DOD ID Cards DEERS/RAPIDS
Identity Management and ID Cards
Identity Management and ID Cards
March 12, 2024
The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and the Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS) is a computerized DOD program servicing United States Service members, military retirees, 100% VA Disabled Veterans, dependents, DoD Civilian employees, DoD Contractors and Foreign Military worldwide who are entitled to Public Key Infrastructure Identification Cards and/or TRICARE eligibility. The program is commonly referred to as DEERS/RAPIDS and is managed by the DOD agency Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). DEERS is the actual database(s) of the system, while RAPIDS is the frontend application that issues ID cards and collects data.
DEERS/RAPIDS offices issue two types of DOD ID Cards: Common Access Card (CAC) to employees with an integrated chip, and a U.S. Identification Card (USID) for all others.
In Korea, there are DEERS/RAPIDS ID Card Offices at all the U.S. military bases. Click here to see a list of current ID Card Offices in Korea and their locations, hours and any contact information. ID Card offices in Korea are walk-in service, no appointment necessary.
Mar 1, 2024
In Dec 2020 the laminated Teslin ID cards, including our coveted blue retiree card, stopped production, being replaced with the Next Generation Uniformed Services Identification Card (USID), a more secure card. Read more about it below.
2026 is the DOD published timeframe for all Teslin laminated cards to be replaced, including INDEF cards. Retirees with a blue ID card can come in to an ID Card office anytime to replace their blue retiree card.
Teslin ID cards that are not expired ARE STILL VALID. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. DOD HAS NOT terminated any Teslin ID cards just because they are not USID cards.
December 21, 2020
The Next Generation Uniformed Services Identification Card (USID) is a white plastic card. All USID cards look basically the same. What differentiates them primarily from one another is the printed text i.e. a Retired Service Member vs a Spouse vs a Child has different titles on the cards. Also, certain cards have a colored stripe indicating dependent of a contractor or foriegn national. For contractors that have an Emergency Essential (EE) CAC card (no green stripe), their dependents will still have a green stripe on their USID cards.
When a foreign-born spouse is enrolled into DEERS who does not have either a Social Security Number (SSN) or an IRS Tax ID Number (ITIN), the DEERS/RAPIDS system operator (VO: Verifying Official or SSM: Site Security Manager) either selects a TIN (Temporary ID Number) or a FIN (Foreign ID Number) PID (Personal Identifier) that DEERS will automatically generate for the spouse. They are both 9-digit numbers same as a SSN.
- TIN’s start with the number 8
- FIN’s start with the number 9
By default, and by policy, VOs are supposed to select TIN for new foreign-born spouses. FINs are supposed to only be used for local national employees and foreign military.
TINs are just that, temporary, assigned to give the sponsor (you) time to get your new spouse an SSN or an ITIN. a TIN DOES NOT expire, however, the medical benefits for a TIN do. A TIN is valid for 90 days, with the option of the DEERS ID Card office to extend it for another 90 days twice. Once that time period is over, TRICARE STOPS.
A FIN on the other hand, has no such time limitation. TRICARE does not expire. It is common practice for experienced knowledgeable VOs (with nothing to lose haha) to issue foreign-born new spouses FIN numbers. There is no negative affect by doing this whatsoever, and can be changed to an SSN or ITIN at any time in the future. This allows TRICARE to continue.
DEERS does not generate SSN's or ITIN's. To check which PID a family member has, go online at either MilConnect https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/ of DOD ID Card Online https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco and see what the PID starts with, an 8 or 9. If it's an 8, and it's been more than 90 days, the spouse is no longer TRICARE eligible. If it's a 9, then they are ok.
Also, do not confuse the SSN. ITIN, TIN or FIN with a DOD ID Number (DODID). Every single person enrolled in DEERS has a DODID, everybody. Everybody has both, a DODID and one of the others.
When can I actually get my INDEF card as my 65th birthday approaches?
Anytime within the month prior to your birthday, which is the month listed as your current ID card Expiration Date. If in the Pacific region, do this AFTER THE 1st of the month due to the time zone difference between Korea (the Pacific) and the U.S., because anything done here on the 1st is still yesterday CONUS.
One caveat: dependents of living retirees (not widows) must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B and be reflected as such in DEERS to get INDEF. If not enrolled in Medicare Part B, then INDEF doesn't come until age 70.
