TMO: New claims info to help movers get full replacement value for lost or damaged goods Published Feb. 12, 2008 By Air Force Transportation Management Office BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The Claim Service Center announced full replacement value, or FRV, is available for most Personal Property shipments picked up after Oct. 1, 2007. Because the way claims are processed has dramatically changed, it's important for all customers to know the new procedures when filing claims. Non-temporary Storage (NTS) and direct procurement method (DPM) shipments will enter the FRV program in March 2008. For a permanent change of station, FRV means a new contract has been established with the carrier industry. Please follow these steps to make a claim: 1) File a claim directly with the carrier. If an item is lost or destroyed, the carrier should pay to replace it with a like item. Usually that would be a new item, but it could be used. The carrier will still require the member to prove its value and quality and will likely want the member to provide evidence of what it will cost to replace it. If the item is damaged, the carrier can request the member get estimates for repair, get their own estimates, and/or repair it themselves. The member will still need a DD Form 1840 to notify the carrier of any damage within 70 days, and has nine months, changed from two years, to file a claim to get FRV. The member can still take up to two years to file, but then won't get FRV. 2) If the member agrees with the way a carrier handles an item, the member signs a legal release for that item and takes the money for it. 3) For every item on which the member does not agree with the carrier's offer, the member can file with their Claims Service center. The center will pay the member an appropriate repair or depreciated value, and then will try to collect the FRV from the carrier. If they get more money from the carrier, they will pass it on to the member. The new process doesn't necessarily mean all household goods will be replaced with new ones, but it is a significantly different system that promises big changes in the way claims will be handled in the future. For more information, call the Buckley claims office at 720-847-6444.