Congratulations on your TDY selection. The following information is designed to ensure you are prepared and have taken all the actions and precautions necessary prior to and during your absence. It is designed as a supplement to the out-processing checklists provided to you from the Commander’s Support Staff and Military Personnel Flight.

YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES

· Do a budget for yourself and your family's finances. Go over it with your spouse, so you both understand how much is going into accounts and how much can be spent. Ensure your spouse is aware of all projected bills. The locations and type of checking and savings accounts. The location of important family papers such as wills, stocks, bonds, etc.

· Arrange to do your taxes in advance or arrange a power of attorney for someone to file your taxes for you (IRS Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative).

· Keep good records of your financial accounts and investments.

· If you are married have at least one joint account to more easily send money home. Agree on who will write checks on that account, so it isn't accidentally overdrawn by a check you may write that your spouse doesn't know about. Depending on the length of the TDY, if may be better to have a separate checking/savings account with a reasonable allotment going to it. This may be preferable to you and the spouse using the same account.

· Establish a "rainy day" account for emergencies.

· Watch use of credit cards you and your spouse hold jointly.

· Work with creditors to iron out legitimate debts before you deploy. If you have creditors after you for deals you dispute, get legal assistance before you go. Don't just ignore it.

· Ensure all financial obligations are completed or arranged for; i.e. club, clothing sales, rent, car payment, etc. If leaving someone in charge of your finances, ensure a special power of attorney (discussed later in this pamphlet) and proper signature cards are completed at your financial institution.

· Ensure you have sufficient funds for the TDY. Cash should be converted to Travelers Checks or other safe device in case of loss or theft.

· Make arrangements through the Commander’s Support Staff or your duty section to hold or forward your Pay and Leave and Earning statements.

· Ensure you keep receipts from all expenditures while TDY. You will need them to file your travel voucher.

LEGAL RESIDENCE AND ADDRESS

· Check to be sure your records have the right legal, permanent address for you.

· Make sure you are registered to vote or vote by absentee.

· Make sure your command or unit has your spouse's current address and phone number, since often spouses move closer to family during deployments, as well as the addresses of members of your immediate family - parents or siblings (worksheet located at the end of this pamphlet).

· Contact the Military Personnel Flight to ensure your DD Form 93, Emergency Data Card is up to date.

GIVING POWER OF ATTORNEY

· Weigh the need for a Power of Attorney, who will be your "agent" to act on your behalf.

· Be specific how long the Power of Attorney is good for and what legal affairs the person can take care of for you.

· Check with banks, child-care agencies, your medical providers, a real estate agent or other companies or agencies you may have business with in your absence to see whether they accept a Power of Attorney.

· Above all, talk with a legal assistance attorney or local attorney, who can provide counseling and do the paperwork. On base it's free.

YOUR PERSONAL AFFAIRS

· Establish a file system for your bills and important personal papers for yourself and your spouse.

· Make sure your spouse and all children have a current military ID card and is/are entered into DEERS, the computer system for benefits and are enrolled in TRICARE and have the local TRICARE Service Centers’ phone number.

· If you're separated, get an attorney and keep in touch with him. If you're divorced, make sure spousal or child support payments are in place prior to the TDY.

· Make arrangements for mail service pick up, forwarding or hold at the Post Office or Military Postal Center.

· If you have a foreign/non-English speaking spouse make sure adequate help is available to assist him or her while you are TDY.

YOUR PERSONAL PROPERTY

· Arrange care or storage for your belongings, pets, vehicles, etc.

· Inventory your household goods. Make sure your insurance reflects the value of your belongings.

· Arrange for care of land, real estate or rentals you own. Contract with a local real estate agent if you need to rent or sell.

· If you have a privately owned vehicle (POV), and it is not going to be driven during your absence, contact your insurance agent and request a form for non-operational status. If you have a lean against your POV ensure you contact the lean holder for coverage they require. Once you know the correct coverage sign the form and return it to your insurance agent for reduced rates.

· Make arrangements to secure on/off base quarters to include house sitters or someone to check your quarters periodically. Ensure the Commander’s Support Staff or your duty section knows who is taking care of your quarters in case of emergency. If living in base housing, contact the Security Forces and inform them of the TDY and the personal information of the person watching your quarters; i.e. name, home address, duty and home phone numbers.

