An Examination of Cost Sharing Between the Department of Defense and Servicemembers

Abstract

Servicemembers who conduct a permanent change of station move to or from a destination outside of the continental United States are only authorized to ship one privately owned vehicle (POV). Additionally, they are not authorized reimbursement for a rental car while theirs is in shipping. This program evaluation uses shipping timeline data from the Global POV Contract and the Defense Travel Management Office rental car rates to calculate the financial impact on servicemembers and their families. On average, servicemembers can expect to spend between $3,929.93 and $4,614.69 for a PCS involving an overseas destination in non-reimbursed travel expenses such as a rental car while awaiting theirs in shipping. This places significant financial strain on military families, further straining servicemembers with limited financial resources. Based on these findings, I recommend the Navy sponsor a change to defense travel regulations allowing for a second vehicle shipment.