Ask VMW: When exactly do I get my ID card as a new military spouse?

I thought I would answer this question today:

My husband just enlisted in the air force and we are currently waiting on his job assignment and the date he leaves for BMT. I do have a question and was hoping maybe you would know because my husbands recruiter has never dealt with a married recruit before. But do you know when I will be eliglble to get my dependent id card and be able to get on base? Will it be after BMT, or AIT or during one of those? Thanks so much for any help!!

And my answer:

Congrats to you!  Yes, you have a lot going on, don't you?  Once your hubby ships off to basic, he will go through a multitude of paperwork....life insurance, will, power of attorney, military stuff and a host of other inprocessing items...all in the first few weeks.  He'll enroll you in a computer system called DEERS....send you some paperwork, and then you with the paperwork and your documentation you provide, go to your nearest military base to get your ID card.  Once you are in DEERS, you can access the post/base, shop there, get healthcare, access to dental thru Tricare/Concordia Dental, etc...without it, you can do nothing, which I am sure you have figured out!

You can help by gathering all your important documents such as certified copies of your marriage certificate and birth certificate.






You can also find some pertinent information in this blogpost.

Good luck and welcome to the club!