FORT RUCKER, Ala. (January 29, 2015) -- Waiting in line can be a cumbersome and sometimes annoying part of the day, and that's why Fort Rucker is making it a little bit easier and a lot more convenient for people to get their identification cards with just a little effort required on their parts.
Starting Feb. 9, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., the ID card service, located in Bldg. 5700, will be available to people by appointment only to better serve the community and alleviate some of the long waits that people experience when getting their ID cards, said Luis F. Ortega, military personnel division chief.
The facility, which currently only facilitates walk-ins, would often become congested with long lines of people waiting for ID cards to be issued or renewed, and due to people's individual needs and situations, it was often difficult to predict how long people might have to wait, said Ortega.
"We can't predict the amount of walk-in customers that we'll have on any given day," he said. "Depending on the time of day that people arrive as a walk-in customer and the amount of customers already waiting will determine how long a person's wait time will be. There may be times when we have to stop accepting customers prior to closing time due to the high volume of walk-in customers already waiting for a card.
"We ask that (people) avoid coming in as a walk-in customer (when possible) and utilize the new appointment system -- this will save them some time," said Ortega. "(People) can make an appointment to renew their CAC or ID card up to 90 days prior to the expiration date. The appointment system allows you to make an appointment up to 120 days out."
If necessary, people will still be able to get their ID cards as a walk-in customer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Ortega said that issuing a card can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour, depending on the situation. The ID card facility issues an average of 1,500 cards a month, so he recommends that people take full advantage of the appointment system.
To make an appointment, people can visit https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil/appointment/building.aspx?BuildingId=876.
When visiting the website, people can choose their desired appointment date by looking at the calendar that is available on the site. Days shown in green mean there are appointments available for the day, and days shown in grey mean there are no appointments available for the day.
People need only to select their desired appointment day, the time they wish for their appointment, and then fill out the necessary information on the screen. After their information has been submitted, a confirmation email should be sent to the address provided to confirm the appointment, said Ortega.
For more information, call 255-2182.
Related Links:
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