Feature Search

Household goods replacement program is a good deal

  • Published
  • 36th Wing Legal office
In the past year the U.S. Air Force has made dramatic changes in the way claims are filed and adjudicated. As of October 2006, all household goods claims were processed at the centralized Claims Center in Dayton, Ohio. And as of October 2007, all international shipments were covered by full value replacement. The full value replacement for domestic shipments began on November 1, 2007.

As of October 2007, the base legal office is no longer responsible for adjudicating claims. All claims will be processed by the Claims Service Center. The base Claims Office will still take in the DD Form 1840/1840R (the pink forms). The Claims Office is responsible for forwarding these forms to the carrier and Claims Service Center. Claimant must still ensure the DD Form 1840/1840R is filed with the legal office within 70 days from the date of delivery. The DD Form 1840 is used to annotate damage identified at the time of delivery. The DD Form 1840R is used to annotate damage found after delivery.

Now claimants are entitled to receive full value replacement for their items. However, the claim must be filed within 9 months of delivery and must be filed directly with the carrier. Carriers have liability caps between $5,000 and $50,000. If the loss is greater than that, contact Claims Service Center before filing the claim. If the claim is not filed within 9 months of the date of delivery, it will be adjudicated at a depreciated rate as it has in the past.

When one thinks of full value replacement, quite often he/she thinks of brand new items. This is not the only option available to the carrier. They have the following options:

· Repair of damaged items;
· Replacement of items with similar used items; or
· Payment of cash for purchase of a comparable item

But for lost or severely damaged items, full replacement value is a great improvement to the old payment limits. The Andersen Claims Office is here to assist you with filing your claim. In addition to assisting you with your claim, the Legal Office has a computer and scanner available for use when uploading your claim to the Claims Service Center. At any time you have questions or require assistance in the claims process call 366-2937.