PER DIEM
The intent of the Inconvenience claim is to offset expenses you incur because you are not able to use necessary items in your shipment to establish your household. Effective with shipments whose originally-booked requested pickup date is May 15 2020 and later, the new Inconvenience Claim process provides a simplified, receipt-free method for you to be compensated for inconveniences associated with missed Required Delivery Dates (RDD).
The government's own per diem schedule is the basis for this new simplified process, which provides easy calculation and very quick payment... without even the need to track expenses or keep and present receipts! If we shipped items that are required to establish a household, and their delay is attributed to actual out-of-pocket expenses beyond the baseline amount established by the per diem, Central Van Lines will review and consider those claims in accordance with the guidance listed in the "Actual Expenses" section below.
The amount applicable for reimbursement at the delivery location as defined in Block 18 of the Government Bill of Lading (GBL) is found using the government per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses (excluding lodging). You can find a link to the government's per diem schedule HERE. You will be compensated for all days that result in our failure to deliver on or before the RDD as stated on the GBL or correction notice thereof, provided you had an established residence to which you had access and would have been able to move into, and provided that you can establish that you would have been available to accept delivery on or before the RDD. The claim will be computed beginning the day after the missed RDD. The payment will include the full meals and incidental expense rates for the DoD customer at affected location and number of days at the 100% rate. The maximum amount due as part of an inconvenience claim payment without receipts is limited to seven (7) days.
**NOTE** This simplified per-diem-based process is ONLY applicable to your Household Goods (HHG) shipment, not your Unaccompanied Baggage ("UB", aka "Air", aka "Express") shipment. See below section on "Actual Expenses" for your UB shipment.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The following guidelines apply to 1) UB shipments and 2) instances where your actual out-of-pocket expenses exceed payments of the per diem baseline:
(1) Actual out-of-pocket expenses are expenses you may incur because you are not able to use necessary items in your shipment to establish your household. Expenses that may be reimbursed when establishing a household include, but are not limited to, laundry service, furniture and/or appliance rental (to include rental of a television), air mattresses, towels, linens, pillows, and necessary kitchen items such as pots, pans, dishes, paper plates, and plastic ware. Proof of tender (based on the signed inventory listing) must be established for any claimed item. Further, approval will be based upon the items being reasonable, temporary, and necessary for you and your family to use while you wait for your property to be delivered. Finally, you will be asked to provide a narrative of how delivery beyond the RDD has caused a hardship.
(2) Groceries are not eligible for reimbursement. Lodging and meals are normally not part of an inconvenience claim but we recognize there may be unique circumstances that would require consideration. Exceptions to the minimum requirements may be considered on a case-by-case basis. In instances where lodging or meals are approved, it should be reasonable and usually will only be reimbursed for a short duration.
(3) You are required to document the claim fully with an itemized list of charges and accompanying receipts for expenses incurred.
(4) A request for reimbursement of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.
(5) If an inconvenience claim payment is made for durable household items such as towels, pots, and pans, etc., Central Van Lines will arrange to reclaim those items upon delivery of your property.
EXCLUSIONS
Central Van Lines is not liable for an inconvenience claim payment if:
(1) A delay was solely caused by natural disasters; acts of the public enemy; acts of the Government; acts of the public authority; violent strikes; mob interference; or delays of Code J or Code T shipments that were caused by the Government and our negligence did not contribute to the delay.
(2) You, or your designated representative, is not available for delivery on our destination agent's First Available Delivery Date (FADD), as long as the FADD is on or before before the RDD.
(3) The delayed shipment is comprised entirely of alcohol.
(4) The shipment went into "Storage-in-Transit (SIT)" except as identified below:
(4a) When a shipment goes into SIT without us having notified you (though since notification of SIT is included by default in the emailed delivery offer that we would have sent you before ever affecting the SIT, this exception seems very unlikely)
(4b) When we are not able to deliver the shipment out of SIT within five (5) GBDs (within ten (10) GBDs for shipments with a requested delivery date from 15 June through 15 August each year) of your requested delivery.
FILE THE CLAIM
Please email [email protected]. In the email, state your intent to file an inconvenience for either 1) missing the RDD, or 2) failing to arrange for delivery out of SIT timely. Provide your GBL Number, your fully calculated per diem allowance, and any excess itemized expenses with substantiating receipts and a narrative of how delivery beyond the RDD has caused a hardship. Receipt of your email will be acknowledged within 5 GBDs. Any additional information required on our end to settle your claim will be requested by reply to your submission email. Inconvenience Claims will be reimbursed within 30 days from your filing of the claim.
DISPUTED CLAIMS
Central Van Lines will make every effort to resolve any disputes with you directly. In the event we are unable to resolve the dispute, we will contact the responsible area's government Personal Property Shipping Office (PPSO) for resolution. Should we disagree with the PPSO resolution, we may appeal the case to USTRANSCOM J9 within 10 calendar days of notification from the responsible PPSO. The decision of USTRANSCOM J9 is final and the claim will then be settled within 10 days from the date of the final decision.
