Organizing Your Records (Retiree Affairs)

Dave Gouin, President, United States Army Garrison Stuttgart (USAG-S) Retiree Council

How quickly can you, your spouse or designated survivor access the following documents?

Retiree casualty assistance checklist

Estate planning document - Current Will and Letter of Instructions

Copies of report(s) of separation from active duty (DD Form 214, et al)

Retiree’s Current Pay Statement (known as Retiree Account Statement)

Marriage certificate(s)

Divorce decree(s)/property settlement(s)(from previous marriages of retiree or spouse)

Death certificate(s) (from previous marriages of retiree or spouse)

Birth certificates/adoption papers (retiree, spouse and children)

Retirement orders or 20 year letter

Safe deposit box (list contents)

Insurance policies, numbers, instructions, payments, et al

Tax returns

Investment papers (CDs, mutual funds, IRA, etc)

Burial plot information

Transportation of remains (Retirees remains are only funded from Landstuhl to Dover)

Medical and dental records

Real estate deeds

Military identification card(s)

Passport

Social security data

Driver’s license

Names of banks, credit unions, et al (account numbers)

Updated lists of assets and liabilities

Adoption or naturalization papers

While you probably saying to yourself that although all this information isn’t immediately available, all these documents and information should be at your fingertips in a simple but well organized record-keeping system. Stashing documents in various drawers or in a shoebox under the bed or in a manila envelope somewhere in the hall closet can create headaches when you need to come up with the information in a hurry.

Even worse, many people inadvertently toss out important records that they should have safely filed away. When the missing documents are needed in the reporting the death of a military retiree as part of an Armed Forces Retirees Casualty Assistance Program, lax record-keeping can actually prove costly and emotionally draining to your survivors.

The Retiree Support Center, building 2915, room 307, at Panzer Kaserne, Böblingen, Germany, is staffed by volunteers of the USAG-S Retiree Council and can provide you a Retiree Casualty Assistance Checklist that will serve as a guide to the management of your affairs at a glance, an invaluable resource for your family members if you were to die or become incapacitated.

The Retiree Support Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1000-1200 and 1300-1600 hours and by appointment, unless it is a US or German holiday or volunteers can be contacted at civilian: 07031-15-3510/3052 or DSN: 431-3510/3052.

Service Casualty Assistance Offices are as follows:

Air Force Casualty Assistance: 1-800-433-0048

Army Casualty Family Assistance Hotline: 1-800-833-6622

Coast Guard Decedent Affairs: 202-267-2085

Marine Corps Casualty Assistance: 1-800-847-1597

Navy Casualty Assistance: 1-800-368-3202

The good news is that setting up and maintaining a proper record-keeping system does not require much time or money. The basic equipment you will need includes a file cabinet, file folders and either a fireproof safe at home or a safe deposit box at a bank.

Hopefully you found this article resourceful and can save you and your survivor’s time, money and worry. Wishing you the very best!