To be eligible for reimbursement, a Service member on a permanent change of station (PCS) order must:
- Be a member of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, or Coast Guard).
- Be authorized dependent travel allowances.
- Provide documentation, in accordance with Service guidance, that: a. Care at the Child Development Center (CDC) is not available within 30 days of the Service member’s report date at the new permanent duty station (PDS). Eligible Service members use militarychildcare.com to generate the “Travel Memo” to document that care was not available. And b. Designates the child care provider in writing.
MCC is the Department of Defense’s centralized online portal for military families seeking child care. It offers comprehensive information on all military-operated and subsidized child care options worldwide. Families can search for care, submit requests for care, manage their requests, and update their household profile – online at any time, facilitating easier access to child care information and services.
Service members may be reimbursed for roundtrip commercial transportation costs, up to $500 for permanent change of station moves between continental U.S. (CONUS) locations and up to $1,500 for moves to or from locations outside the CONUS (OCONUS) for travel costs of a child provider.
Similar to how Service members book their own PCS travel; they call or contact their organization’s transportation office or contact their servicing Travel Management Company (TMC).
The Service member will need two documents:
- The first document is the “Travel Memo”, generated by militarychildcare.com, that verifies care is not available within 30 days of the Service member’s report. Once that document is issued, the law requires the DoD to treat the Service member’s designated provider as an authorized traveler.
- The second document is created by the Service member to designate the child care provider in writing. This document is added to the Service member’s orders and will be used by the TMC to make the commercial reservations. The TMC may also require the Service member to identify the date of birth, address, gender, or TSA Precheck Number, etc of the child care provider.
The child care provider must be at least 18 years old and cannot be a Service member’s dependent. The Service member may select any individual (e.g., relative, friend, au pair) as the designated child care provider to take care of the Service member’s dependents.
Similar to the way all PCS expenses are reimbursed, the Service member submits a PCS voucher. If the child care provider’s expenses are $75 or more, then receipts must be submitted with the voucher to support the expense. Like all travel expenses, the voucher’s certifying officer is the person with pecuniary liability and approves payment of the voucher.
Reimbursement is limited to the child care provider’s commercial transportation expenses, including commercial flights, enroute/departure rental vehicles, or rail; reimbursement for fuel, lodging, or meals is not authorized. The Service member must submit receipts for any expenses of $75 or more.
The Service member must submit the “Travel Memo”, generated by militarychildcare.com, and the statement that identifies the child care provider. Expenses of $75 or more are required to be supported by a receipt.
The child care provider may travel separately or with the Service member and family.
No, not all children in the household need to be at the new duty station for the designated provider to start providing care. However, commercial transportation expenses are reimbursed for only one child care provider per military family.
No. Reimbursement is limited to commercial transportation expenses and does not include fuel, lodging, or meal expenses.
The pilot program was part of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 627. The pilot program began October 1, 2024, and ends September 30, 2027.
Sec 627 of the FY23 NDAA is the authority for treating the Service member’s child care provider as an authorized traveler.
Yes, the Service member may use their GTCC.
The same LOA that is used to pay for the Member and dependent’s expenses.
Yes, the Service member can be reimbursed for the child care provider’s total cost of round trip expenses, up to the maximum amounts for CONUS and OCONUS.
Yes. Either a CBA or individually billed account (IBA) must be used to procure commercial transportation.
Since the dependents moved within CONUS, the Service member is authorized $500.
The Service member would be reimbursed up to the Government’s constructed cost.
No. City Pair flights must be purchased with an IBA or CBA.
For more information, see the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), par. 050108 or visit MilitaryChildCare.com to search for child care providers and obtain documentation for eligibility. For information about your particular circumstance, please contact your local transportation office for assistance.