If you've made a permanent change-of-station move to or from overseas and shipped your car through the military this summer, you may be among those who have encountered a huge inconvenience because your car was not delivered when expected.

This inconvenience has meant out-of-pocket costs for many service members — although there is some good news in that those costs can be reimbursed in many cases.

The new contractor, International Auto Logistics, has had problems getting service members' privately owned vehicles to their destinations in a timely manner since taking over the contract May 1. As of this writing, the backlog still had not been cleared. Troops have complained about the delays, and about problems getting IAL to respond to inquiries on the status of their vehicles.

Some things you should know about your rights:

■ If your vehicle isn't delivered by the required delivery date, you are entitled to be reimbursed through the military for rental car expenses of up to $30 per day. To get reimbursement for the first seven days, contact your finance or disbursing office.

■ If your vehicle still hasn't arrived, you can continue to get reimbursed after seven days, but the reimbursement comes directly from the contractor, IAL. The company will cover the cost of a standard or intermediate vehicle rental beginning the eighth day after the required delivery date.

■ IAL also is responsible for lodging expenses you may incur because it missed the required delivery date. This reimbursement is based on the per diem rate for locations as listed in the Joint Federal Travel Regulations.

■ IAL will reimburse for other expenses such as renting infant car seats or booster seats, and will consider other requests on a case-by-case basis. So if you have another expense that was directly related to your POV's late arrival, submit it.

■ Submit claims to IAL online through claims@ialpov.us. Visit IAL's website at www.pcsmypov.com and scroll down for information about claims and to download the short "Inconvenience Claim Form." Or you can submit claims to the vehicle processing center where your vehicle is to be, or was, delivered.

■ If your vehicle is damaged, IAL vehicle processing center employees have the ability to settle a claim with you on the spot when you take delivery, based on a matrix of auto repair costs. If you don't agree with their offer, you can get an independent estimate and appeal to the company. If you're still unsatisfied, you can file a claim through the military.

■ If a vehicle is lost or destroyed, IAL is required under the new contract to compensate owners based on National Automobile Dealers Association listings for the value of the vehicles.

Know your rights — don't pay out of pocket for costs incurred because of these problems. If you have problems asserting your rights, the military will help you. Email the U.S. Transportation Command's Inspector General POV customer support team at http://usarmy.scott.sddc.mbx.pov-ig-response@mail.mil. They handle inquiries from people of all branches of service related to this issue.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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