One stop processing center on Belvoir

According to officials at Fort Belvoir’s Directorate of Human Resources, soldiers will soon be able to visit a one-stop facility to complete their in- and out-processing on post to make the transition between duty stations easier.
Under the current system, soldiers arriving to Belvoir must visit 24 different agencies or activities all over the installation, including housing, the identification card section, dental, medical, transportation, military pay and education facilities.
Soldiers departing from Belvoir must visit those same agencies, plus an additional four, including the Army Substance Abuse Program, Social Work Services, Behavioral Health and the barracks.
Each soldier is granted 10 days to have each installation or community activity signed off.
The establishment of the one stop will allow a representative from each of the 28 agencies to be under one roof, allowing soldiers to reduce the necessary time from 10 to no more than three days for in and out processing.
“The old process only allowed us at DHR to process their personal information and ID cards,” Sigberto Rios, chief of the personnel services branch, said. “Each soldier has to visit each individual office, like the hospital and dental clinic, on post to in-process.
“With the one stop, we can get all of those organizations under one roof to keep the soldiers from traveling all around post,” Rios said.
Diana Franco, DHR’s lead for in and out processing, noted the goal is make process much simpler and less stressful for soldiers.
“The main purpose of this new program is to make sure the soldiers have as smooth transition and make it as easy as possible for them to meet the requirements of the Army when processing into an installation,” Franco said. “The one stop is going to make it easier for them, as well as save them money and time.”
Franco also noted that with the large number of new soldiers coming onto post due to Base Realignment and Closure regulations, it is essential to make this process as efficient as possible.
“In preparation for BRAC, we are going to be getting a lot more soldiers on the installation and this change will reduce the number of soldiers driving around base to meet their requirements,” Franco said.
The new in- and out-processing center will be in the old Shoppette building, next to the bowling center.
According to Rios, each activity or organization will provide one representative and a back-up representative for the new processing center.
Currently, the processing center has only financial, personnel and ID cards under the same roof.
“We are hoping to have everyone in place and be up and running by the middle of January,” Rios said. “I think it may take a little longer than that, because we still have to get all the representatives together and manpower is the only current issue.”