Legal Assistance

The Legal Office can provide helpful general information and guidance on personal civil legal matters to those eligible for legal assistance services. Active-duty members and retirees plus their dependents are eligible for these services. Reserve and Guard members and their dependents when on Title 10 military orders.  The Air Force Legal Assistance and Preventive Law programs are governed by Air Force Instruction 51-304 and Air Force Policy Directive 51-5.

Services Provided

The Civil Law division, front desk of the legal office, provides walk in notary services from 0900-1200 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 1300-1600 on Wednesday. Powers of attorney, wills, health care directives, general legal advice on personal civil legal matters is provided on an appointment only basis.  Please call the Civil Law Division at 405-739-5811, option #1 to schedule an appointment and be advised of the most current operating procedures for services.

Eligibility

The following individuals are eligible for services: members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty and their dependents, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members; who are serving on federal active duty under Title 10, United States Code; and their dependents,  Active status reservists or National Guard members who are not in an inactive duty training status, not on active duty, or not currently in a duty status but subject to federal mobilization (National Guard, Ready Reserve, contract ROTC cadets) may receive mobilization- and deployment-related legal assistance.  Their dependents are only eligible when the member is serving on federal active duty under Title 10, United States Code.  Retired Service members and their dependents and 100% disabled veterans with a military identification card are eligible for services.  Prior to receiving any service, the individual must present a current military identification card for validation of identity and eligibility.

Types of Service

Areas of the law in which legal assistance is provided include bankruptcy, child support issues, child custody, consumer protection, domestic relations, landlord-tenant issues, leases, name changes, protections and responsibilities under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), powers of attorney, real estate sales, small claims court, wills and notary.

Wills and Powers of Attorney

Much of the time of the legal assistance staff is spent preparing wills and powers of attorney, particularly for military members facing mobilization. In addition to ensuring their financial and other affairs are in order, active-duty service members and reservists are well-advised to obtain a will and power of attorney that reflects their current wishes for the disposition and management of their property. Remember that your designation of beneficiaries in your will does not determine who is entitled to the proceeds of your life insurance policy. Periodically review the designation in your policy to ensure it reflects your current wishes as well. To start the process of drafting a new will, visit the following link and create a will worksheet. Once this worksheet is completed, forward a PDF copy of your worksheet and ticket number to 72/ABQ JA Workflow.

Legal Service Guides

In addition to offering private legal counseling, the Legal Office offers guides prepared by the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate on topics frequently asked about by its patrons. They include small claims court, door-to-door sales, car repairs, dealing with unexpected death, credit fraud, legal residence and domicile, used car purchases, fair credit billing and new car purchases. These guides provide useful information that may be picked up during regular office hours and reviewed either after or in lieu of receiving legal assistance on the topics covered.  The Air Force Legal Assistance website also offers information on numerous legal assistance topics.  Please see the following link.  https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil/

Filing Household goods claims is now online.

The Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps has consolidated the processing of certain claims, commonly known as personnel claims, at a single location at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

These claims involve loss or damage during shipment of household goods and privately owned vehicles as well as during storage at government expense, and loss or damage to personal property located in government quarters or other authorized locations incident to government service.

For personnel claims, the new process will enable Air Force employees to file claims on-line and electronically submit required documents to the Air Force Claims Service (AFCSC) in Ohio. Employees can complete the process from home after a one-time login from any government computer. If you don’t have access to a government computer, call the claims center at DSN 986-8044 or 1-877-754-1212 and they will provide a username and password.

As employees complete their claims on-line, they can get customer service over the Web or from the center by phone.  Not only will the on-line filing system accelerate the processing of the claim, it will allow for quicker payment.

For general information on filing a claim, go to online claims or call the base legal office. To file a claim, go to the website or call DSN 312-986-8044 or 1-877- 754-1212 with questions.

Online Filing - After gathering all the required paperwork, proceed to the claims website and begin inputting your claim.

Filing Via Mail Service - A package is available at the base legal office or on-line to file a paper claim. After reading and completing the paperwork, mail the claim to: Air Force Claims Service Center, 1940 Allbrook Ave, Ste 500, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433. However, people should remember that filing a claim via regular mail will take longer due to mail delays and the time to manually enter it into the system. Delays can be longer from overseas.

The pink form, DD Form 1840/1840R, entitled "Joint Statement of Loss or Damage at Delivery/ Notice of Loss and/or Damage", service members must report any loss or damage not noted on delivery day to their Transportation Service Provider (TSP).  Notification can be made via the DPS Claims Module (www.move.mil ) or by sending the Notification of Loss or Damage After Delivery form directly to their TSP. This form is given to every service member on the day of delivery and can be found on the reverse side of the Notification of Loss or Damage At Delivery form.  Claims are submitted via www.move.mil within 9 months from delivery.  If the claimant is unsatisfied with the result from the carrier, they may file with AFCSC within two years from the date of the incident. Filing the DD Form 1840R/ Notification of Loss or Damage After Delivery is not considered filing a claim.

Claims under The Federal Tort Claims Act and The Military Claims Act, such as those resulting from the alleged negligence of a government employee; government vehicle driver, for example, will continue to be processed at the base legal office.  Please contact us at 405-739-5811, Option #1, for required forms or questions.  The Air Force Administrative Claims for and Against the Air Force are governed by Air Force Instruction 51-306 and Air Force Policy Directive 51-3. 

Apart from its traditional function of providing private legal counseling, the Civil Law Division is tasked with monitoring the Juvenile Assistant Council on Tinker Air Force Base. This Council reviews incidents involving juveniles that occur on the base and takes appropriate action aimed at protecting both property and persons within the jurisdiction of the installation.

Services Not Provided

It must be remembered that the Legal Office cannot solve all your legal problems and, at times, must advise you to consult a private attorney at your own expense. Areas in which legal assistance cannot be provided include:

1. Issues involving personal commercial enterprises
2. Criminal issues under the UCMJ or state/federal criminal law
3. Standards of Conduct issues
4. Official matters in which the USAF has an interest
5. Legal issues or concerns raised on behalf of another person
6. Representation of a client in a court or administrative proceedings
7. Answers to questions and providing initial advice and referrals on complex legal issues.

Although the Civil Law Division cannot prepare legal documents for court, we can assist you by interpreting legal documents and correspondence received from other parties, providing answers to specific legal.