Forms, Forms, and More Forms

     Ok, so maybe not that many forms--right now anyway.  Nothing much has been going on recently except that I finally was able to put my hands on DA Form 7246 and DD Form 2792, the EFMP questionnaire and medical summary form, respectively.  Both are super easy to fill out.  The only things we didn't know (and that I had to send Hubby on a special quest for) were the duty address and phone along with the DSN.

     We are still waiting on our S2 for the 5888, but that's ok, because I don't need that form to schedule my physical! Just needed the DD Form 2792 (medical summary) for the physician to fill out in order to make the appointment. Yay!  Be sure to make your appointments for a physical early as many places are backed up.  The earliest appointment I could get was 3 weeks out (Sept 10)!

     Disclaimer: the linked forms are for reference only.  Please see your S2 or local EFMP office to obtain these forms.

  Well, "that's all folks!" (said in a perfect Porky Pig impersonation)

Korea Brief--Information Overload!

     Wow.  I think my brain is going to explode if I have to stuff any more information in it.  Mind you, it's useful information, but still. . . information overload.  Our briefer led us to a small back room where she gave us a folder stuffed with papers, a notebook, and a pen, then popped a DVD into a laptop.  Images began to appear on the wall in front of us.  We found ourselves learning about the history of Americans in South Korea during the Korean war then were transported into the world of Camp Humphreys.  The video took us through what Humphreys used to be like to what it is now.  They just acquired new land from the Korean government (I believe in exchange for choice property in Seoul).  This new land is adjacent to the post and includes an abundance of new housing for families and single soldiers alike.  They even have an “aquatics park” on post.  Looked pretty much like a water park to me. . .  Anywho, it went on to advise us on touristy places to visit (including the DMZ), then info on the various and as sundry modes of transportation to choose from all over South Korea.  All of that information was pretty basic and easy to digest.  I barely even took any notes.

      

     Next up, the actual information overload part of our little briefing.  Our briefer brought up a power point presentation (included in that handy folder she gave us at the beginning) and dove right in.  That power-point print out was my lifesaver.  We went through those slides relatively quickly and it was all I could do to write down the more important, pressing information that I would like to call up at a moment’s notice, if desired, instead of wading through all the slides (63 for those of you who were curious) just to find my answer.  First, we learned about preparations before departing for our new-found home.  There are many of these preparations.  Good thing we don’t have to do them all at once, or I might be severely tempted to revert to total shut-down mode—a mode which my husband would have to gently coax me out of until I regained my senses and was able to plow through everything.  Ok, not really, but still. . . tempting. . . 

     

     For starters, they strongly suggest (meaning you had better, or else) you have 25 copies minimum of your orders, as many steps in the PCS process require you to have 1 or more copies of your full orders to get anything done. Example: financial brief requires orders, no-fee passport requires orders, etc.  Other preparatory items include obtaining command sponsorship, physicals, getting an APO mail box at your new station, finding a sponsor (this differs from command sponsorship in that it is a soldier who has been stationed in Korea for a while and knows the basics of layout and how things work there—basically your go-to person with any questions you may have), making reservations for temp housing, passports, flights out, etc.  There is much more, but I may go into that pesky shut-down mode if I have to list everything off at once.

     

     What I found most helpful, aside from what to expect upon arrival, was a dandy list of things that you should hand carry to your new home away from home.  If these items are shipped, chances are you won’t see them until you unpack that very last box, at which point you will most likely be at your breaking point, because you need these items to get checked in and cannot do without them. I’m sure there are more things to hand carry (like POA and birth and marriage certificates), but that’s the basic short list. J 

     

     The remainder of the brief was on what to expect once you touch down in South Korea, including everything from what to do as soon as you step off the plane to what to expect once living in Korea.  I won’t get into any of that now because it’s enough ahead that if I do too much pondering the risk of going into that comatose, shut-down mode comes back to haunt me.

     As for now, I shall focus on just getting through EFMP screening and waiting for our orders.  Once we get our orders, the fun will begin and the seemingly-endless checklist I've been keeping a running tally of in my head will finally begin to dwindle.  Maybe I'll be inspired to tackle the rest of the briefing tomorrow after a good night's rest.  I tell you what, sleep fixes everything!  In the words of Anne Shirley, "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet."  Goodnight all.

