The Army Changes DLA Policies

Julie Provost

4 years ago

Changes to Army’s DLA Policy

As of October 10, 2019, there has been a change in the way the Army handles DLA (Dislocation Allowance.) Dislocation Allowance is to partially reimburse a service member with or without dependents for the expenses incurred in relocating the member’s household during a PCS move.

In 2014, they created a policy that required soldiers to use the government travel card for all PCS travel and location expenses. This new policy is the reverse of that. While the previous policy was meant to provide convenience and reduce the need for soldiers to spend money out of pocket during their PCS, the policy ended up causing some financial problems for soldiers for different reasons.

According to Robert Stinrauf, the Director of Plans and Resources in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, this new policy allows solders to get the allowance (DLA) in advance, which should help with the issues soldiers were having.

This was announced at a panel during a family forum at the Association of the US Army’s annual meeting where they updated families about steps they are taking to address the continuing problems with the quality of household goods move inspections and standardizing the process. They talked about a new smartphone app that would be a one-stop resource for a PCS. This would make the process easier for everyone.

Major General Timothy McGuire told the families that both the military and privatized housing “took their eye off the ball” when it comes to mold, lead paint, water leaks and other issues with family housing. Some families have even testified before congress about what they have experienced and their concerns.

McGuire also said that Army leadership is actively engaged with the CEOs of each privatized housing company and citied ongoing efforts to help. They have increased the number of government housing personnel, and have a better quality assurance system for inspections or work orders performed by the housing company and once an old tenant leaves before a new one moves in.

Hopefully, serious change is coming for the whole PCS process as well as for housing concerns. For now, the DLA changes will be easier on soldier’s pocketbooks and will hopefully ease the stress related with military moves.