Retirees (RET) of the U.S. Military get Retiree ID cards upon retirement from the U.S. military. They must also renew their Retired ID cards the month prior to their 65th birthday, which is printed on the front of the cards. Some older blue RET ID cards say INDEF on the front even if you are not 65 yet. That INDEF is WRONG! Upon your 65th = update the ID.
Check Base Access Privileges Here
Retiree Dependents (RET DEP) of the U.S. Military get Retiree Dependent ID cards. Dependent spouses must also renew their Retired ID cards the month prior to their 65th birthday, which is printed on the front of the cards. Also, divorced spouses of U.S. Military get a DOD ID card as long as they are un-remarried fall under either the 20-20-20 or 20-20-15 rule.
Dependent children of retirees are eligible for a DOD ID Card until they:
- Turn 21 years old
- Turn 23 years old if a full-time student
- Turn 26 years old if enrolled in the TRICARE Young Adult program
Check Base Access Privileges Here
Widows of Retired (RET DEC) U.S. Military get Dependent ID cards as long as they are un-remarried. They must also renew their Retired ID cards the month prior to their 65th birthday, which is printed on the front of the cards.
Check Base Access Privileges Here
100% Disabled American Veteran, classified as 100% permanently disabled by Veterans Affairs, are eligible for a DOD DEERS/RAPIDS 'DAV' ID card and have unlimited base access with it.
Check Base Access Privileges Here
Dependents of 100% Disabled American Veteran, classified as 100% permanently disabled by Veterans Affairs, are eligible for a DOD DEERS/RAPIDS 'DAV' ID card and have unlimited base access with it.
Check Base Access Privileges Here
The Retired Civilian ID Card program was terminated by the DOD on 17 Feb 2023. There are no IDs being issued any longer. Any existing ID cards in the possession of retired GS or NAF employees will be automatically terminated in DEERS on 31 Aug 2023 regardless if the expiration date on the card is later than 31 Aug 2023.
An un-remarried former spouse (divorce) may retain the military ID card if he or she meets the 20/20/20 rule. The 20/20/20 rule requires at least twenty years of marriage, at least twenty years of military service, and at least twenty years of overlap of the marriage and the military service. They qualify for medical benefits, commissary, exchange and MWR privileges for the remainder of their life (as long as they remain unmarried). The former spouse is designated as their Designated Beneficiary (DB) sponsor (not a dependent). The spouse must visit an ID card office with the below documents:
ID card offices do not have the ability create these ID cards until the Service Project Officer (SPO) approves and coordinates the requirement with other DOD agencies. The ID card office will transmit the documents the the SPO and await reply that the former spouses DEERS record is ready for ID card issue, and will then notify the former spouse to visit the ID card office
An un-remarried former spouse (divorce) may retain the military ID card if he or she meets the 20/20/15 rule. The 20/20/15 rule requires at least twenty years of marriage, at least twenty years of military service, and at least fifteen years of overlap of the marriage and the military service. They qualify for medical benefits, commissary, exchange and MWR privileges for only one (1) year from the date of divorce. The former spouse is designated as their Designated Beneficiary (DB) sponsor (not a dependent). The spouse must visit an ID card office with the below documents:
ID card offices do not have the ability create these ID cards until the Service Project Officer (SPO) approves and coordinates the requirement with other DOD agencies. The ID card office will transmit the documents the the SPO and await reply that the former spouses DEERS record is ready for ID card issue, and will then notify the former spouse to visit the ID card office
In order for a dependent to get a new/updated ID card a Form 1172-2 must be signed by the Sponsor, or a Power of Attorney must be available to the dependent allowing the dependent to act in place of the sponsor and sign the 1172-2.
The easiest way to renew a dependents ID card is for the Sponsor and Dependent to visit a DEERS/RAPIDS ID card office so the Sponsor can sign the form 1172-2.
If a Power of Attorney is given to the dependent from the sponsor, the the depnedent can come to an ID Card office on their own.
Also, the Sponsor can go online to the DOD ID Card Online website at https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco and logon with either a CAC card or DS Logon account and create a digitally signed Form 1172-2, and send it to their dependent. The dependent can then come to an ID Card office on their own.
FYI: TRICARE website maintains an excellent updated DEERS Contact Page at https://www.tricare.mil/deers
We'll go back as far as when the Blue Retiree ID Card had your SSN on the front. A that time the blue card had your SSN on the front and the word INDEF as an expiration date. When the SSN Reduction Act was passed in 2017 the SSN came off the front of the ID card, replaced with your DOD ID number. Many will remember being told to get a new ID card for this reason. INDEF remained printed on the front of the ID card, even if you were not at age 65 yet. This created problems for some... read on...
