 15 years of experience. She had learned on the job, but that state required classroom training, so she had to start over at an entry-level position.

USCG Marina Village family housing Alameda

Kevin McDonald, Marina Village Family Housing officer, leads Linda Papp, spouse of Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr., past a Coast Guard housing construction area inside the Marina Village Family Housing Complex, Feb. 1, 2011. Mrs. Papp toured housing units in the San Francisco Bay Area to evaluate the needs of Coast Guard members and their families. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Levi Reed

When families take on medical- and child-related issues – i.e., doctors, schools, sports clubs – in their new location, the questions experienced spouses like Vanderwerf field become even more specific. Coast Guard’s Work-Life offices see the same trend; feedback over the years indicates the Transition and Relocation Assistance Program is a great service, but not enough Coast Guard families are aware of its benefits.

In addition to the Transition and Relocation Program, the Office of Work-Life has other programs designed to assist families throughout their Coast Guard careers. For example, all Coast Guard families are eligible for an array of support services by accessing a service called “WorkLife4You,” which provides assistance to families with the following types of needs: adoption, becoming a new parent, newborn and child care, college and technical schools, relocation, career development, financial planning, legal assistance, convenience services, retirement planning, elder care, and other services for adults with disabilities and illnesses. To access these 24/7 support services, Coast Guard family members can call a toll free number – (800) 222-0364 – or go to www.worklife4you.com.

The Coast Guard is also exploring other options to provide local assistance to families moving into a new area with issues such as finding appropriate child care when moving to a new community.

In the past, the Office of Work-Life has relied on the Department of Defense (DoD) child development centers to assist families who need child care, but that strategy only works where the Coast Guard intersects with other military branch offices – a total of nine facilities across 50 states. That’s why the USCG is now offering a Child Care Subsidy Program to qualifying members, to fill in the financial gap between what a DoD center would charge and the local rate at public child care facilities such as KinderCare® or church programs. Today the allotments are weighted by total family income, but the goal is to eventually offer this type of assistance to all Coast Guard families who are interested.