On 1 May 2026, the Pentagon stood up a new permanent organization called the Personal Property Activity at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

It reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and takes over oversight of the entire military household goods moving system.

What Is the Personal Property Activity?

The Personal Property Activity (PPA) is a centralized oversight agency responsible for military household goods moves across all branches. It consolidates authority over:

• Shipping offices
• Claims processing
• Transportation service providers
• Business rules

The Personal Property Activity is the permanent version of the PCS Joint Task Force that stepped in when HomeSafe Alliance’s contract was terminated in 2025 — same mission, now with a permanent mandate instead of a temporary one.

It’s based at Scott AFB, Illinois. If you have HHG issues that aren’t getting resolved at the installation level, Scott is where it escalates.

Why Was It Created?

The short answer: the HomeSafe Alliance contract failed, and the system that was supposed to replace it made things worse before it got better.

The Global Household Goods Contract — awarded to HomeSafe Alliance in 2022 — was supposed to consolidate all military moves under a single private contractor and solve the long-running problems with the old HHG system.

Instead, the HomeSafe created its own set of problems, and in June 2025, the Pentagon terminated the contract. The PCS Joint Task Force was stood up to fix ongoing issues and provide one centralized agency for oversight of the PCS process.

The Personal Property Activity is simply the permanent structure that replaced that task force.

What Does It Actually Do?

The Personal Property Activity has authority over:

• Shipping offices — the PPSOs and PPPOs at every installation that coordinate your move
• Transportation Service Providers — the moving companies approved to handle military household goods
• Claims processing — damage claims filed through DPS after delivery
• Business rules — the policies that govern how moves are scheduled, executed, and paid for
• DPS replacement — overseeing development of a new system to replace the Defense Personal Property System, which is over 25 years old

The goal is a single chain of command so that when something goes wrong with a military move, there’s one place to escalate it and one organization accountable for fixing it. Whether that works in practice will become clearer after a full PCS season.

What About the DPS Replacement?

The Defense Personal Property System — the portal military families use to manage household goods moves at move.mil — is over 25 years old and approaching technical failure. A replacement is in development under the Personal Property Activity’s oversight. There’s no confirmed timeline yet, so until it’s ready, DPS remains the system you’ll use to initiate and track your move.

The 75-day window to file damage claims through DPS also remains in effect. Don’t wait until you’ve fully unpacked — start your claim as soon as you identify damage and file it ASAP.

What Does This Mean for Your PCS Move Right Now?

A lot has changed for the 2026 PCS season, but for most families, the move back to military oversight for HHG won’t affect you much. You still work with your installation’s transportation office to schedule your move, the government still assigns a mover, and you still file claims through DPS.

What should change over time is accountability — faster resolution when things go wrong and better visibility into systemic problems.

The practical advice remains the same regardless of who’s overseeing the system:

• Contact your installation transportation office as soon as orders drop
• Photograph high-value items before pack day
• Review inventory sheets carefully at pickup and delivery
• File damage claims within 75 days of delivery through DPS
• Keep copies of everything

For the travel side of your PCS — authorized travel days, per diem, and mileage reimbursement — your entitlements are unchanged. See our complete PCS entitlements guide for the full breakdown.

Official PPA Resources

The PPA has a library of downloadable fact sheets at ppa.mil. The most useful ones for families doing a HHG move:

• 7-Day Scheduling Window — how to calculate your scheduling window with examples and contact info
• Appointing an Agent for Your Move — how to authorize someone to manage your shipment if you can’t be there
• Inconvenience Claims — how and when to file if your move is delayed
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys — why filling these out matters and how mover ratings are affected
• Personal Property Quick Reference Guide — gives you an overview of customer and mover responsibilities, general moving tips, and branch-specific customer service contacts.

Log in to DPS to initiate or track your move at dps.move.mil. For issues not resolved at the installation level, contact the PPA Call Center at 1-833-MIL-MOVE (833-645-6683), Option 1.

Frequently Asked Questions