Bringing Family TDY (Kelly for PIQ)

[FDNYOldGuy]

Hello, all. I wasn't sure what Discussion Group this fell best into, but this one seemed to have more family-specific questions. 

Barring any unforeseen issues, I'll be heading to Kelly for PIQ here in a few months and I'm looking to bring my family with me. I was wondering if you folks might have some pointers on helping to make that happen. I gather they won't put any family provisions on my orders for a TDY, but I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about it all since they are coming with me. As of now, I'll likely have to have a TDY en route or TDY from UPT because I've got a tight turn between UPT graduation and my first day of PIQ class. There likely won't be enough time to PCS all the way to my gaining base (Reservist, also, if that matters any) and back to San Antonio in the days between.

I know there's lodging at Kelly they initially want us in, but it seems like it's not impossible to get a Non-A or, perhaps, the JTR allows other accommodation? I've had a little more trouble locating a family crash pad, as most seem to be closer to Randolph for PIT or more based on single folks sharing a Real World house, but I've heard that there are family crash pads out there.

Have any of you had similar experiences of bringing family TDY or getting a family crash pad and have any tips? Any pitfalls to look out for? Should I aim for a specific TDY setup (en route, PCS first, TDY then PCS) in my orders, if I can swing it?

Thank you in advance. 

[brabus]

TDY enroute with dependents on your orders is the best option. Talk to your UPT SQ/CC and you’ll also have to work it through MPF. It will likely take CC interaction with MPF to make it happen, as MPF’s standard answer will be no. If you only have a matter of days between the two courses, that sounds like a solid reason to go this route.  
 

If that all works, the AF will have to provide you lodging that covers your whole family. If no TLFs available, its on you to find something off base. Ha e you looked into long term air bnb in the local area?

Edited January 26, 2020 by brabus

[FDNYOldGuy]

9 minutes ago, brabus said:

TDY enroute with dependents on your orders is the best option. Talk to your UPT SQ/CC and you’ll also have to work it through MPF. It will likely take CC interaction with MPF to make it happen, as MPF’s standard answer will be no. If you only have a matter of days between the two courses, that sounds like a solid reason to go this route.  
 

If that all works, the AF will have to provide you lodging that covers your whole family. If no TLFs available, its on you to find something off base. Ha e you looked into long term air bnb in the local area?

Awesome. Thank you for the reply; it's a huge help. I wasn't sure exactly what type of orders would be the "best" for the family of what's possible and was definitely unsure what was most beneficial WRT TDY en route/PCS then TDY/TDY then PCS.

I'm a Reservist and I'll be going through the 340th FTG to get the orders written, so the structure and who can help push things in a good direction is a little different. Our 340th LNO here is great, so I'm sure I can utilize him once I have more of an idea what I should do. I am sure I could also call in some help from my gaining unit (the 340th "owns" us for the pipeline until the end of PIQ, then the home unit gains us for Prog Tour), but I don't want to bug them yet since they don't have control over any of it and would more be coming in more as an advocate/"could you help our guy out."

I have looked at AirBnB and wasn't sure how that would play in, exactly. From some research, it seems those are acceptable per JTR, but I wasn't 100% sure how to go about going that route or what my limits were. Do I need to get the Non-A from Kelly lodging to be able to go for an AirBnB, or am I allowed up to a certain amount per day per the JTR? IIRC from initial Inprocessing at Randolph, we could get $70/night for lodging (we ended up with a Non-As there and stayed in a hotel).

If I went the AirBnB route, would I get the $70/night for the month (eg, $2100 cap for a 30 day month) for the AirBnB? I did see a couple there that fit the bill with a quick search, so it's definitely an option. 

Thank you again for the help and I appreciate you taking the time. I've tried to dig a little into it myself, but there aren't a lot of other easy resources here since we're all in the same UPT boat and I don't have much extra time to go too far down the rabbit hole. 

[brabus]

Tell your LNO what you want to do, why you need to do it this way, and then ask that they work with the 340th to ensure all of your dependents are on your TDY-enroute orders. 

If Kelly doesn’t have a suitable TLF, they will give you a non-A. Maybe JTR defines “suitable,” but I think it’s something like BR for you/wife, BR for kids (under 10 can share room or something like that), allows pets if you have them, etc. With non-A, you get $127/day for lodging in San Antonio (I looked it up). For arguments sake, even if you didn’t have a non-A, you can still choose to refuse a lodging room and the AF has to reimburse you Kelly’s lodging rate, which is probably $70/day. So that’s the bare min you would get. 
 

 

[FDNYOldGuy]

Thank you again for the help and pointing me in the right direction! I appreciate you taking the time.

[the g-man]

As for looking for a place, I used Alamo Corporate Housing to get a spot for myself, wife, and dog during PIT. They work with a good number of military in the same situation and can help get you in something reasonably close to Kelly, I am sure.


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