Arrival & Settling In

• In-process with your new unit and the installation — bring orders, leave paperwork, and your records.
• Confirm your pay and BAH reflect the new duty station; errors are common after a PCS and easier to fix early.
• Update DEERS and enroll or transfer Tricare to the new region.
• Take delivery of household goods and note any damage on the paperwork before the crew leaves.
• Get the kids registered for school and childcare.

• Driver's license and vehicle registration — state rules on military exemptions vary, so check your new state's deadline.
• Update your address everywhere: banks, insurance, voter registration, subscriptions.
• Transfer prescriptions and establish care with new providers.
• Register pets if the installation or county requires it.
• File your travel voucher to get reimbursed for the move itself.

Two deadlines matter more than the rest: your travel voucher (file promptly to get paid back) and the 75-day window to notify the carrier of loss or damage to your household goods. Both are easy to miss while everything else is happening.

If you did a personally procured move, your reimbursement paperwork has its own deadlines — weight tickets and receipts are required, so keep them together.

The admin fades; the adjustment doesn't. The installation's newcomer orientation, the School Liaison Officer, and spouse and family programs exist precisely for this stretch. Use them — families who plug in early settle faster.