Personnel section limiting appointments starting Jan. 20

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The Military Personnel Section will have significantly less ID card appointments as a result of a large mass reissue of Common Access Cards on base beginning Jan. 20, 66th Force Support Squadron MPS officials announced this week.

The mass reissue for Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory personnel is expected to impact the number of appointments normally available for military and civilian employees, dependents, retirees, Guard and Reserve personnel through March 15. 

This does not include the issuance of Defense Biometric Identification System, or DBIDS, cards by 66th Security Forces personnel.

"The Military Personnel Section will offer only twelve appointments per day during this period that the Hanscom community will be able to schedule," said Steve Tupeck, 66 FSS MPS chief. "In addition, a limited number of appointments will be available for walk-ins."

As a result, officials expect longer wait times for other services as well while MPS will have limited Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) stations available. Wait times are dependent on the number of customers currently waiting to receive an ID card or other personnel services delivered by the Customer Support Element.

Because of this, Tupeck encourages customers to schedule an appointment at https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil to avoid the longer wait times.

Individuals with appointments will move directly to the front of the waiting list upon arrival and signing in, whereas, walk-in customers are seen on a first come, first serve basis. Wait times for walk-in customers are expected to increase during this period.

The hours of operation for the MPS Customer Support Element are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If a customer is more than five minutes late for an appointment, they will need to reschedule or sign in as a walk-in customer.

Customers need two forms of identification in order to receive a new ID. The primary ID must be an unexpired photo ID. Customers whose ID card was lost or stolen will need to have a letter from their Command Sponsoring Agency (command, case police, human resources) stating the ID card has been reported lost or stolen prior to receiving a new ID card.

For dependent ID cards, the sponsor must be present to sign the DD Form 1172. If not available, the dependent must have a previously signed 1172 (within 90 days of signature) signed by their sponsor and the Verifying Official/Site Security Manager or a power of attorney. Call 781-225-1320 for further details.

For all military identification cards, appropriate civilian attire is required for dependents, retired, USNS Mariners, DoD civilian personnel and contractors.

Contact the Military Personnel Section at 781-225-1320 or DSN 845-1320 for further clarification or any questions regarding military ID cards.