The intent of the Inconvenience claim is to offset expenses you incur because you are not able to use necessary items in your shipment to establish your household. Effective with shipments whose originally-booked requested pickup date is May 15 2020 and later, the new Inconvenience Claim process provides a simplified, receipt-free method for you to be compensated for inconveniences associated with missed Required Delivery Dates (RDD).
The government's own per diem schedule is the basis for this new simplified process, which provides easy calculation and very quick payment... without even the need to track expenses or keep and present receipts! If we shipped items that are required to establish a household, and their delay is attributed to actual out-of-pocket expenses beyond the baseline amount established by the per diem, Central Van Lines will review and consider those claims in accordance with the guidance listed in the "Actual Expenses" section below.
The amount applicable for reimbursement at the delivery location as defined in Block 18 of the Government Bill of Lading (GBL) is found using the government per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses (excluding lodging). You can find a link to the government's per diem schedule HERE. You will be compensated for all days that result in our failure to deliver on or before the RDD as stated on the GBL or correction notice thereof, provided you had an established residence to which you had access and would have been able to move into, and provided that you can establish that you would have been available to accept delivery on or before the RDD. The claim will be computed beginning the day after the missed RDD. The payment will include the full meals and incidental expense rates for the DoD customer at affected location and number of days at the 100% rate. The maximum amount due as part of an inconvenience claim payment without receipts is limited to seven (7) days.
**NOTE** This simplified per-diem-based process is ONLY applicable to your Household Goods (HHG) shipment, not your Unaccompanied Baggage ("UB", aka "Air", aka "Express") shipment. See below section on "Actual Expenses" for your UB shipment.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The following guidelines apply to 1) UB shipments and 2) instances where your actual out-of-pocket expenses exceed payments of the per diem baseline:
(1) Actual out-of-pocket expenses are expenses you may incur because you are not able to use necessary items in your shipment to establish your household. Expenses that may be reimbursed when establishing a household include, but are not limited to, laundry service, furniture and/or appliance rental (to include rental of a television), air mattresses, towels, linens, pillows, and necessary kitchen items such as pots, pans, dishes, paper plates, and plastic ware. Proof of tender (based on the signed inventory listing) must be established for any claimed item. Further, approval will be based upon the items being reasonable, temporary, and necessary for you and your family to use while you wait for your property to be delivered. Finally, you will be asked to provide a narrative of how delivery beyond the RDD has caused a hardship.
(2) Groceries are not eligible for reimbursement. Lodging and meals are normally not part of an inconvenience claim but we recognize there may be unique circumstances that would require consideration. Exceptions to the minimum requirements may be considered on a case-by-case basis. In instances where lodging or meals are approved, it should be reasonable and usually will only be reimbursed for a short duration.
(3) You are required to document the claim fully with an itemized list of charges and accompanying receipts for expenses incurred.
(4) A request for reimbursement of alcoholic beverages is prohibited.
(5) If an inconvenience claim payment is made for durable household items such as towels, pots, and pans, etc., Central Van Lines will arrange to reclaim those items upon delivery of your property.
EXCLUSIONS
Central Van Lines is not liable for an inconvenience claim payment if:
(1) A delay was solely caused by natural disasters; acts of the public enemy; acts of the Government; acts of the public authority; violent strikes; mob interference; or delays of Code J or Code T shipments that were caused by the Government and our negligence did not contribute to the delay.
(2) You, or your designated representative, is not available for delivery on our destination agent's First Available Delivery Date (FADD), as long as the FADD is on or before before the RDD.
(3) The delayed shipment is comprised entirely of alcohol.
(4) The shipment went into "Storage-in-Transit (SIT)" except as identified below:
(4a) When a shipment goes into SIT without us having notified you (though since notification of SIT is included by default in the emailed delivery offer that we would have sent you before ever affecting the SIT, this exception seems very unlikely)
(4b) When we are not able to deliver the shipment out of SIT within five (5) GBDs (within ten (10) GBDs for shipments with a requested delivery date from 15 June through 15 August each year) of your requested delivery.
FILE THE CLAIM
Please email [email protected]. In the email, state your intent to file an inconvenience for either 1) missing the RDD, or 2) failing to arrange for delivery out of SIT timely. Provide your GBL Number, your fully calculated per diem allowance, and any excess itemized expenses with substantiating receipts and a narrative of how delivery beyond the RDD has caused a hardship. Receipt of your email will be acknowledged within 5 GBDs. Any additional information required on our end to settle your claim will be requested by reply to your submission email. Inconvenience Claims will be reimbursed within 30 days from your filing of the claim.
DISPUTED CLAIMS
Central Van Lines will make every effort to resolve any disputes with you directly. In the event we are unable to resolve the dispute, we will contact the responsible area's government Personal Property Shipping Office (PPSO) for resolution. Should we disagree with the PPSO resolution, we may appeal the case to USTRANSCOM J9 within 10 calendar days of notification from the responsible PPSO. The decision of USTRANSCOM J9 is final and the claim will then be settled within 10 days from the date of the final decision.