The service papers your family will be asked for, what to have in place before a deployment, and what to carry yourself on a PCS move.
Military families deal with more paperwork than most, on a tighter clock, often with one adult away. Three things cover most of it: knowing where the service papers are, having powers of attorney and a care plan in place before a deployment, and carrying the important records yourself when you move.
Benefits are covered in a separate guide.
These are the documents the family will be asked for, for benefits, health care, a move or a death. Know where each original is.
Family members must be enrolled in DEERS to get ID cards and TRICARE. Check it after every birth, marriage, divorce or move.
SGLI coverage ends after separation. It can be converted to VGLI, but the application has a deadline: within one year and 120 days after leaving service. Applying in the first 240 days avoids health questions.
The deployed service member cannot sign things from the field easily. Put the paperwork in place before they leave.
The American Red Cross passes emergency messages, such as a death or serious illness in the family, to service members anywhere. Have the service member's full name, branch, rank, unit and base ready when you call.
Military OneSource offers free counseling, tax help and relocation help to service members and families. The unit's family readiness contact can connect you with local support.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest at 6 percent on many debts taken on before active duty, and lets service members end some leases when they receive PCS or deployment orders. Ask the lender or landlord in writing, and include a copy of the orders.
Movers carry the furniture. Carry the papers yourself.
Photograph every room and anything valuable, including serial numbers. Those photos are what a damage claim is built on.
Check the delivery against the inventory before signing, and note any damage on the paperwork. File claims within the deadlines on your paperwork, since late claims can be refused. Then update your address with DEERS, TRICARE and the banks, enroll the children in school, and transfer prescriptions.
When a service member dies on active duty, the military assigns a casualty assistance officer to the family. That person helps with the death gratuity, SGLI, survivor benefits, and burial and transportation arrangements.
For veterans, the family works with the VA directly. The DD-214 is the document every office will ask for first, which is why its location belongs on your list.
The Military Family Kit has four worksheets: service records, deployment and time apart, family benefits, and moving on orders.
Download the Military Family Kit (PDF)Paper goes stale. Hubstone holds the same record and keeps it current, and you choose who sees each page.
General information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Requirements differ by state.