YOUR WILL

· Read your Will before you go. Update it if you have any change in marital status, family members or property.

· Contact the Base Legal Office and prepare a Will if you are married, have a child or children, own property, have investments or own your own business. State other personal desires in a letter of instruction. Make sure a couple of trustworthy people have copies.

· Write a "Living Will" if you wish to guide the conditions for the care of yourself and/or your children – even your pet – if you are incapacitated.

LIFE INSURANCE

· Designate your beneficiaries on your Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance, as well as any retirement plans you have, and make sure they reflect who you want to receive your benefits. Make sure the total coverage provides enough for your family’s needs.

· If you have private insurance, whether you are active or reserve make sure it doesn’t contain a "war" or "combat exclusion" clause that would prohibit coverage if you are killed in combat or in a war zone.

GENERAL

· Contact the Commander’s Support Staff and provide them a copy of your TDY orders.

· Contact the Base Education Office or Civil Registrars Office if taking courses or receiving tuition assistance.

· Ensure items belonging to others are returned (i.e. library books, clothes, rental property, etc.).

· Ensure compliance with personal appearance and uniform requirements.

· Contact the Commander’s Support Staff to ensure no OERs/EPRs are, or will be, due during your absence. If they are, try to complete them prior to departure or give/get the information necessary to begin writing before you depart.

· If your are on the Weight Management Program (WMP), and the TDY is in excess of 30 days, Contact the unit WMP manager to obtain a copy of your WMP file to be hand carried to the TDY location.

· Contact the Family Support Center and place your spouse on the DSN morale call list. This program permits your spouse to place free morale calls to you during the TDY. Some locations even offer video teleconferencing between you and the family.

DORMITORY RESIDENTS:

· Notify Dormitory Management and provide them with a copy of your orders and TDY inclusive dates.

· Ensure refrigerators are clean and all items which may spoil are removed. Refrigerator temperature controls will be placed on the lowest setting (NOT OFF). Alternative: Remove all items which may spoil, turn off refrigerator, leave door open, fill a sock or other item with charcoal briquettes and place inside to prevent mildew from forming.

· Ensure your room is clean and all personal items are secured and lockers are locked.

· Ensure all electrical devices are unplugged.

ACTIONS ON ARRIVAL AND RETURN:

· Contact the Commander’s Support Staff or your duty section upon arrival at the TDY location and provide a phone number, billeting room number, local address, message traffic and/or email address.

· Complete the attached personal worksheet and turn it along with a copy of your TDY orders into the Commander Support Staff at least one duty day prior to your departure.

· Within 72 hours of return report to Accounting and Finance and file your travel voucher.

· Pay your total Government Credit Card balance upon receipt. Remember, the card is to cover TDY expenses, not for bar hopping, flowers for mom, etc.

· Provide a copy of your paid travel voucher to the unit cost center manager as soon as you receive it from accounting and finance.

· It’s a great idea to write an after action report for the commander as soon as you return. The information you bring back is useful for those that follow or for providing senior leadership with feedback.

A power of Attorney is a document you may sign (before a Notary Public) by which you may authorized another person to make certain decisions for you or conduct certain business for you as if you yourself were present.

You may give either a Special Power of Attorney or a General Power of Attorney. A special Power of Attorney (SPOA) will authorize the person you name (your agent) to do only those things you specifically authorized. For instance, you may given someone a SPOA to sell your home, register your car, authorize medical treatment of your minor children, conduct banking transactions, etc. You may authorize your agent to perform any number or combination of specific functions.

A General Power of Attorney (GPOA), on the other hand, will authorize your agent generally to do anything you could do. It is a very broad power, and you must understand that if your agent uses a GPOA to do something that you do not agree with, you are nevertheless bound by your agent’s actions. For example, if your agent uses a GPOA to open a credit card account in your name or to incur debt in your name, you owe the bill and must repay the debt. If your agent uses a GPOA to sell your car, you are bound by that sale. If your agent uses a GPOA to by a piece of property in your name, you must pay for it. Remember, the third party dealing with your agent under the authority you have granted in the GPOA has no idea what your wishes may be in regard to any particular transaction; all the third party knows is you have given your agent the power to make decisions for you.

