March 9, 2021 4 MIN READ 7454 Views
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Revisiting Personal Affairs

Before deploying, you took steps to make sure everything was squared away legally, financially and medically for you and your loved ones. Now that you’ve returned, it’s time to revisit your personal and administrative affairs to make sure all is in order.

Legal Affairs

Some of the legal documents you prepared before deployment may need to be updated, cancelled or revoked. For free help with these tasks, contact your installation legal services office, or use the Armed Forces Legal Services Locator.

  • Terminate powers of attorney if you no longer wish to have the designated person(s) acting on your behalf. Any existing powers of attorney will remain in effect until the expiration date, or until you revoke the power of attorney. Revocation should be in writing, signed by you in front of a notary public and delivered to the person(s) you designated as your power of attorney.
  • Review and update wills, including your living will and last will and testament, to ensure these documents still meet your needs. Consult an attorney or the nearest military legal services offices to make changes to wills as necessary.
  • Understand expiring legal protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, including those related to termination of leases, postponement of foreclosures and civil court matters, and more. Contact your installation legal services office for more information.

Administrative Affairs

It may be helpful to revisit any administrative preparations that you made prior to deployment.

  • Update your family care plan if necessary. For help with family care plans, contact your installation Military and Family Support Center.
  • Review your Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance to ensure all information for your beneficiaries is still correct. Consult your installation legal services office or a civilian attorney to make updates if necessary.
  • Verify information in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System to make sure everything is current and that eligible family members can receive benefits. Certain life changes, like the birth of a child during deployment, may require updates in DEERS and/or through TRICARE.
  • Terminate emergency assistance pre-authorizations if they are not expired. You can do this by destroying the original documents or by contacting creditors and seeking assistance from legal advisors.

Financial Affairs

It is important to revisit your income and budget now that you’re back, as your financial situation will likely change.

  • Review your Leave and Earnings Statement using MyPay to make sure that you’re no longer receiving additional pay such as special and incentive pay or family separation allowance. You should also confirm that taxes are being withheld now that you’ve returned. Keep in mind that errors in pay will be subtracted or added to future pay statements, so it’s important to identify issues as soon as possible and report them to your unit’s pay administrator immediately.
  • Initiate, change or stop allotments that you may have set up prior to deployment.
  • Create a new budget to account for changes to your monthly income, especially now that you won’t be eligible for special pay, allowances or combat zone tax exclusions. If you are a National Guard or reserve service member, read this article about things to know for reintegration for information on finances, health care, support programs and more.
  • Understand expiring financial protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, including those related to reduced interest, deferred income taxes, protection for small business owners and more. Contact your installation legal services office for more information.
  • Get help with finances as needed through Military OneSource financial assistance, counseling and resources, or contact your installation Personal Financial Management Services office.

Health-Related Affairs

A series of health assessments is required for those deployed out of the continental United States for more than 30 days without a fixed U.S. military treatment facility. If you were deployed within the U.S. or outside of the U.S. for 30 days or less, you may or may not be required to complete these assessments — it all depends on health threats identified during deployment, your health risk assessment and decisions by your command. Learn more about deployment health assessments.

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