Who should be responsible for the reimbursement for the ruined furniture?

SGT William Martinez — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 12:54:18 -0400

My brother in law is in the USCG. He and his family live in old air force housing that is now owned by the CG. Not too recently it was discovered that the house they are in is severely infested with mold To the point they cannot inhabit the house. All the furniture has been exposed to the mold. The CG has moved them to an apartment on the same base. Who should be responsible for the reimbursement for the ruined furniture and should the command not be the ones to assist with finding suitable housing?

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Jul 28 at 2016 12:58 PM

SGM Steve Wettstein — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 12:58:18 -0400

Obviously not in CG, but it should be who ever is in charge of base housing. Tell him to contact JAG if you can't get any answers.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Jul 28 at 2016 1:26 PM

SGM Erik Marquez — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 13:26:54 -0400

I was always told that is what renters insurance is for. The lessor In ( in this case the GOV) is likley not going to pay for damage caused by something they did not directly cause.
If the roof caved in while they were "fixing" the roof, a claim paid is likley.
If the condition that caused the mold was known, reported and ignored, they MIGHT pay a claim.
If the condition was only found out because of the mold, and the lessor is taking immediate steps to correct it (from your post, sounds like they are) Id guess they will refer you to your insurance company. Which i would expect.. Talk with housing first, JAG second, see if there are options available, but do not be surprised when you are told that is why it is reccomended you have renters insurance.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 28 at 2016 2:12 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 14:12:24 -0400

If hazardous conditions exist that were not disclosed in the original lease agreement, the leasing company is responsible for anything that may arise from the hazard.

Response by FN Charlie Spivey made Jul 28 at 2016 2:32 PM

FN Charlie Spivey — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 14:32:49 -0400

Hmmmm, must be what was once Otis AFB on Cape Cod. They shut down and the Coast Guard has an Air Station there now as wel as the Mass. ANG.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 28 at 2016 4:34 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 16:34:45 -0400

I had a Soldier that lived in the barracks in Fort Bragg (yup prior to the mold video) and she went on leave for 30 days. When she came back there was mold everywhere in her room and over her stuff. Housing looked into it and found the Soldier didn't do anything wrong that there was an issue with the AC. Getting her military gear replaced was easy of course but her personal gear was harder. In the end the military did pay for the cleaning of her clothes and having a cleaning team come in and get the rest of her items sanitized and back to usable condition. Some things had to be tossed but they recovered a lot. The Soldier wanted everything replaced but the Army wouldn't have it one bit. They professionally cleaned about 85% and replaced the other 15%.

I would look at a cleaning service versus a replacement. I know most people balk at cleaning but there are professional companies out there that do a great job in cleaning then putting a protective layer back on certain items to prevent the reoccurrence of mold. Think of families that have fire or water damaged houses, not everything is tossed that can be saved. I think if they try to minimize the tossing that they will find the government more prone to help. I also agree that renters insurance would give them an extra layer. Even if they don't have renters insurance have them call their insurance company. I am certain the insurance company has come across the issue before.

Response by CPO Arthur Garcia made Jul 29 at 2016 3:10 PM

CPO Arthur Garcia — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 15:10:48 -0400

Yes as a fellow coastie the command should seek compensation for your brother in law.

Response by PO2 Charles Kokel made Jul 30 at 2016 8:00 PM

PO2 Charles Kokel — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 20:00:24 -0400

I'm not sure that's the biggest problem with the coast guard. I was sent TAD to New York and they put me in barracks that was already condemned for black mold, but because they couldn't afford hotels they put us I there. Most likely they need to go to there command if not they can apply for assistance from coast guard mutual assistance. In a situation like they will give a grant instead of a loan

Response by PO1 Terese Duffy made Aug 3 at 2016 9:37 AM

PO1 Terese Duffy — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 09:37:28 -0400

Good thing to take up with district legal. Don't forget that he and his family was exposed to the mold for the entire time they were living there and should have complete exams and lung function test done and entrees made into there medical records for future claims against the government. Look at what is happening everyone who was stationed at Camp Lejeune and the contaminated water.