How to File a Claim Against the TSA for Damaged or Stolen Property





Cardboard Box After TSA Baggage Inspection
This box was inspected by the TSA.  The TSA sliced open the box at a bottom corner and then, using white TSA tape, improperly taped the incisions, leaving the box partially open and structurally weakened during transit.

  
In the likely event the TSA has damaged or stolen your property, and you want to file a claim against them, you can download the form and find instructions here: TSA Claim Instructions and Form.

You will be stunned to see the form is a whopping four pages. Seriously, how many pages does it take to explain some TSA moron broke the zipper on your suitcase or stole the perfume you bought on your trip as a gift for your mother? Here's the deal. The TSA does not just want to know what you lost, they want to know everything.

The TSA wants to know a lot about you. They want to know your marital status. They want your birth date. They want employment information. They want your insurance information.

The TSA also wants to know about your travel and property. They want receipts. They want repair estimates. They want baggage claim numbers. They want flight numbers. They want complete flight itineraries. They want witnesses.

Even more ridiculous, the TSA expects you to know what happened to your luggage while it was out of your sight. They want to know when the offense occurred. They want to know where it occurred. How are you supposed to know the time and location of where your checked baggage was violated? You check your bags at your departure airport, and you do not see them again until you reach your destination. That means your luggage has gone through at least two airports. If you get routed through multiple airports, you might have a few possible locations and times spread over thousands of miles and several hours. You might assume your baggage got violated at your departure airport, but you have no way of knowing that for sure.

It is painfully clear the TSA has designed the claim process to be so cumbersome, very few people will bother to submit a claim. People who travel by air do not have time to spend hours filling out forms, tracking down documents, making copies, etc. just to have a chance at getting a small check at some undetermined point in the future. The TSA has made the process ridiculous because they do not want claims made against them. The claims make them look bad, cost money, take time, and provide fuel for critics of the TSA.

If you, however, have the time to file a claim against the TSA, go ahead. You may not get results, but, at the very least, you can generate a paper trail that can be used to embarrass the TSA and bog them down with paperwork. It is difficult to embarrass a shameless entity, and bureaucrats love paperwork, but maybe filing a claim will help you feel better. At least you will know somewhere there is one more document to prove the TSA has little respect for the personal property of innocent people. On the bright side, these claims do add up. Somewhere there will be a report documenting how many claims were made against the TSA and how many were resolved. Your claim could be that one that pushes the total up to a level someone in power will consider unacceptable.

You should not just stop with filing a claim with the TSA. You can cause a little more noise by getting some attention from the Congressional Oversight Committee. A simple little letter, fax or email containing a brief account of how the TSA damaged or stole your property will be sufficient.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security.

You can reach him at

Rep. Jason Chaffetz
2464 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC  20515

Phone: (202) 225-7751

In the unlikely event, you happen to live in his Utah district, you may be able to send an email to him through his Web site.

So, if you want to file a claim against the TSA for damaged or stolen property there is no easy way, but it is important that you do not sit by and do nothing. If the TSA has broken or stolen your stuff, you may just be one victim in a class of many thousands of people, but you and your property do matter. Make sure to do something. File a claim, contact your Representative, contact your Senators, contact officials in charge, post stories and photos online, etc. Just do something to make sure the TSA's abuse of your property does not go by unmentioned. If enough individuals make enough noise, things will change.