You said “I do,” Cinderella – now what else do you need to do to get the military to recognize you as a dependent and live happily ever after?
1. Get your sponsor (the military member in your relationship) to register you in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System, known as DEERS.
DEERS is a computerized database of military sponsors, families and others worldwide who are entitled to benefits through Tricare, the military’s healthcare system. Active-duty and retired service members are automatically registered in DEERS, but they must register their family members.
Sponsors present a marriage certificate and dependent birth certificate as documentation at the registration office, often located at the in-processing center of your home post.
Daiquiri Hammond, who married her soldier Devin in December, advised new brides to bring their spouses with them to walk them through the process. Or, if they can’t come, to go prepared.
“Print out directions in advance, ask the man at the front gate how to get to the ID office.”
Or simply send your soldier to do it all for you.
Sarah Fuccillo, who married an Army soldier in a smaller, specialized unit, was able to simply send paperwork and a copy of her marriage license to work with her husband. His S1 officer then processed the entire packet for them.
“All I had to do was show up at the ID center and get my picture taken,” she said.
2. Obtain your military ID card.
This is your free-access pass to all benefits military, including the commissary, the PX/BX, the hospital, the post gym and of course, the post itself.
At most posts, your sponsor can enter you into DEERS and get your ID card made at the same location. (Note to new brides: This is a picture ID, so post-spin class might not be the best time to drop by this office for your official Army entrance picture.)
To locate the three ID facilities nearest you, go to the military’s RAPIDS site at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/owa/home. Just be sure to verify the information before flat ironing for your featured photo.
“The site is friendly to navigate, however, their information is somewhat inaccurate,” Daiquiri Hammond said. “One location no longer made ID cards, and the other never did. I had to call around then ask and double ask about the required documents.”
Fuccillo’s advice: “Go early, be patient and bring something to read.”
3. Register for Tricare.
The TriCare office may be located in a different building than the ID card office and is often times found in the hospital or military treatment facility itself.
“For me, once I had my ID card, Tricare was a breeze,” Daiquiri Hammond said. “After I flashed my new golden card, all I had to do was fill out a tiny box. Devin did the rest. We practically had no wait and the people were friendly and competent.”
Just be sure to ask questions about your new healthcare and all your benefits under the military system, Fuccillo suggested.
“Through my question asking, we found out that since we live more than 30 minutes outside of Fort Lewis, I was able to see an outside provider for all of my medical coverage,” she said. “What a blessing to drive five minutes to see a doctor instead of 40. Tricare covers it 100 percent.”
4. Register for United Concordia Dental.
United Concordia is Tricare’s dental program. You can register online or by printing and faxing the form found at www.tricaredentalprogram.com.
5. Update your sponsor’s information with the finance office.
This is how he gets paid Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) with dependent rate. If you are stationed in a high-cost area, you may also be entitled to an increase in the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). This increases with dependents. Together, these could increase your pay by hundreds of dollars per month.
“We just needed to fill out a DA Form 5960 and provide a copy of our marriage certificate,” Devin Hammond said.
Just realize the transition from DA Form 5960 to dollars in your bank account may take time. Two months after marrying, the Hammonds still haven’t seen their BAH increase. But when it does, the Army will back pay them.
Once you’ve completed those tasks, don’t forget to obtain a vehicle registration sticker for your car (so you can get on and off post without your soldier) and update any legal documents, like wills and powers of attorney, with his new married status.
And then get involved.
Ask your spouse to provide your contact information to his chain of command, who will then provide it to the unit’s Family Readiness Group (FRG).
“Meeting other wives and making wonderful friends is the best part about being a military wife,” Fuccillo said.
