Friends,

Trying to get advice on the best way to handle my travel plans. The background:

I'm currently OCONUS accompanied. We've been assigned to a CONUS location next. My DEROS is December. My RNLT is mid December. I have orders in hand for PCS. I'm competitive for a TDY en route (SOS) in November, but I don't have official notification on that yet.

What I'm trying to accomplish:

Send wife/son early to occupy the house we're buying. I'd like them to be in place the second week of October. I'd also like our hhg to arrive sometime relatively shortly after they get there (within a few weeks)

What advice do you have to help me accomplish this plan? It seems easy if I get amendments to go to SOS en route. What if I don't? Thanks in advance!

Where are you going?

With orders in hand you can set up your move, there is some rule about how early you can go though, I don't remember what it is.

Nellis... Specifically the CAS Integration Group or the Tactical Air Support Squadron, depending on the time of day. Yeah, I can't find any specifics in the JTR for the "earliest" departure/hhg shipments.... I also can't figure out when it becomes non-concurrent travel... one guy mentioned it possibly being non-simultaneous concurrent travel. I'll probably just have to wait until I'm done with this TDY and back at home station so I can hear what the local interpretation of the JTR is.

I do know that without getting something changed that you have to travel in your DEROS month...not one day before or after. You can get it curtailed by your CC.

As far as HHGs, I shipped mine almost 2 months ahead of leaving so they were already at the destination when I arrived. We used TMO furnishings for the last 45-60 days. I don't think you will have a problem on the HHG side of things.

Honestly don't know about the family part...

The JTR has something in there about early/separate dependent travel.  It does require approval at some level, but I don't remember what that level is.  You'll have to make a good argument as to why your family needs to travel prior to you...because you bought a house probably won't fly, but I guess anything is worth a shot.

Regarding the possible TDY en-route, the AF will send your family with you TDY...if you want them to go straight to Nellis while you go to SOS, you will only receive transient BAH (~1200/mo or something like that) UNLESS you either in-process Nellis, then go TDY from there (i.e. not an enroute TDY), or a SAF waiver is required to receive Nellis BAH (prior to you in-processing...i.e. while you're TDY enroute at SOS).

Talk to legal, they know what the SOFA says and that could affect your situation.

Competitive for SOS is like competitive for herpies no?

I had a similar problem. Short answer, you as the member can not depart your PDS until the 1st day of your DEROS month. However, there are no such restrictions on your defendants and HHG. 

I was stationed OCONUS with a CONUS PCS. My DEROS month was April. I wanted to leave in March, for purely personal reasons. I scheduled my HHG in early March, asked TMO to book tickets for my defendants (wife and daughter) in late March, and I left about a week later on 1 Apr. I didn't have to cite any AFIs or jump through hoops, just used plain English to explain my PFA to TMO. They did not care. YMMV. Ask nicely.

The long pole in the tent is going to be getting your orders early enough to schedule HHG that far out to stay on timeline.

On 8/24/2016 at 3:49 AM, schokie said:

I had a similar problem. Short answer, you as the member can not depart your PDS until the 1st day of your DEROS month. However, there are no such restrictions on your defendants and HHG. 

I was stationed OCONUS with a CONUS PCS. My DEROS month was April. I wanted to leave in March, for purely personal reasons. I scheduled my HHG in early March, asked TMO to book tickets for my defendants (wife and daughter) in late March, and I left about a week later on 1 Apr. I didn't have to cite any AFIs or jump through hoops, just used plain English to explain my PFA to TMO. They did not care. YMMV. Ask nicely.

The long pole in the tent is going to be getting your orders early enough to schedule HHG that far out to stay on timeline.

Thanks! I already got orders, so hopefully next week I can start working the HHG and "defendant" travel. I guess my next concern is finances.... should I just keep living in the empty house to collect OHA/Utils? Did you file non-concurrent travel on your PCS travel voucher?

Be aware that you get a different amount of TLE when OCONUS.  I believe it's 5 days, but I'm not sure.