GPOA’s are not normally recommended for "just in case" situations (example, "I’m leaving for Korea, and although my spouse has access to the checking account to pay bills, and we have no plans to buy or sell anything while I’m gone, I want to give him/her a GPOA "just in case"). There are instances when a GPOA is the best choice. An example might be when a mature married couple is concerned that one may becomes incompetent or unable (physically or mentally) to handle his/her own affairs and they want to avoid any necessity of the other having to go into court to obtain guardianship over the incompetent. In that circumstance, a GPOA may be the most advisable route to follow.

The general policy of the Lackland Law Center is to provide Powers of Attorney good for a period of no more than two years. In certain circumstances, exceptions may be made upon approval by an attorney.

Should you die during the term of a Power of Attorney, your agent’s authority to act ceases immediately upon your death.

Texas law now provides that you may name alternate agents, so that in the event your primary agent dies, becomes legally disabled, resigns, or refuses to act, your alternate may act for you instead.

You may make your Power of Attorney "durable." This means if you are giving someone a durable Power of Attorney for a period of two years and you become incapacitated or disabled during that time, your agent’s authority will continue for the full two years and will not cease upon your disability or incapacity, as it would if you did not make it "durable."

Texas now offers "springing" Powers of Attorney. This means that if you do not wish your agent to have any authority to act for you unless and until you become incapacitated, your Power of Attorney can so state. This feature is especially attractive to people who want to allow for an agent to act in case they become incapacitated, but are not comfortable with giving an agent that present authority while they are still competent. Potential problems might exist with this type of authority, however, in that a third party honoring a "springing" Power of Attorney would require additional documentation evidencing that you are indeed incapacitated before allowing your agent to act for you.

The foregoing information concerns Powers of Attorney given for personal business reasons. The Lackland Law Center does not prepare Powers of Attorney for commercial business purposes. Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care are distinct from the above described types of personal business Powers of Attorney.

The foregoing is intended to be a summary of types of personal business Powers of Attorney available in Texas. While you are cautioned regarding potential dangers and abuses of Powers of Attorney, only you can determine which Power of Attorney best suits your needs and purposes. The Notary Public can answer most questions you may have; however, if you have additional concerns after reading this and speaking to the notary, you may ask to speak to an attorney.

Personal Information Worksheet

Name:

SSAN:

Duty Section

Your Local Mailing Address (to include city, state and zip code):

TDY Location:

Departure Date: Return Date:

First Closest Next of Kin’s Name:

Home Phone Number:( )

Work Phone Number:( )

Closest Next of Kin’s Address (to include city, state and zip code)

Second Closest Next of Kin’s Name:

Home Phone Number:( )

Work Phone Number:( )

Closest Next of Kin’s Address (to include city, state and zip code)

Special medical, educational or other family related situation(s) that we should be aware of:

Any special Instructions you wish to leave behind (i.e. disposition of pay statements, etc.):

Complete the following if leaving your vehicle parked on the installation while you are gone Make:

Model:

Color:

Year:

License Plate Number/State:

Expiration Date:

Base Decal Number:

Expiration Date:

Location on base:

Person holding keys:

Noted Dents, Scratches, Damage, Etc:

Grade/Name: _________________________________________________

SSAN: ______________________________

AFSC/MOS: _____________________________

Name of Exercise: _____________________________________________

Location of TDY: _____________________________________________

Projected Departure Date: __________________

Projected Return Date: ____________________

Local Address: ______________________________________________________________

Spouse's Name: _____________________________________________________________

Names/ages of children: ______________________________________________________

Phone number to spouse: ___________________

Address of spouse: __________________________________________________________

Parent's Names: __________________________________________

Home Phone Number: ______________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________

Is there any special medical, educational or other situation that we should be aware of YES/NO (if yes, please explain):_____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Contingency/TDY Packing Planner This list is designed for planning purposes only. Not all items are suitable for the TDY you may be on. Contact your MPF Employment Section or Unit Mobility NCO for guidance.

IDENTIFICATION

TOILETRIES

FINANCIAL

MEDICAL

CLOTHING

RECORDS