A step-by-step walkthrough of the military move damage claim process, including the 180-day notice rule, the 9- or 12-month filing window, and what to expect from your mover.
File your military move damage claim in the Defense Personal Property System (DPS). Submit a written notice of loss or damage to your mover within 180 days of delivery, then file your itemized claim within 9 months (shipments picked up on or before May 14, 2026) or 12 months (pickups on or after May 15, 2026). Missing those deadlines drops you to depreciated value only, and you have two years from delivery to escalate to your Military Claims Office if the mover stops communicating or denies liability.
Military moves run through a separate system from civilian interstate moves. Your damage claim is filed in the Defense Personal Property System (DPS), not through a civilian carrier's claim portal, and the rules, deadlines, and payout standard (full replacement value at no extra cost) are set by the military, not by federal household-goods regulations. If you're moving between two locations inside the same state for the military, the same DPS process still applies; civilian federal interstate rules like the Carmack Amendment only kick in when the carrier is a household-goods mover handling a private interstate shipment.
Your first move is to put your mover (called a Transportation Service Provider, or TSP) on written notice for every item you intend to claim. The notice needs the item name, the inventory number from the movers' paperwork, and a short description of the damage. You can submit more than one notice as you keep unpacking and find new problems, but every notice has to land within 180 calendar days of your delivery date or you lose your right to full replacement value.
Once your notice is on file, log back into DPS and submit your final, itemized claim. The filing window depends on when your shipment was picked up: 9 months for pickups on or before May 14, 2026, and 12 months for pickups on or after May 15, 2026. Claims filed after that window are still accepted, but they are paid at depreciated value, not full replacement value.
For every damaged or missing item, write enough detail that the adjuster knows exactly what you owned.
This ties the claim to the descriptive inventory the crew created at packing.
Establishes the baseline for replacement value.
Plain, concrete language ("TV screen cracked across the center") rather than "broken" or "damaged."
Before-and-after photos, original purchase receipts, and any written repair quotes you can get before filing.
Once you submit the itemized claim, the TSP has 15 calendar days to confirm receipt, then a set window to assess the damage and respond. They may send someone to inspect items, arrange repairs, or start a trace for anything missing.
| Claim value | TSP must pay, deny, or offer within |
|---|---|
| $1,000 or less | 30 days |
| More than $1,000 | 60 days |
An offer can be a cash payment or a replacement item; if the TSP offers both, you choose. Treat the offer as the start of a negotiation. If the number is too low, log in to DPS and submit a counteroffer. The TSP then has seven days to respond.
When you and the TSP agree on a settlement for each item, log in to DPS and formally accept the final offers. After you accept, the TSP has 30 days to pay you or complete the repairs. If an item is being repaired, the TSP has to follow a strict timeline for hiring a repair company and getting the work inspected; if an item is beyond repair and tagged for salvage, they have to pick it up from your residence within a set window.
If the MCO approves the claim, they pay you the depreciated value upfront and keep negotiating for full replacement value on your behalf. If they recover more, you receive the difference up to full replacement value.
For minor damage you spot on delivery day, the TSP may offer a Quick Claim Settlement. You fill out the paperwork with the crew before they leave and receive payment within five business days, capped at $2,000. Accepting a quick claim on an item means you cannot file any further claim on that specific item, but you can still file a standard DPS claim for anything else you find later.
Essential items (mattresses, refrigerators, necessary medical equipment, washers and dryers) get priority handling. Notify your TSP within seven days of delivery if an essential item is lost or damaged; they then have two business days to respond with a quick payment, a permanent replacement, or a temporary replacement or rental while the item is repaired. Entertainment items and consumables (food, cleaning supplies, cosmetics) are not considered essential.
File in DPS or on the at-delivery form. This preserves your right to full replacement value.
TSP has two business days to respond with payment, replacement, or a temporary rental.
9 months for pickups on or before May 14, 2026; 12 months for pickups on or after May 15, 2026. After this window, claims pay depreciated value only.
Final deadline to submit a claim to your MCO if the TSP denies liability or stops communicating.
SUMMARY
Start with a written notice inside 180 days, file the itemized claim in DPS inside 9 or 12 months (depending on pickup date), and keep your TSP talking. Document everything with photos, receipts, and inventory numbers before you file, and do not throw away or repair anything until the TSP has had a chance to inspect it. If the negotiation stalls, your Military Claims Office is the backup, with a two-year window from delivery to take over the fight for full replacement value.
Common questions
No. The at-delivery form is just one option. You can also log in to DPS at any point during the 180-day window and file a "Notification of Loss and Damage AFTER Delivery" electronically. Both preserve your right to full replacement value.
You can still file, but your claim will be paid at the item's depreciated value instead of full replacement value. The 180-day notice deadline is the more important one to hit, because without timely notice you can lose full replacement value entirely.
Generally no. Military personal property claims are handled under the Defense Personal Property System and the military's full replacement value rules, not under the Carmack Amendment and FMCSA household-goods regulations. Federal interstate rules apply when a civilian household-goods carrier moves your belongings across state lines for a private move, not when the military arranges and pays for the shipment.
Do not dispose of or repair any damaged items. Contact your Military Claims Office (MCO) for guidance; they can take over the portion of the claim the TSP is stalling on. You have two years from delivery to escalate to the MCO.