Getting There: A Work in Progress

     Well, there's not much to say today.  Yesterday Hubby strolled into the office and signed his forms to get our orders.  Now we're just waiting on Levy section to get us one more form and we'll be good to go.  We were going to go to a financial briefing today, but alas, we found out that you must have your orders in hand in order to get PCS financial advice.  It was a sad moment, but fortunately, we found it out while being proactive (and nosey) online before we went. :) Aren't we smart?

     We are going to a briefing tomorrow though.  And this one we are POSITIVE we don't need orders for. It's the Korea briefing.  I'm hopeful that we will plunge to the depths of everything Korea and come back up well informed citizens made better for the experience.  Speaking of Korea, I hear it's pretty nice for Americans over there now.  We have been relocated to our very own little slice of heaven and many families are being allowed over, meaning I have a fighting chance of spending the next 2-3 years of my life soaking up the culture of Korea.  :)  I have even heard tell that there are Korean language classes on post which I intend on frequenting.  No use being in a foreign country and not learning their language.  It will come in especially handy when I go grocery shopping at the Korean markets.  Yes, I fully intend on immersing us while we're there.  What better way to learn about different countries than to go there and become involved.  I'm super excited.

     And, that's all folks! Sayonara till tomorrow. (Yes, I know "sayonara" is Japanese, but it will just have to do 'till I learn the Korean word for goodbye. *wink*)

Along Came a Spider. . . I mean, EFMP

     Here I am. As promised.  So, to jump right in, EFMP is more involved than I initially assumed, but only a wee bit! Finally (after 2 days--not including the weekend--of playing phone tag), I was able to reach our friendly neighborhood EFMP guy. Yay! Now we're getting somewhere! The nice man told me that I needed DA Forms 5888 (check) and 7246 (not check), and DD Form 2792 (not check). Those last 2 forms made me put on my frowny face because they mean I have to enroll in EFMP because of asthma. Good news, you can take care of your EFMP screening before you obtain your orders.  Oh boy, do I love frontloading things. That way, when it comes to the end, we don't have to play the rushing game to get everything in on time. :)  Note: the forms I have linked are linked purely for reference purposes and are not intended for use.  Officially, it is not recommended that you use these.  If you wish to obtain these forms quickly and easily, set up an appointment (or drop by, depending) with your local EFMP office and they will give you the needed forms.

     Here's the basic idea of the new forms. The 7246 is a harmless 2-page EFMP questionnaire that you have to fill out and put your John Hancock on to certify that all the info is correct.  The DD 2792 is a little more complicated.  It's 11 pages of fun and joy.  Fortunately, the first 3 pages are instructions and privacy act; and the last 9 pages are to be filled out by your physician.  After all that, you are left with only one tiny little page to fill out along with signing the privacy statement on page 3. Not too shabby.  I can do one page and a signing! Well, I lied.  You also have to make sure that you have all your information filled out correctly on the top of every page. The nice man on the phone said that a nice way to make sure the tops of each page are filled out is to type it in before your soldier prints it off the AKO site (The EFMP man said that the only way these forms will be valid is if you get them from the military personnel division, his office, or the AKO site).

     Once you have all those forms (or if you're lucky, just the 5888) filled out and signed by appropriate personnel, you can call your local post clinic (not sure what to do if you see someone off post) and set up your physical if you haven't already had one within the given time limits. If you already have your physicals and immunizations done, they ask that you just verify that your records are up to date.

     For informational purposes, the Exceptional Family Member Program is set up for those family members who have any kind of special need including physical therapy, speech therapy, asthma, disability, etc.  The idea is that they make sure that wherever you are headed to next has everything needed to take care of your family member. In my case, we have to have housing with A/C because of my asthma. I don't see any kind of specialist for my asthma, so I'm not sure what would go on there. I'm assuming they would have to ensure there's a specialist wherever you're PCSing to.

     Well, that's all the time I have for now. See ya tomorrow!

In the Beginning, there was an RFO

     Yay! Hubby got his RFO yesterday. Now we can actually start this process! Just kidding. . . First you have to track down your S2 (the guy who happens to be the security officer for the unit. He manages personnel security clearance) and get your paperwork from him. Unfortunately, hunting him down is harder than it sounds--at least on a Friday. They must clear out early in anticipation of the weekend, which, who wouldn't? I know I love it when I get to go home early on a Friday.  It totally makes my day, not to mention my whole weekend.  And since "date night" is on Fridays, it makes me extra excited.  Well, when Hubby isn't on night flights, that is.

