ADDITIONAL HHG CLAIM FILING INFORMATION

1. A SEPARATE claim is required for EACH shipment. This means you must file a 

separate claim for unaccompanied baggage, household goods, and non temporary storage. 

You have two years from the date of delivery to present a claim to this office. Mailed 

claims are presented when they are RECEIVED by the Military Claims Office - not when 

they are put in the mail. If you are filing more than one claim, please keep your 

paperwork separate when presenting your claims.

2. Claimants with private insurance DO NOT HAVE TO FILE a claim with your private 

insurance company IF your claim is for loss/damage to your personal property while it 

was being shipped or stored at government expense. However, you may want to consider 

the following issues when deciding whether or not to file with your private insurance 

company:

 (a) Your private insurance company will most likely pay you the full replacement 

value for lost or missing items rather than the fair market value (depreciated value 

replacement cost (DVRC)) the government is authorized to pay. Under FRV the 

government will pay DVRC and assert the TSP/Carrier FRV. When the government 

recovers FRV you will be compensated the difference between FRV and DVRC. 

 (b) The Government has limits on both the total amount it can pay and on how much it 

can pay for certain types of property. (Example: Linens - $400.00 per item and 

$2,000.00 per claim)

If you choose to file a claim with your private insurance company you MUST file with 

your insurer BEFORE filing a claim with the U.S. Government. The claim with the 

insurance company MUST be settled before the Coast Guard can consider your claim. If 

your insurance will not cover the loss/damage, indicate this and attach a copy of the 

Declaration page from your insurance company.

3. The Military Claims Office cannot pay insurance deductibles. If you receive payment 

for missing or damaged items through your insurance company, you must claim any 

items you were not fully reimbursed for on your DD Form 1844 to receive compensation 

of these items.

4. If the carrier requests an inspection of your shipment for loss or damage items, you 

must allow the inspection. Refusal may result in denial of your claim. The carrier may 

not remove any of your property during or upon completion of their inspection.

5. If the carrier damaged your residence during pickup or delivery you must notify the 

TSP as soon as it is discovered, then you must file a claim for the damage directly with 

the TSP that caused the damaged (origin or destination). The Military Claims Office 

cannot pay for damage to real property.
6. Please be advised that:

a. Claims must be presented in writing within two (2) years of the date of accrual (the 

date of delivery). A claim cannot be paid if it is presented more than two years after 

accrual. The DD Form 1840/1840R (the pink forms)/1850/1851 and the Notice of 

Damage Forms must be dispatched within 75 days of delivery of the property. All 

damage noted during delivery or unpacking must be included on the back of the 

Notification Forms noted above. Items damaged or missing that the TSP/Carrier did not 

receive notice of within 75 days is usually denied for Lost Potential Carrier Recovery. 

b. Each claim is different however the TSP/Carrier is responsible to hire and arrange for a 

Repair Firm Representative to come out and conduct an inspection of the claimed 

damages. If damages are severe and you feel that you should have someone come out to 

conduct and inspection to protect your interests or you have safety concerns, you should 

contact the Transportation Office and request that a representative from the 

Transportation Office come to your home and document the damages. This is something 

that should be requested for severe damage or mold/mildew. 

Note: If there is evidence of severe mold and mildew, you should contact the 

Transportation Office immediately to have a representative come out to your home before 

the items are taken into your home. Items containing extreme mold/mildew should not 

be delivered to your home. Mold and mildew can pose serious health risks so you should 

contact the Quality Control representative from the Transportation Office and request that 

they come out and make the determination whether the items are salvageable

c. DO NOT repair, replace or throw away any property listed on your claim. The TSP 

has 30 days to salvage items you were paid replacement cost for from the date you 

receive notice of settlement from the TSP/Carrier (This claim is settled directly between 

you and the TSP). The TSP has 45 days from the date you are notified of settlement from 

the Military Claims Office to salvage items you were paid Depreciated Value 

Replacement Cost (DVRC) or Replacement Cost (RC) for. You may contact the 

TSP/Carrier to inquire if they are going to exercise their right to salvage if you would like 

to discard the items prior to the timelines above. 

d. Under FRV Guidelines claims are settled between you and the TSP/Carrier directly in 

DPS. All claims must be filed in the DPS System with the exception of Non-Temp 

Storage Shipments (NTS), Direct Procurement Method (DPM) and Local Moves. In the 

DPS System you accept or decline the offer for each item claimed. You can negotiate 

with the TSP/Carrier on the amount offered. Once they have made their final offer you 

can accept the amount offered or transfer one or all items to the Military Claims Office 

(MCO). The TSP/Carrier has 30 days from the date you accept the offer to make 

payment to you. You will have to file a paper claim with the MCO for any item/items 

that you have transferred to the MCO in DPS. 
Note: If you receive a check and/or a release form from the TSP/Carrier and you are 

unsure if you should cash the check or sign the release form, you should contact the 

Military Claims Office before doing so.

e. You must include correspondence received from the carrier or warehouse with your 

claims package.

f. In a member's absence, another person may present the claim if they have a valid 

power of attorney to file a claim on behalf of the member. 

In such a case, the person signs as follows:

Member’s Name

by: Person’s signature, Attorney-in-fact

7. Make a complete copy of your claim, including the supporting documentation such 

as photographs, receipts, etc... for your records. Send your claim in by certified mail, 

return receipt requested. 

Questions? Contact the Claims Section at the LSC by telephone, fax, or email.

Mailing Address: COMMANDING OFFICER (LSC-C)

 LEGAL SERVICE COMMAND

 U.S. COAST GUARD 

 300 EAST MAIN ST STE 400 

 NORFOLK, VA. 23510 

Phone Number: (757)-628-6212

Fax: (757)-628-4218 (Attn: HHG Claims) 

For questions or comments about Household Goods Claims send e-mail to the Legal 

Service Commands HHG claims specialist D05-SMB-HHG@USCG.MIL

PENALTIES: Pursuant to Section 287 of Title 18, United States Code, anyone filing a 

false or fraudulent claim may be fined up to $10,000 and/or imprisoned for up to five 

years. Military personnel filing a false claim are subject to court-martial for violating 

Article 132 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.