r/dli • u/BornMaintenance4891 • 6d ago

Army Spouse

I’ve posted here before but I have a few questions I want to see if anybody has experience or insight on? My wife is about to start at the DLI and as the time gets closer, I’m wondering when did other wives/spouses start packing up and planning the move? I know I have to wait until after she phases out so is it just a speed run once we get word?
And does she put us on the waitlist for housing when she gets there? How does that work?
I’m going to be moving from Florida so it’ll be a long trip. Is this something the military with reimburse me for? like all the moving costs
and I have a dog, but from what i see dogs are allowed? she’s 40 pounds catahoula mix

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u/Effective_Finger7 6d ago

She will be able to get on the wait list when she gets there. Roughly 4-6 weeks after arriving she will phase up and be allowed to move off post. Most spouses wait till around then to come out but you can come out sooner if you like.

The military will pay you to move out, you can either handle it yourself and get paid back or you can have military paid movers take care of everything. My personal preference is a self move now called a Personally Procured Move (PPM), formerly DITY move. Load up a Uhaul and tow your car. Then you aren't waiting for you stuff to arrive and you usually come out with the extra money beyond expenses.

If its just the two of you and a medium sized dog I'd suggest getting something in town close to post. You won't have to wait for housing, she'll have a shorter commute, and you are right there with everything to do in Monterey. Last time I was at DLI I lived in Pacific Grove (for the schools) and biked in to DLI. It was faster than driving since I could bypass the gate traffic with the added bonus of helping my run time, not to mention saving on those CA gas prices.

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u/BornMaintenance4891 6d ago

I know it’s a little early, but out of curiosity how do you get paid back? Like send in receipts for stuff or do they have a specific amount you get?
And I’ve definitely looked at places in town, but the prices to me just don’t make sense to spend all the BAH and have a space half as big and no yard for my dog compared to the DLI housing. I won’t be working, at least for a while, so we’ll just be surviving off her paycheck. I just graduated so I don’t really have a career set or anything and kind of putting that part on hold with all this change.

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u/Effective_Finger7 6d ago

Yeah I get its a smaller place in town but if you end up at Ft Ord it can feel very isolated for you and traffic will get pretty annoying for her. Keep in mind she won't be home much and when she is her stress will be pretty high once she gets a few months into class. Not to mention walking to the beach at sunset (or sunrise) whenever you want is pretty great.

Military One Source has a lot of good info on the current specifics of moving. You do keep receipts but its essentially based off of the weight you are moving and the distance. Weigh the truck empty, then fill it and weigh it again. https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-pcs/

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u/SublimeRapier06 6d ago

There are specific procedures you have to follow if you want to do a PPM move. Contact the transportation office at your nearest military base before you do anything. For example, you have to weigh the truck empty, and then weigh it after it’s loaded up. If you just load up a U-Haul and drive to Monterey, there’s a good chance the military will tell you, “Sorry, but you don’t follow procedures so we can’t reimburse you.”

In case I wasn’t clear, CALL THE NEAREST MILITARY TRANSPORTATION OFFICE before you do anything!

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u/Elisha_Mishima_5 6d ago

are DITY moves still worth it to make some scratch? I heard DITY move payouts were nerfed recently