News Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Offers Assistance with Pet Travel During Overseas Moves

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
875 N. Randolph St., Suite 225
Arlington, VA 22203
www.nmcrs.org

Contact: Gillian Gonzalez, CFRE
Vice President, Chief Development and Communications Officer
(703) 696-7455 / (800) 654-8364 office
DSN 426-7455
(703) 785-0181 cell
Fax (703) 696-0144
gillian.gonzalez@nmcrs.org

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Offers Assistance with Pet Travel During Overseas Moves

Arlington, VA, May 11, 2021 – The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society now offers assistance with pet travel associated with permanent change of station orders to or from an overseas base. An interest-free loan of up to $5,500 to cover the cost of up to two pets is now available. Service members may apply for this assistance when the Department of Defense is unable to support PCS travel options for pets which is defined by DoD as a dog or cat.

“Due to COVID-19, commercial and military flights have reduced capacity for transporting pets, causing a significant financial burden on our Sailors, Marines and families serving overseas,” said Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler, USN (Ret.), Executive Vice President, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, “Pets are treasured members of our families and now Sea Service families won’t have to go into debt or make the difficult decision of leaving their pets behind due to expensive travel costs.”

To apply for this assistance, the service member will need to provide:

  • Verification of pet ownership (as recognized by the DoD)
    • A pet passport may be required for each pet in some areas
    • DoD pet travel paperwork may be used for verification
  • Service member should provide an estimate of pet travel costs when military flights are not available.
  • Service member is responsible for completing necessary steps and covering costs to ensure the pet is prepared for travel (health, kennel, and specific breed requirements).

For more information, visit https://www.nmcrs.org/financial-assistance-and-counseling or email casework@nmcrs.org.

About Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

Since 1904, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society has provided need-based financial assistance and education to active duty and retired members of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, their eligible family members and survivors. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the Society is a non-profit, charitable organization that is staffed by more than 3,000 volunteers, and a small cadre of employees, in offices around the world – ashore and aboard ships.

Download PDF version