ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —
The Department of the Air Force has established documentation necessities for Airmen and Guardians planning to request reimbursement pet journey bills because of everlasting change of station strikes.
The Defense Travel Management Office announced a brand new coverage to cowl pet journey bills, together with pet transportation and quarantine charges, in June 2023.
Starting Jan. 1, 2024, service members may be reimbursed as much as $550 within the continental U.S. for one family pet, both cat or canine, and as much as $2,000 for strikes to or from a location exterior the continental U.S. to cowl prices associated to the transportation of a pet which is outlined by the Joint Travel Regulations as a cat or canine.
Members can request reimbursement together with their PCS journey voucher, however they have to meet eligibility necessities and embody all required documentation. Documentation necessities embody:
• Service members should be on PCS orders, and all journey and bills should take place on or after Jan. 1, 2024.
• Members should present receipts for all prices.
• Receipts should be itemized, point out they’re for one pet and embody the title of the pet if doable (particularly for specialised care the pet receives, akin to vaccinations).
• If the pet is flying cargo as a result of it exceeds the burden restrict to journey through authorities or government-procured transportation, the receipt should embody the burden of the pet.
• If a member self-procures a ticket at a location serviced by the Patriot Express, they will need to have a non-availability letter and applicable remarks on their orders. Otherwise, the transportation portion of the reimbursement can be restricted to the cost of delivery the pet through the Patriot Express. All documentation used to acquire a non-availability letter should be included when the member recordsdata their PCS journey voucher.
Costs eligible for reimbursement embody necessary microchipping, boarding charges, lodge service expenses, licensing charges on the new major obligation station (PDS), and pet delivery charges if the member flies quite than drives or if the pet is shipped individually from the member.
For PCS to or between OCONUS strikes, further prices eligible for reimbursement embody quarantine charges and testing titer degree (antibodies) for entry.
For extra info, go to the DTMO FAQs webpage. In addition, please contact your native finance workplace for those who want help with requesting reimbursement.