PCS season is here. And while the military does a thorough job of moving your household goods, no one hands you a checklist for what happens to your insurance coverage when you move.
A permanent change of station isn’t just a logistical event; it’s a financial transition. New state, new home, vehicles on new roads, and in some cases, a gap between when old coverage ends and new coverage begins. For military families, those gaps can be significant. This checklist walks through what to review, what to update, and what can fall through the cracks if you don’t catch it before the moving truck pulls away.
The Quick PCS Insurance Checklist
Before you out-process from your current duty station:
- Review your life insurance coverage amount—does it still reflect your family’s actual financial needs?
- Confirm your beneficiary designation is current.
- Note any state-specific coverage restrictions at your new duty station.
- Contact your auto insurer about coverage in your new state before you arrive.
- Confirm homeowners or renters insurance is in place before household goods are delivered.
- Update DEERS with your new address.
- Confirm your TRICARE plan enrollment at your new location.
- If this is your final PCS before separation, start planning your SGLI transition now.
Life Insurance: Your PCS Move Is a Good Reason to Review Your Coverage
Life insurance doesn’t lapse when you move, but a PCS is one of the most reliable prompts to review whether your coverage still reflects your current situation.
Check your coverage amount
If you’ve bought a home at your new duty station, taken on a new mortgage, or added a dependent since your last review, your existing coverage amount may no longer reflect what your family would actually need. A PCS, especially one involving a home purchase, is a natural trigger for a coverage review.
Update your beneficiary designation
Address changes, family changes, and life changes can all affect whether your beneficiary designation still reflects your intentions. Contact a Uniformed Services Benefit Association® (USBA®) Member Services representative at 800-821-7912 or email usbainfo@usba.com to confirm your beneficiary information is current. An outdated designation can create significant complications for your family at the worst possible time.
Know that your USBA coverage moves with you
USBA-sponsored group life insurance is portable. If you retire or separate from service at or after your PCS, your coverage continues, with no increase in premium and no decrease in coverage amount simply because your employment status changed. Your coverage can go where you go.
If SGLI is your primary coverage, now is the time to plan ahead
If this PCS is your last before separation, your Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) coverage ends with your service. You have a 120-day window after separation to convert to Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) without a medical exam, but VGLI premiums increase with age and can become difficult to maintain. USBA-sponsored coverage offers an alternative worth considering before that window closes. Rates are based on your age at the time you apply, so earlier typically means lower premiums.
Auto and Homeowners Insurance: What Changes When You Move States
This is where PCS moves create the most immediate insurance risk. Auto and homeowners insurance are state-regulated, and coverage that was perfectly adequate in one state may not meet requirements, or may not even be valid, in another.
Auto insurance
Every state has its own minimum liability requirements, and they vary significantly. Some states require personal injury protection (PIP); others don’t. If you’re moving from a no-fault state to an at-fault state or vice versa, your existing policy may need changes beyond just updating your address. Contact your insurer before you arrive at your new duty station, not after.
Homeowners or renters insurance
If you’re buying a home at your new duty station, your lender will require homeowners insurance before closing. If you’re renting on or off post, renters insurance protects your personal property, your landlord’s policy covers the structure, not your belongings. Either way, confirm coverage is in place before your household goods arrive.
Here’s a helpful tip: if your household belongings get damaged during the move, it’s usually a moving claim through the military’s household goods process rather than a homeowners claim. If you have renter’s insurance, a secondary option is to file a claim through your renter’s insurance.
A Member-only option for USBA Members
A PCS move offers a key opportunity to review your auto and home coverage. Since you’re already making changes, sticking with your current insurer out of habit might prevent you from getting the best value.
Through the Farmers GroupSelect® program, USBA Members can apply for group-discounted auto and homeowners insurance not available to the general public. Others saved an average of $1,093 when they switched their auto and home insurance to Farmers GroupSelect.1 Members don’t need to wait for current policies to expire before switching—a PCS is exactly the kind of natural transition point where making the switch makes sense.
Coverage available through Farmers GroupSelect includes:
- Auto
- Homeowners, condo, and renters
- Personal excess liability
- Boat, recreational vehicle, and motorcycle
- Multi-policy discounts, guaranteed auto repair program, claim-free driving rewards, and towing and roadside assistance
To request a quote, call 1-877-491-5089 and mention discount code A5X, or visit farmersgroupquote.com/USBA.
Health Insurance: Don’t Assume TRICARE Transfers Automatically
TRICARE coverage itself follows you, but the plan type and the providers available to you can change significantly with a PCS. TRICARE Prime, for example, is tied to a primary care manager at a military treatment facility or in a TRICARE network. If your new duty station has different MTF capacity or a different TRICARE region, your coverage options may shift.
Steps to take before or shortly after your PCS:
- Update your DEERS information with your new address as soon as possible.
- Confirm which TRICARE plan is available in your new region.
- Re-enroll in TRICARE Prime at your new location if applicable, enrollment doesn’t transfer automatically in all cases.
- Identify a primary care manager or preferred providers at your new location before you need them.
Questions About Your USBA Coverage During a PCS?
The Uniformed Services Benefit Association has been serving military families, Federal employees, National Guard and Reserve members, and veterans since 1959. If you’re in the middle of a PCS and have questions about your life insurance coverage—whether to review your amount, update your beneficiary, or explore options ahead of a separation—a USBA Product Specialist can help.
Contact a USBA Product Specialist at 877-297-9235, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central time, or visit the Life Insurance Overview page.
1 Based on average nationwide annual savings of new Farmers GroupSelect customers surveyed from 1/1/24 to 8/31/25, who switched their auto and home insurance policies to Farmers GroupSelect branded policies, responded to the survey, and realized savings. Potential savings vary by customer and may vary by state and product.
Program information provided by the following specific insurers seeking to obtain insurance business underwritten by Farmers Property and Casualty Insurance Company and certain of its affiliates: Economy Fire & Casualty Company, Economy Preferred Insurance Company, Farmers Casualty Insurance Company, Farmers Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Farmers Group Property and Casualty Insurance Company, or Farmers Lloyds Insurance Company of Texas, all with administrative home offices in Warwick, RI. List of licenses at farmers.com/companies/state/. Coverage, rates, discounts and policy features vary by state and product and are available in most states to those who qualify. 8939986.1
Follow us on social media @USBAInsurance
Follow us on social media @USBAInsurance