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For Navy personnel at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), preparing for an overseas Permanent Change of Station (PCS) involves navigating through financial currents that can be as unpredictable as the sea. Access to a wealth of financial planning and readiness resources is essential for a smooth transition.
To set Sailors and their families on the road to a smooth PCS, it is important to know and understand what benefits, classes and other types of financial assistance that Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) offers.
To receive financial assistance, Sailors and their families should look toward the offices of Fleet and Family Support Center, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society Yokosuka Office, and the Regional Support Center for Yokosuka.
“The purpose of the Regional Support Center is to assist the Command Pay and Personnel Administrator (CPPA) and provide guidance,” said Personnel Specialist 1st Class Alex Ponce, Leading Petty Officer for Regional Support Center Yokosuka.
Ponce also frequently assists Sailors who may not understand what their entitlements are. “One program Sailors could be entitled to if they’re going from Continental U.S. (CONUS) to Outside the Continental U.S (OCONUS) is TLE, which is Temporary Lodging Expense,” said Ponce.
TLE is an allowance intended to partially pay service members for lodging and meal expenses incurred by a member, or their dependents while occupying temporary lodging in CONUS during a PCS move.
Another office that assists with training Sailors and their spouses comes in the form of the Fleet and Family Support Center, which is an office at CFAY that provides them with support and general assistance.
“When it comes to financial training we offer a PCS training course,” said Germaine Moore, Accredited Financial Counsellor for the Fleet and Family Support Center. “We offer that through our touchpoint curriculum. Fleet and Family offers free counseling, and you don’t have to have a problem when it comes to your money to sign up. We’re encouraging you to be proactive with your money. Becoming financially ready will help you become mission ready.”
Moore also stressed the importance of creating a rock-solid financial plan, while remaining flexible and projecting any future financial burdens that Sailors may take on.
Another resource Sailors can utilize comes from the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, which specializes in providing financial relief for Sailors.
“The most common program that folks use is our quick assist loan program,” said Caroline Coffer, Director of Navy Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) Yokosuka Office. “That’s up to a thousand dollars 0% interest free loan, and military members are allowed to take those out five times over the course of their military career.”
Coffer stressed that loans are given out by NMCRS based on the Sailor’s needs during any financial emergency, citing examples like emergency leave, rent, cell phone bills, car repair, funeral assistance, etc.
“We also offer classes,” said Coffer. “We have a Budget For Baby program, it’s a two hour brief on how finances change when you bring a new addition into your family. We also have a visiting nurse program to provide home, office or virtual visits depending on what questions Sailors and their families might have.”
Coffer also mentioned that NMCRS provides bridge loans for Sailors needing to sign their first off-base lease in Japan, or for pet travel going from OCONUS.
For more information about financial assistance and other resources:
• To contact Fleet and Family Support Center, call DSN 315-243-3372, internationally at 011-81-46-816-3372, or by email FFSCinfo@fe.navy.mil.
• To contact RSC Yokosuka, call DSN 315-243-5757, internationally at 011-81-46-816-5757 or email by RSC_Yokosuka@us.navy.mil.
• To contact NMCRS Yokosuka Office, call DSN 315-243-7905, or internationally at 011-81-46-816-7905, or go to http://www.nmcrs.org.
• Military OneSource at: https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/military-installation/commander-fleet-activities-yokosuka/military-and-family-support-center/financial-assistance.
Information in this article has been taken from subject matter experts during Episode 5 of Season 2 of The Giant Voice Podcast (TGVP) during its Welcome Aboard mini-series, which focuses on command-specific information pertaining to Sailors and their families to assist in their travel and arrival to Japan. The podcast is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora and TuneIn. If any readers are interested in up-to-date command information, follow the CFAY Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cfayokosuka or take a look at CFAY’s YouTube page at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@cfayokosuka.
For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th Fleet forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families.
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2024 03:34 |
| Story ID: | 469309 |
| Location: | YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Welcome Aboard Yokosuka Money Moves: Financial Planning and Readiness For Duty Overseas, by James Kimber, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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