Later, following many Congressional complaints from retirees, who had unknowingly lost TRICARE, the INDEF on the front of the card was looked more closely. They lost TRICARE because when they turned 65 they failed to enroll in Medicare in order to start TRICARE For Life. The retiree ID card itself did not affect TRICARE, but the INDEF on the front caused many to not understand that medical benefits prior to age 65 terminated when turning 65, which was indicated on the back of the ID in smaller print (and easy to miss) that listed your birthdate as an Expiration Date. When you are under the age of 65, the date of your 65th birthday (the month prior actually) is printed on the back of the ID card and is the Expiration Date of medical benefits. The front of the card however listed INDEF as an Expiration Date even under the age of 65, so there was no easily seen reminder to cardholders that there was indeed an expiration date.
So, changes were made. Older cards that read INDEF when you are not yet 65 I call the fake INDEFs because they really are not INDEF, whereas newer cards will have a date. This is the date you need to be enrolled in Medicare Part B, and when you get a new ID card.
To help with all this, DOD changed the retiree card to add the date on the front as a reminder. They removed the INDEF and replace it with your birthdate (same as on the back). Today, with the emergence of the newer USID plastic cards in Dec 2020, retiree ID cards reflect correctly. When under 65, there is an Expiration date on the front. If over 65, it reads INDEF.
This is how I explain the Retiree ID cards over the years. Spending 21 years working for DMDC as their Director of Asia Operations allowed me to see and be part of these changes:
NO!
You get an INDEF ID at 65 whether you signed up for Medicare and have TRICARE For Life(TFL) or not. You can turn down enrollment in Medicare Part B and still get your INDEF ID Card. You lose your TRICARE by doing this, but you still get the same 65 year retiree card. So the ID itself proves nothing medically.
As you can read about in the TRICARE section, you are automatically enrolled in TFL when you enroll in Medicare Part B. Your DEERS record will automatically update, whether you get an new ID card or not (still best to verify your Medicare properly updated at an ID card office). This means you are covered by TRICARE, even if you do not get an new ID and retain the expired ID card. But, if you are asked to show your ID somewhere, and it's expired because you have turned 65 and didn't get a new one, well that alone can cause other problems. So, yes it is of course the best COA (course of action) to obtain a new ID at 65.
The point here is, you do not need a current DOD ID card to have and use TRICARE. Does it make it easier? Yes, by virtue of having a valid ID, but it is not necessary.
Another tidbit of information about the new USID cards, there is no longer any medical information on the back of the card. The back of the new ID card only reads "Verify Eligibility", which is actually there for the medical provider to verify TRICARE, and not for you the cardholder to prove it. It's one of the changes we in DOD made to the new IDs.
There is some confusion about Disabled American Veterans ID cards. There are two separate types of ID cards for Disabled American Veterans: Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) ID Card and a Department of Defense (DOD) DEERS/RAPIDS Disabled American Veterans (DAV) ID card
Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC) ID Card. When you’re enrolled in VA health care, you’ll use your Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) to check-in to your appointments at VA medical centers. This secure ID card keeps your personal information safe while giving the VA the information needed to easily access your VA health record.
This ID card also gives the cardholder access to military installations.: This card is issued to the veteran (only) from Veterans Affair. There is no dependent card that accompanies this for a veterans spouse or other dependents.
Department of Defense (DOD) DEERS/RAPIDS Disabled American Veterans (DAV) ID card: Issued by a DOD DEERS/RAPIDS ID Card office when a Disable American Veteran is proven to be 100% Permanently Disabled by Veterans Affairs. The veteran produces the 100 disabled letter from the VA to the DEERS/RAPIDS ID Card office, who will then issue a DAV ID card.
