Januaray 2011
When your soldier joins the military, he will amass what will seem like tons of paperwork. For this reason, the weight of the paperwork isn’t even included in your weight allowance when you move. Particularly those who have been in the military for a while, the boxes of paperwork can easily make a military member exceed his allowed weight.
Let’s review the important documents that you always need to make sure you have in your possession.
- Power of Attorney. This legal document is a very powerful document that should always remain in your hands. You can give copies of the POA to those who need it such as businesses where you have accounts or your local bank. But you should always keep the original.
- Will. Before each deployment, your will as well as the will of your military member should be reviewed to ensure it is updated. The original copy should be kept in a safe place.
- Copies of orders. Whenever orders are received, make sure you keep the originals in a safe place and make copies of orders for anyone who may need them during the move.
- Medical records. Before you leave each post, make sure you request copies of your medical records to take with you to the next location. It’s always a good idea to keep your own copy at home as records sometimes have a way of disappearing in transport from one post to the next if the post transfers them for you.
- DD-214 and other official paperwork from the military. This includes certificates of completion for classes and training. In addition to keeping the original in a safe place, it is always a good idea to have copies made of these documents.
When storing these documents, you can slide each document into a page protector and clip them into a notebook. Then the notebook should be stored in a fire proof safe. For the copies of your originals, it may be a good idea to invest in a small file cabinet or sturdy storage container. As he progresses in his career, this file will continue to grow.
