Household claims process changes

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Leslie D. Long
  • 95th Air Base Wing Staff Judge Advocate
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  People who have damaged household goods have a new, online process to submit claims. The claims, which were previously processed locally through the Edwards Legal Office, are now processed online and submitted to the Air Force Claims Service Center near Dayton, Ohio.

The change is a result of the Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps consolidation of the claims process.

Personal claims involve the loss or damage of household goods and privately owned vehicles during shipment, as well as during storage at government expense, and loss or damage to personal property located in government quarters or other authorized locations incident to government service, said Master Sgt. Billy Stiltner, Law Office superintendent.

However, trauma-related claims will continue to be processed at the base legal office, he said. An example of such a claim would be injuries resulting from the alleged negligence of a government vehicle driver.

"For personnel claims, the new process will enable Air Force employees to file claims on-line and electronically submit required documents to the AFCSC," Sergeant Stiltner said.

Employees can complete the process from home after a one-time login on any government computer.

As employees complete their claims online, they can get customer service over the Web or from the AFCSC by phone. Not only will the on-line filing system accelerate the processing of the claim, it will allow for quicker payment to the claimant.

"It will still be necessary for claimants to submit the pink form (Defense Department Form 1840/1840R, entitled 'Joint Statement of Loss or Damage at Delivery/Notice of Loss and/or Damage') to the Edwards' legal office within 70 days from the date of delivery," he said. "After that, the claim itself will need to be submitted directly to the Air Force Claims Service Center within two years from the date of the incident."

People assigned to Edwards can now file a claim electronically, however, Sergeant Stiltner said, "If you filed your claim prior to Jan. 16, 2007, your claim will continue to be adjudicated by the legal office here.

"Once people file a claim online, they will be required to submit documents electronically to the AFCSC," he said.

To file a claim, go online to the center's Web site at https://claims.jag.af.mil. People can also call the AFCSC at (877) 754-1212 or DSN 986-8844.

The Edwards legal office staff is available to assist with this new process and to answer any questions people may have in filing a claim, Sergeant Stiltner said.

For more information on the new claims process, call the Edwards Legal Office at (661) 277-9610. For more information on AFCSC, visit AFCSC Web site at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/claims.