     Anywho, way off topic. Focus. RFOs. Well, I think I actually covered everything on RFOs in my first post. So, at the risk of being redundant, and thus repeating myself *wink, wink*, I'll sign off with this nice, short, quick little blurb. Off to date brunch with the hubby since he's on night flights (now including Saturdays since they got behind in hours due to weather. Sad.).  Huddle house here we come! With a coupon, of course. I shall renew my blogging attempts on Monday with "On the Hunt."

In Continuance

     I'm back with my morning cup of coffee in hand! Now where was I, ah, yes--orders.  Once you have turned in all things related to your orders, they should be available within 10 days from your unit.

     After receiving your orders you can get to the good stuff, the stuff I'm dying to get to because I have this underlying fear that if we don't get started early, the horror stories of command sponsorship taking forever will come true for us! Personally, I would like to go over to Korea with my husband as opposed to significantly later than my husband, but then again, maybe that's just me.  In order to obtain command sponsorship, you must do two things. Fill out DA Form 4787 for reassignment processing, and set up your EFMP screening which will take care of your DA Form 5888. If are one of the lucky ones who has already gone through the EFMP screening, they ask that you make sure that everyone in the family has a current physical on file.

     Not to worry, I will chronicle our adventures through actually obtaining our orders and securing command sponsorship as we go through them. As for now, we will go to numerous briefs on various subjects such as finance, ticketing to get to Korea, a Korea brief, and moving 1 on 1 counseling (which I greatly look forward to since we are planning on doing a split Dity/Army movers moving).

     Phew, I think I'm done for now.  Off to schedule our Korea briefing and to try to get my EFMP screening jump started! Catch y'all later!
   

The First of Many

     So, I have just recently married into the army and we are doing our first move together to, of all places, Korea! The first thoughts that come careening through my mind are things like: "We're going where and for how long?!" "What have I gotten myself into?!" "How does one effectively learn a foreign language? and, "Can I bring my lifeline/cell phone?" But no worries, such thoughts were quickly banished by the rational part of my brain, and I went into research mode. What I found was a vast quagmire of numerous conflicting opinions about what to and not to do in preparation for our upcoming PCS. Solution: go to ACS and play the part of the completely clueless new army wife--worked like a charm! Since the initial slight panic, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to put my adventures down on the proverbial paper for others to hopefully benefit from. (Note: This blog is written from the perspective of flight school and may not apply to everyone's PCS.)

     While on that first hunt for information at the ACS office, I discovered some useful tidbits of information. #1. I need to have an Exceptional Family Member screening, regardless of whether I view myself as exceptional or not. Side note: later that evening, my husband was so gracious as to point out that I am quite exceptional and really do need the exam. Thanks. :)

#2. Spouses can go to the Levy Brief. Yay! If you can coax the information out of your husband (or wife) about when this is, and inform them that YES, you can go, it is extremely helpful to go.  It answered many of the questions that I had bouncing around in my brain like overactive super balls. Which brings me to today when my hubby and I attended the Levy brief.

     Going into it, I was rather in a state of fear and trepidation that I would be the only spouse attending. Imagine my delight when we walked in and there were 2 other spouses in the briefing room.  Praise the Lord! A rather large wave of relief washed over me.  We got there 20 minutes early, so Hubby introduced me to a few people, then I prepared to be the most meticulous note-taker there. Watch out, Levy Brief, here I come!

     As it turns out, much paperwork is involved in a PCS.  First, you have to wait for your husband to get an RFO (Request for Orders), which he can then print off and bring, attend the Levy brief (mandatory) then fill out DA form 5118.  For those of us who are OCONUS, there are a few extra steps.  Your family (your soldier, you, and any kids over 14) have to take a security awareness online course and print out the certificate which you bring in (Keep this certificate! You will need it when you arrive at your new duty station for in-processing.), then fill out forms 5121 and 4036 and your good to go! For requesting your orders, that is.

Well, that's all the time I have for tonight, folks. Rest assured that I shall continue the fact spewing after my morning cup of coffee tomorrow.