Moving and Deployment

There’s no doubt that deployment impacts family life. Military spouses must decide whether to stay on the installation with their military community or move closer to loved ones for the duration of the deployment.

• Staying on installation has advantages, such as continued support from your community, and access to benefits like the commissary and exchange.
• Moving closer to loved ones may be a welcome change of scenery and provide the opportunity to connect with old friends or tap into parenting support from extended family members.

Whatever your family decides, there’s plenty of support for you from Military OneSource and your installation programs and services during this transition and ways to make even stronger connections within your military community.

• Your ties to the community: A support system is key to helping you through the potential challenges during a deployment. If you already have a strong support network through your community or family ties, take that into consideration as you decide where to go.
• Your children: Your children’s routines and schedules should be a factor in deciding whether or not to move. Before you make the decision to move, consider school transitions and the adjustment process, child care options and potential disruptions to sports and other activities.
• Living arrangements: If you plan to move in with your parents or other relatives, discuss the arrangements. You may have good intentions, but sharing a bathroom or having extra cooks in the kitchen can bring on unexpected challenges.
• Finances: Factor in financial aspects of the move. It is expensive to move your family twice — once when you leave and again when you move back to the installation after the deployment. Storing your possessions also costs money.
• Housing benefits: Moving could affect your housing benefits. If you’ll be renting when you move, your Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, may not be enough to cover the rent because it’s based on the housing market where you currently live. If you live in government quarters, you could lose your housing if you leave. Check with your installation housing office about leaving your quarters vacant until you return after the deployment.
• Special medical treatment or services: Specialized care and services may not be readily available in your new location for your exceptional family member or other family member receiving specialized care.

Before you take off for your parent’s house or go anywhere when your spouse is deployed, consider the wide range of benefits and resources available if you stay on the installation, such as access to community support as well as the commissary and exchange.

If you’ve recently moved, a deployment can provide an opportunity to deepen your roots with your military community and take full advantage of its support and services. Explore your new location and all its amenities. There are countless ways to make new friends and find new outlets for fun and support for your whole family. Forming strong bonds with fellow military families will strengthen your family unit and make you more resilient during deployment.

Advantages to living on the installation include:

• Installation services: The commissary, exchange, recreational activities, Military and Family Support Center, MWR, family and community support, legal assistance and more are available to help save you money, offer support and keep you busy while your partner is away.
• Unit activities: This is a great way to stay connected to your spouse’s unit and participate in programs for families going through deployment.
• Medical care: Medical care is readily available on the installation or in the local community. Check with TRICARE for more information on medical services in different areas of the country.
• Other military families: The comforting I-know-what-you’re-going-through support of other military families is something your friends and family back home may not be able to offer.
• Safety and security: Staying on the installation can give your service member peace of mind knowing that you and your family are safe and secure.
• Family routines: Keeping your regular routines during a deployment brings a sense of normalcy for your family. The same school, sports teams, Girl Scout or Boy Scout unit, piano lessons and clubs can keep your children occupied. Keeping your job and being familiar with the community businesses and resources can give you a sense of stability.
• Settling in to the military community: Putting down roots during the deployment can make your partner’s return home easier. This may or may not be the last deployment, so establishing routines and creating connections in the community can help you and your family master the challenges of military life.

After you’ve considered all your options, you may decide that moving closer to home or somewhere else is best for you and your family. Here are some things to remember if you choose to move:

• Give your contact information to your spouse’s unit.
• Contact TRICARE to talk with a TRICARE representative about how your health care benefits will cover you and your family.
• Notify your installation housing office or your landlord that you’ll be moving.
• Change your address with the post office. Make sure to forward your mail.
• Keep in touch with your spouse’s unit contacts. Remember, there are many resources within the Military Family Readiness System to support you — chaplains, behavioral health professionals, the Military and Family Support Center or the MWR Program.
• Stay connected to other military spouses, your service Family Readiness Group and other support programs. Your local Red Cross chapter and National Guard Family Program are great resources for information.