If you lose your ID card:
USAG Yongsan
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Yongsan Garrison HQ
Bldg. 2372, Rm 116 (far end of the building near Barber Shop)
DSN 315-722-4225/5453
Comm 0503-322-4225/5453
Mon - Fri 0800 - Last Customer 1500
Open during lunch
No Appointments Necessary
USAG Humphreys
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Timothy Maude Hall
Bldg. P6400, Rm. F104 (OneStop)
DSN 315-757-2102
Comm 05033-57-2102
Mon - Fri 0830 - 1700,
Open during lunch
No Appointments Necessary
Appointments for VIPS is available
USAG Casey
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Maude Hall Bldg 2440, 1st Floor
DSN 315-722-1680/4068
Comm 05033-22-1680/4068
Mon - Fri 0800 - 1700
Closed for lunch
No Appointments Necessary
USAG Daegu
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Camp Walker
Bldg 330 Rm 128D
DSN 315-763-4879
Comm 05033-63-4879
Mon - Fri 0800 - 1700
Open during lunch
No Appointments Necessary
USAG Yongsan K-16
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Community Activities Center (CAC), Bldg S302 Rm B107
DSN 315-741-6461
Comm 05033-41-6461
Mon - Fri 0800 - 1600
Closed for lunch
No Appointments Necessary
Osan Air Base
DEERS/ID OFFICE
51st FSS/FSPS, Building 936, Room 117
DSN 315-784-6279
Comm 0505-784-6279 or 82-31-661-6279
Appointments take priority over walk-ins
Schedule Appointment https://www.51fss.com/military-personnel-flight-mpf/
Kunsan Air Base
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Bldg 755 Rm 119
DSN 315-782-7220
Comm 0505-782-7220
No Appointments Necessary
Chinhae Navy Base
DEERS/ID OFFICE
Commander Fleet Activities Chinhae
Bldg 606, Rm 120
DSN 315 763-5019
Comm from Cell 055-540-5019
By Appointment Only https://idco.dmdc.osd.mil/idco/#/
Veterans Affairs Building
DEERS/ID OFFICE
US Embassy-JUSMAGPHIL Manila-US Army
Manila US Embassy
1501 Roxas Blvd
Veterans Affairs Building
Pasay City, 1300
+63-2-53-012-0000
(Between Japan Embassy and Cuneta Astrodome)
By Appointment Only go to https://ph.usembassy.gov/dod-id-card/ and follow the PROCEDURES on that page to make appointments.
Your Blue Retiree ID card was most likely issued to you prior to a change made to the INDEF policy on the front of your ID card.
For many years the Blue Retiree ID said INDEF (Indefinite) on the front and your actual 65th birthday date on the back... in small text. Actually it was the date of the month prior to your 65th birthday, but regardless, it was on the back in small text and rarely noticed by some.
The INDEF on the front gave many retirees a false sense of security about their ID card, because they in fact were NOT INDEF (if not 65), but retirees paid little attention to that and many failed to watch the date on the back, thus lost their TRICARE because they failed to obtain Medicare Part B as they turned 65.
The DOD directed DMDC to replace INDEF and place the date on the front of the ID card, the same date as on the back, to help remind retiree cardholders of the Expiration Date.
There are 3 scenarios to this.
IT'S COMING in 2026, BUT NOT MANDATORY YET
DOD has put an expected date of 2026 out there to have all legacy Teslin ID cards. ATTRITION, however is the key word in this process. It is expected that by 2024 all, or most, expiring legacy IDs will have been replaced through expiration attrition. This leaves the INDEF ID cards to be replaced, which is where the 2026 date comes into play. All legacy Teslin laminated ID cards should be replaced by 2026 with the white plastic USID ID cards.
You can update your address and/or phone number on your DEERS record by going to the DMDC MilConnect page and then to the My Profile page. After you make changes on your Personal tab, remember to submit your changes to make sure your updates are made in DEERS.
Note: If you are covered by TRICARE, you might prefer to make changes that affect your coverage options (such as your residence address) in MilConnect's Beneficiary Web Enrollment (BWE). With BWE, you can immediately select coverage options available in your new location.
References:
Yes, if you are 100% Permeant disabled with a letter from the VA, then you are entitled to a DoD Disable American Veterans (DAV) ID card. This is pretty much the same as a Retiree ID card and allows base access, PX/BX, Commissary and MWR privileges. 100% disabled veteran's will need to take a copy of their rating with them to the RAPID ID site to be issued the ID.
No, if you are 0%-90% service-connected by VA, you are not eligible for an ID card.
Click Here for ID Card locations in Korea
Phone Numbers:
It's difficult! You need to make an appointment online with JUSMAGPHIL, who manages and operates the DEERS/RAPIDS ID Card program. I have heard horror stories about making an online appointment with them, so better to just email them at ManilaDODID@state.gov
You can get your new RETIREE INDEF ID card anytime during the month prior to your birthday, prior to your current card expiring EXCEPT on the 1st of the month in Korea due to the time zone difference with the U.S. Just visit an DEERS/RAPIDS ID card office.
