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Scott Airmen charged with legal readiness

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Mendel Avtzon
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Legal Office

Part of preparing for “The Next Fight,” is legal readiness. How do Airmen ensure that they are legally ready and prepared?

The 375th Air Mobility Wing legal office provides a variety of services to assist personnel at Scott with legal readiness free of charge, such as:

  • Wills:  A will is a comprehensive document that expresses your wishes about how you want your property to be distributed if you pass away. If you pass away without a will, applicable state laws generally provide that your property will pass to your spouse, children, parents, or siblings.
  • Powers of attorney:  A power of attorney is a document that authorizes someone else to act on your behalf under certain circumstances. General powers of attorney permit an individual to grant authority to another person to act and make decisions in their place. General powers of attorney should be used rarely. Special powers of attorney allow someone to do a particular thing for you, such as access an account or sell a vehicle. Healthcare powers of attorney allow someone to make healthcare decisions for you if you are unable to act for yourself.
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) counseling:  If you are preparing to deploy or PCS, the SCRA may allow you to terminate various types of contracts affected by your military orders, such as a lease, without any financial penalty. Additionally, SCRA may protect you from adverse judicial, repossession or eviction actions issued while down range.
  • Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) counseling:  For reserve component Airmen called to duty in the uniformed services, USERRA prohibits discrimination and protects rights to reemployment upon return to civilian employment.

Your legal readiness is very important to ensure you’re protected for “The Next Fight.” It involves individual review of your own personal circumstances—not a “one size fits all” requirement to complete a particular document or attend a legal assistance appointment. For example, if you have recently updated legal documents and have not experienced any major life changes or are satisfied you understand your legal rights and responsibilities, you may not require any further action.

The legal office is developing a unit-based plan to best implement our leadership’s vision and ensure all personnel are “Combat Ready...Showcase Worthy!” Further communication will be issued soon. In the meantime, start to consider your personal affairs so you are ready to execute.