Although damage to personal property at off-base quarters is not normally payable, Congress authorized an exception to allow claims for flood damage because of the unique and devastating nature of the Red River Valley flood.
Officials encourage military members to file their claims as early as possible.
Failure to complete the process by Sept. 30 will result in the denial of any otherwise valid claim because of the expiration of fiscal 1998 funds availability. East Grand Forks area at the time of the flood, which covered much of the two cities. The Claims Act is a gratuitous payment statute that aims to compensate active-duty military members for personal property loss or damage incident to their service. The Air Force claims program applies to personal property and does not include loss or damage to real property. In general, personal property is all tangible property except real estate and items permanently attached to the real property.