HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Department of Defense Military Personnel Flights are extending Uniformed Service ID cards expiring on or after Jan. 1, 2020, and authorizing continued benefit use through Sept. 30, 2020, to comply with recent Under Secretary of Defense guidance.
Retirees, dependents, 100 percent disabled veterans and other eligible individuals whose affiliation is unchanged may take advantage of this new policy. Mobilized Reservists and their eligible dependents are also authorized to use their Reserve USID cards to retain active-duty benefits.
“The new changes allow non-Common Access Card holders to continue to use their expired ID cards with no interference to their entitled benefits,” said Raul Martinez, chief of Hanscom’s Military Personnel Flight.
This policy change supports the continuity of operations at Hanscom’s ID card office and the installation’s overall COVID-19 response.
“This means greatly reduced foot traffic in the ID card office and limiting customer contact for our staff, helping to prevent possible spread of COVID-19,” Martinez said.
The ID card office is still open and serving military and civilian employees in need of an initial CAC or seeking reissuance of a CAC expiring within the next 30 days.
“Those customers requiring a new CAC can come to the ID card office on Mondays and Wednesdays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m.,” said Martinez. “They will need two forms of ID for verification.”
Martinez stressed the importance of military, civilian and contractor personnel requiring access to the Air Force network (NIPRNET) to replace their CACs before the expiration date to ensure their network access is not affected.
He also noted that the new policy prevents the ID card office from issuing new CACs for promotions or name changes at this time.
For more information regarding DoD CAC and USID cards, visit www.cac.mil/Coronavirus. For updates on Hanscom’s COVID-19 response, visit www.hanscom.af.mil/Coronavirus/.