ID Cards For Dependents Made Easy

We all love waiting in line at our ID Card office, right? Well, some new online options make this trip a lot less painful or even unnecessary in some cases. The Military Times reports on a new online option for ID cards:

Family members will have an easier time getting a military ID card now that the Defense Manpower Data Center has launched an online authorization service.

Service members no longer have to accompany their family members to pick up a dependents’ ID card, known as a Teslin card for the synthetic material from which it’s made, and can instead opt to go online to digitally sign the necessary paperwork.

DMDC plans to expand the online self-service features with a similar online registration for Tricare and the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, possibly as early as next year, Dixon said.

This is a huge benefit for deployed servicemembers too. Now that the in-person requirement is bypassed by an online signature using the active duty member’s CAC card, as long as you can get to a DOD computer, you can set your family up for all of their ID needs. The new self service website can be found HERE.

In addition to the basic ID service, the RAPIDS Self Service application provides sponsors with the capability to add dependent data to the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). For the big nerds in the group, there are even a number of CAC card maintenance actions you can take care of online as well, so you no longer have to wait in line for hours to get someone to change your email address in person. 21st century, here we come!