AMSA Highlights Falling Moving Costs with the Military Times

Scott Michael, AMSA president and CEO, sent a letter to the editor of the Military Times responding to a story about military moving costs.

“Regarding your story, “Watchdog: Costs drop for shipping troops’ goods,” this analysis shows what the American Moving & Storage Association has been saying all along: that PCS moving costs have actually fallen steadily in the past five years.

Overall, though, we are disappointed that the GAO report looks at too long a timeframe, from 2001 to 2014, and thus misses this notable drop in costs. The earlier period of time that the GAO looked at included the implementation of the DP3 program, which shifted a significant workload and cost from PPSOs to moving companies for counseling, shipment management and data entry. It also included the addition of full-value replacement and repair coverage on claims of lost or damaged items, another significant cost factor. Even so, PCS moving costs continue to decline.

Meanwhile, the moving and storage industry has made substantial financial investments in improved service, which have resulted in higher satisfaction scores in surveys of those who have been relocated. Despite the decreases in moving expenses under the PCS program, members of the military are feeling better about the service they receive from their movers.

While the moving and storage industry supports prudent spending by the federal government, cutting the PCS program’s budget, which accounts for less than one percent of the Defense Department’s overall budget and is already on the decline, can only harm the ability of service members and their families to successfully move to and from duty stations or extended training.

Our industry takes great pride in the services we provide to the nation’s military, and we strongly believe the American taxpayer is getting a great value for the dollars spent on moving costs in this program. The falling costs and rising satisfaction rates show this to be true.”