Military households moving to a new duty station this summer may not get to claim a new pet transportation entitlement that was created by Congress in December.
The proposed rules allowing the reimbursement of pet travel are still sitting on a desk at the Pentagon. The Defense Department confirmed in an emailed statement Friday that the draft regulation authorizing the military services to pay the reimbursement awaits the approval of the chair of the Pentagon's Per Diem Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee.
The deputy secretary of defense for military personnel policy chairs that committee, according to a DoD website. Stephanie Miller currently holds the job. Congress created the new entitlement as part of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which was passed into law on Dec. 23.
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Officials didn't immediately confirm whether Miller's approval is all that's needed nor clarify details about the effective date of the new discretionary authority being given to the services to reimburse for pet travel.
The Defense Department has traditionally covered dependents' travel expenses, but troops have had to pay out of pocket to move their pets.
The 2023 NDAA says service secretaries may reimburse up to $550 per move within the continental U.S., and up to $4,000 per move to or from a foreign duty station.
But the…
