Once upon a time there were two Army spouses. Both of the women had school-aged children and pets. Both of the women had a limited window of time to locate housing in a place they’ve never even visited, as those places would soon become their new homes.
These are the tales of two families PCS moves and how they dealt with the search for housing.
It is PCS season! Which means, people are leaving their jobs. Which means, employers near military bases are hiring!
A great way to get your resume out and check out the businesses near your new home is to take part in a hiring fair. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation continues to hold monthly fairs around the nation that are open only to military members and their spouses.
Here is a list of the ones happening in July. Remember to click on the link and register. Spaces fill up so register soon.
July 10
Cleveland, Ohio
Are you driving across country this summer to PCS? Heading to the in-laws. In the middle of nowhere? Trying to keep your kids occupied while dad is deployed for the summer?
More than 2,000 museums across the nation want to make this summer a little less stressful for you. And, the cost is free.
The Blue Star Museums program is again offering free admission to more than 2,000 museums in all 50 states for military members and their families. The program runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Sept. 7.
Cable and Internet in our neighborhood is spotty.
I sometimes think we should specialize in dropped calls, channel black-outs, and error messages instead of boasting about our community pool and our shiny, enforced “No Soliciting” signs.
Last year, I once had to call the cable company because we had continually dropped service for two weeks. During the debacle, I realized that the company wouldn’t charge me for days, weeks, or months in which they had been unable to provide service.
By Christine Cioppa
Your family received the orders. It’s time for a Permanent Change of Station (PCS). If you’re like Kathy Broniarczyk, Director of Family Support at the Military Family Research Institute, and Army spouse, this responsibility falls on you more times than not. You’re holding the family together, packing and unpacking. You’re doing it all!
By Mandy Rebmann
When I heard the voicemail left by my real estate agent, a chill ran through me. We knew the VA appraisal had been completed, and were waiting to hear if there were any major issues. Anyone who has been through the home-buying process knows the appraisal step can often go wrong.
Last fall Christine Gold moved to Colorado from Georgia at the very beginning of her third trimester for a Navy PCS with her husband and their first-born daughter.
“It sucked,” she joked. “Being huge, tired, having to pee always. Especially with the altitude; it was so hard on my body.”
She struggled to find a healthcare provider that met her needs, and she didn’t want to waffle between providers and not receive the frequent medical checks and appointments she and her baby needed at the end of pregnancy.
Congress is currently reviewing a bill that will ease the financial burden for PCSing spouses who have to transfer their professional licenses from state to state.
That means when a spouse studies and works for two years to finally earn her professional license, only to receive PCS orders a week later, all the money she shelled out, and will now have to pay again in the next state, she can apply as a tax credit for that year (up to$500).
Sounds great, right?
It's likely to never happen.
By Jan Childs
Want the adventure of a lifetime? Take advantage of the opportunity to do an overseas tour.
According to a December, 2013 Department of Defense report, some 66,000 U.S. military members were stationed in Germany and another 39,000 in Japan. – the two regions servicemembers are most likely to be able to bring their families along for a two- or three-year tour.
Samantha Mahon worked as a paramedic in Charleston, S.C. when, in 2011, her husband, a sailor in the United States Navy, got orders to Norfolk, Va.
Because Virginia offered reciprocity, or the ability to practice her job under the license of a different state, she was able to continue working as a paramedic after the move, in Portsmouth, Va., for a private transport company.
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