Organizing important paperwork

[Guest guardhopefull]

Im cleaning out my folders after OTS and wondering what I should always keep a copy of? Some things Iv kept so far are:

1. Orders

2. All Medical records

3. SGLI

4. DD214

5. Security clearance paperwork

If anyone has anything good to add to the list please do so as Im really wondering if I should keep some of this stuff like the old orders, travel voucher paperwork that has been paid, ect.

Thanks

[Champ Kind]

Make sure in your medical records you include your immunization records as well, so that you have something to show when the Nazis from the clinic say that you are overdue.

[Guest mphamer]

Hopefull,

When it comes to military paperwork, NEVER EVER throw ANYTHING away. Buy a plastic file box or whatever and keep everything. Some day when some pencil pusher asks you for paperwork from 5 years ago to prove you had "### training" you will be glad you did. Keep a copy of everything you turn in because eventually somebody will lose your paperwork.

Mike

[BFM this]

Originally posted by mphamer:

Some day when some pencil pusher asks you for paperwork from 5 years ago...

5 years...I recently had to produce my original enlistment contract that I signed in High School: dated Feb 1993. After that, all of my orders from MEPS through boot camp to my first duty station. I'm not making this up.

If it's an official document, keep it. And, yes, be prepared to defend what AFPC should otherwise have clearly documented.

[ClearedHot]

If you go to Survival School, make 20 copies of your diploma and send them to different friends. Open a safe deposit box in the Cayman Islands and put three copies there. We had a LtCol in my class who went as a 2LT. They lost his records and he had to repeat the course in order to take a SQ/CC job. He was not a happy camper...

[Toro]

Guard/reserve hopefull,

As mphamer said, it's always a good idea to keep as much as you can stand. That being said, here's what I keep from the list you mentioned -

- Orders - I keep 2-3 copies of my PCS orders of my current assignment. Finance rules now say you have to keep your travel vouchers, receipts, and orders for some ungodly amount of time (I want to say seven years), so you'll basically need to keep them in some form or another.

- All Medical records - Not sure how the guard works it, but for AD these are kept at the base clinic. Definitely hang on to anything you have. PhlashNU04 mentioned the shot records; they used to make you maintain these records and if you lost them you were pretty much screwed. Now everything is in the AF-wide system and they're phasing out the records. They'll issue you a printed-out shot record on request.

- SGLI - I keep a copy of this along with my vRED (virtual Record of Emergency Data)

- DD214 - No idea what this is

- Security clearance paperwork. Abso-friggin-lutely. Nothing is more aggravating than losing this information and having to track the addresses of everybody you've ever know to re-submit an SF 86 (the investigation Form). Recommend you also keep an electronic version of the EPSQ.

A couple other suggestions-

- Now that LES are available online from mypay, I save e-versions of this indefinitely.

- As I mentioned, save travel vouchers for seven-ish years.

- I keep just about anything that MPF also has a copy of. This includes OPRs and citations for awards / medals / ribbons.

- Once you start flying, keep a personal copy of all your Form 8s (checkride summaries).

Originally posted by Clearedhot:

If you go to Survival School, make 20 copies of your diploma and send them to different friends. Open a safe deposit box in the Cayman Islands and put three copies there.

Hilarious! Good call!

[Guest ce2be]

In thirteen years, I have kept a copy of every single piece of paper that was given to me or that I had to sign and turn in.

You never know.....

-mark

[Guest Blue]

Same advice

If it looks official, hang onto it. You never know.

[Guest mphamer]

Originally posted by Clearedhot:

If you go to Survival School, make 20 copies of your diploma and send them to different friends. Open a safe deposit box in the Cayman Islands and put three copies there. We had a LtCol in my class who went as a 2LT. They lost his records and he had to repeat the course in order to take a SQ/CC job. He was not a happy camper...

I had to retake initial DP (Can You say "gas chamber on a 106° August day ) because my boss lost the training rip I gave him. I keep copies of EVERYTHING now.

Mike

[Guest guardhopefull]

Thanks alot for the imput, glad I checked before all that stuff met the shredder.

[zrooster99]

If it hasn't already been said...it should go without saying, but keep at least one copy of all orders you recieve as long as you live...you never know.

[Guest 130Nav]

Originally posted by zrooster99:

If it hasn't already been said...it should go without saying, but keep at least one copy of all orders you recieve as long as you live...you never know.

This can be very important for the Guard and Reserve...I had to produce all of my orders since leaving active duty just to prove that I had the active time to get O1E pay.

[Guest Dirt Beater]

As a newly-minted LT, I have a few questions...

How do you guys organize all your paperwork, like car insurance, loans, orders, LESs, legal and personal documents?

What, in the way of paperwork, should you hang on to throughout your career?

I appreciate the input...I'm trying to file all my AF stuff and I'm curious what I should leave room for.

[zrooster99]

I use binders with document protectors, though at min I want to start putting them in "fire proof" boxes. At least 1 copy of ALL orders you recieve, all certificates, awards and decs and LESs for the last couple years is a good start.

In some cases I print out e-mails as well if they have a long term significance.

I think this was covered in a previous thread somewhere, might want to do a search.

[Guest KoolKat]

Edit: zrooster99 seems to have a similar system...Good advice. Search more than here though too, lots of good tips and techniques all over the place for being organized.

How do you guys organize all your paperwork, like car insurance, loans, orders, LESs, legal and personal documents?

I have a huge binder with plastic sleeves that I keep EVERYTHING paper in. For bills, I keep the last bill that says the account is current and the new one that I'm paying now. In the front is a sheet that's an index and a comprehensive listing of the bills due for the month, so I can track the new things things that can't be forgotten about (that would be bad.)

In the back is all my certificates, diplomas, etc. Tri-care stuff, literally everything paper.

DOWNSIDE...If my house catches on fire, I might burn to death attempting to retrieve this binder. Only solution to that is not to catch on fire.

Good luck figuring out a system.

What, in the way of paperwork, should you hang on to throughout your career?

This answer is a bit easier. EVERYTHING!

You can trim that down a little if you like, but I always keep copies of my current orders, personnel record, and EVERYTHING financial. I keep all of my LESs, no matter how old. But, I may cut that down to the last two years.

Again, good luck...It's alot of paper, and it only continues to pile up.

[ 16. June 2005, 13:32: Message edited by: KoolKat ]

[Guest mphamer]

For god sake keep everything! Buy a cheap plastic file box, some file folders and label them, Pay, travel, medical, etc. It seems anal, but someday when you have to prove to some pencil pusher that you had xxxx training or you paid that govt. credit card bill, it will all be worth it. A locking fire-proof file box would be better, but its not very portable. Remember to keep your stuff in a safe place, identity theft is huge these days.

[Toro]

Originally posted by NSFW:

How do you guys organize all your paperwork, like car insurance, loans, orders, LESs, legal and personal documents?

I've got most of my stuff in hanging file folders in my desk drawer - seprate folder for each one. A lot of my documents are now electronic/pdf files (USAA stuff, LES, bills). The upside is that it takes up less space, the downside is that you need to remember to back it up every so often and if the power goes out you have no access to it.

Anything that is extremely important (marriage / birth certificates, deeds, etc) I have in a small fire-proof container in my closet. I like to call it "my lock-box"

What, in the way of paperwork, should you hang on to throughout your career?

As mentioned - everything. Basically, if it is an AF official document, I save it. Training reports, certificates of completion, OPRs, Form-8s. There will come a time in your AF career when you wish you had it. Every so often I take out an old letter of counseling I got and have a little chuckle.