JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Starting Dec. 1, all 502nd Air Base Wing Military Personnel Section Common Access Card and military identification issuance facilities will operate on a customer appointment system basis only.
This process will reduce overall wait times, while still allowing the capability to assist customers in emergency situations, according to Air Force Capt. Linda M. Arias, Military Personnel Section chief at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
"A group of seven customer service subject matter experts from all JBSA locations have been working to implement this system to save time for people waiting to get their CAC or ID cards," Arias said. "We wanted to cut the wait time from four to six weeks to four to six days. In the best case, people will get an appointment the next day."
Customers will be served on an appointment-only basis and will schedule appointments at any of the 502nd ABW JBSA MPS facilities by visiting the RAPIDS appointment scheduling website at https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil.
· Select "Make Appointment."
· Select a state.
· Select a city. All appointment sites in your local area will populate.
· Select your desired location. A calendar will appear with all days highlighted in green that are available for scheduling an appointment.
· Select a date in green and fill in all information on the screen that follows. Contact information and the address for the chosen site are also on this page.
Hours of operation will be 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Appointments will start at 8 a.m., in 15-minute increments, with the last appointment of the day at 3:15 p.m.
"Walk-in" customers will not be accepted; however, circumstances and needs will be assessed case-by-case to determine if an "exception to policy" is warranted.
The following categories will be considered exceptions to policy: wounded warriors, mission-critical military members, lost or stolen identification cards with proper justification, elderly or incapacitated military members and customers driving from distances of 100 miles or farther. Mission-critical military personnel in uniform (without dependents requiring service) will have priority within these categories.
"Once your appointment has been scheduled, the screen that follows is your confirmation sheet. Be sure to print this page and keep it for your records," Arias said. "A confirmation email will also be sent to the email address you provided. Along with your confirmation, there will be a page of information that explains what may be required in order for you to be serviced."
For more information on this process, contact your local DEERS/ID Card offices at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 221-0415; JBSA-Lackland, 671-4178 and JBSA-Randolph, 652-2276.