i need some general information about husbands paycheck and housing

[Melohhdee Div948 PIR10/15/10]

my husband sadly left for boot camp today august 16, 2010 and ive been taking it pretty okay, i mean its only 2 months and im a full time student so im plenty busy, but its only been a few hours and some tears come out.

im not sure when i will receive any money, i was just told to give him a bank deposit or a voided check, i went ahead and did that. and what should i look out for in the mail? i dont know when i might get health insurance or base access. any information that you can give, i'd really appreciate it.

my husband will also be going to A-School in Pensacola, for 8 weeks but i heard he might be there for a few months depending. also, when he is in a-school, can i fly out and visit him or can he not accept visitors?

thanks so much everyone, being on this website has answered a lot of my questions and the support is wonderful, im sure im going to need it later on if he goes on a ship.

[Kathy (AOMom)]

All I can tell you about the pay is they get paid on the 15th and 30th of the month, but it does take a few cycles to get into your bank account, I am sure there are some people on here with much more knowledge.
Yes you can visit him at A school, but I would wait until he is in Phase 3, it takes about 4 weeks to get to that phase, and he will have overnite liberty on phase3. At first they have very limited free time and have to muster whats seems like constantly, not a lot of freedom, but it does ease up a bit the longer they are there.

[Anti M]

Military paydays are the 1st and 15th, and are by direct deposit only. His first check will be small as he will have to pay for necessities he purchases at the NEX (Navy Exchange, a store on base). It takes about three weeks for the first pay to be deposited as he has to be processed in and the paperwork takes a pay cycle or two to catch up. The housing allowance takes a little longer to be processed, so that shows up closer to the end of boot camp. You will get it all from day one though. What you need to look for in the mail will be letters from him; as far as I know, they have the recruits mail the forms to the dependents.

He will mail you a signed form for your ID card. You take the form, your SSN and drive's license to the nearest military facility, and they will issue you an ID card. That card it like gold, carry it always. You do not need a military member to get you on base when you first get the ID card, they should issue you a pass. You may want to call and see if they require appointments, some do. The ID card will act as your health insurance card. Memorize his SSN, everything will go by his number. He will sign you up for Tricare, either Prime or Standard. You can look Tricare up online and see what the program is like (excellent, in my experience) Children under ten do not get a military ID card, but are still covered on the family plan.

[Melohhdee Div948 PIR10/15/10]

thanks for the info, i hope i do get his paycheck on the 1st, i need at least $500 for the bills, i wish we could get this BAH while he is in boot camp so i can move out of my parents house, its been almost a week, and im already going nuts. lol, but ill call DEERS everyday to check, i need insurance for my psoriasis, acne and BC.

[Jennifer]

Welcome to Navy life. You will be able to visit your husband at A school. Once he gets there, he will be briefed on what liberty restrictions they have and how long it takes to gain more priviledges. Your best friend when he gets to his first assignment, should be the Ombudsman. Try to remember this, because they can help you tremendously with resources, housing tips, etc.