Prepping for Your Final-Out

If you are like me and feel like the internet isn't the most dependable thing right when you need it, you probably want to have your records-all of them-printed out for safekeeping in a fireproof container in the safest part of the house where it will be humidity controlled. If that is the case and you want those records ready for museum display in the empires of the future, get yourself some binders. Simple binders will do, but make sure they can hold up to at least the move to Farthefuckaway, FL. If your office doesn't have 3 hole punched paper ready to print, then try to beg-borrow-or steal the 3 hole punch from your least favorite office.

Go to every site on the portal that may contain records. PRDA, vMPF, MyVector, MyPay, all of them. Make sure you print off your medals on vMPF, and get your tax info from MyPay.

Print. Everything.

Go to Emails.

Print. Everything.

Then organize it however you would like, and take it to that safe place and hopefully you will never need to look at any of it again. There was one thing I had been too lazy to take over to the Personnel Office have added to my record, so I took it over and made sure it was added to my record in case it was on the DD214 that I was due to get soon.

When your out-processing checklist becomes available, print it and put it in another binder or Trapper Keeper. Keep a pen with it and attach it to your arm so you have it wherever you are on base. Read over it and make a game plan. You can write on this checklist, though you will be turning it in at your final-out. While you are visiting the places you need to out process with, have it in your hand and ask them to initial next to their section once you have completed the requirements for their shop. Always have a backup!

Go back to the Email from the Force Support Squadron. Print that whole thing, separate it and staple it. PROTECT THESE, THEY WILL BE REQUIRED AT YOUR FINAL OUT. Make sure you get the signatures required or you will be forced to leave your final out appointment to go get forms signed at dental that they told me days earlier that they would not sign.

Print all of your Emails from anyone you had difficulty out processing with. I had a bear of a time with one office because they had an old appointment letter, so my name was still on a program no one had touched in two years. They had to pull a fairly thorough inventory and were missing two, expensive, things. I had all those emails printed and put them in the binder with the things to have at my final out.

The $25 or $30 you will spend on binders will be worth it when you know damn sure you have everything you need walking in to that last appointment.