DoD Announces New Relocation Tool for Families

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2008 – It’s almost peak moving season again for military families, and Defense Department leaders want families to know new resources are available to help.

“Plan My Move,” soft-launched in late summer, is the next generation of DoD’s MilitaryHomefront tools to provide an integrated “e-moving” solution, officials said.

Moving to a new community can be a stressful event for all service and family members,” Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said. “This tool helps to ease that burden. It will put our servicemembers and their families in direct contact with those who can help every step of the way, from their current home and community to the new one.”

When the user enters the current location, the new location and the departure date into the new application, it generates installation overviews, a three-month planning calendar, valuable travel and arrival checklists, as well as important points of contacts and family program information, Arsht said.

The Plan My Move tool is designed to coach servicemembers and their families through the entire moving process, step-by-step. And while most moving takes place over the summer, it’s never too early to start a plan, Arsht added.