We had opted to live on Base for the first year. It seemed like a good idea. We'd had such a great experience with Hunt Property Management through the Army, and we thought that going from post to base would make the adjustment easier on the Littles. We were scheduled to get the keys Monday morning at 10:30. We pulled up just in time, the weather was fine, and ...
And I'll be honest, the grossly abbreviated story that follows has soured me quite a bit. I'm working on it, because nobody wants to live with a soured heart, but I'm not there yet. (Honestly, I tried to convince Z to jettison the entire idea and go with something different in town. We could not come to an agreement, and it's really challenging for everyone to negotiate plans remotely, so we powered through on this one.)
There had been some confusion earlier (starting in July) with our application, as John turned 18 over the summer, and they wanted to know that he was a full-time student in order to allow him to live with us. A letter of acceptance for the fall term at the local college didn't count. They insisted on a verification of enrollment form showing a current schedule of registered classes totaling 15 hours (which the lady claimed is "full time" in New Mexico - heads up, it's not, it's 12 hours, just like every other public school in the lower 48 - and it's six hours for Summer Term, but she knows what she knows). Of course, most kids don't take summer classes between high school graduation and Freshman year of college, but John took 14 hours over the summer, so *whew*! He sent a verification of enrollment from Calhoun, showing full-time status in good standing. There, done.
Nope. They insisted that that wasn't full-time (???Freaks.), and even if it was, it wasn't at UNM (nothing in the rules states that the student must be at any specific institution), and we just really need to understand the rules and since he's not a student (by what metric, we couldn't discern, but they insisted), he can't live with us. Maybe we can re-apply when he's actually a student and we understand the rules. And finally,
"Oh, yeah, that's a new policy we haven't fully implemented yet. It doesn't apply to him, He doesn't have to be in school. He just needs permission from the Base Commander for an exception to policy to allow him to live with you."
So we filed that. And there was more, so much more. They wouldn't give us a lease without base IDs for everyone (but, of course, you can't get a base ID without a reason for being on base, and if your reason for being on base is that you live in base housing, you need a lease...) All of this, however, was supposedly squared away before we ever left Alabama.
We pulled up Monday morning and were told John can't live with us because (wait for it)... he's not a full-time student. (Ah, you caught us! He is not, in fact, actively taking classes BETWEEN SEMESTERS!) They lost our background checks. We have to file a new Exception to Policy form. Oh, and the policy that wasn't implemented three weeks ago was fully implemented while we were on the road, so we DO need all that paperwork, after all. But they tossed the ones we'd submitted before.
Ah, but I have photos of each of them! (Because I do catch on, eventually.)
Oh, so sorry. We have new forms, now. So you'll need to re-do those, as well. No, you cannot move in until all of that is done over. It'll only take 3-5 days, but don't worry because it's a process. Trust us. We're the government, and we're here to help!
We have spent hours each day this week getting this sorted. There was some kind of act of benevolence that allowed someone to recognize what a cluster this whole thing is and issue an order to allow us to move in by using the 30-day grace period they have (that. no. one. thought. to. mention. before...) Today is Friday, and he is finally on the lease as of 4:30 yesterday afternoon.
Of course, the badge system is down, so none of us has base IDs yet. We had to get extended temporary passes yesterday morning before Z left TDY because we can't renew without him, and ours were set to expire five hours after the office closed on Friday and one hour after he returned from his trip. So that could have been an awkward impromptu night in a hotel! Bless, bless, BLESS the kind airman who laminated our temporary passes for us so that they'll last the month! Truly, he has been the absolute highlight of the move-in process, and I hope he has a long and fruitful career in the Air Force. He's my favorite!
In the meantime, I'm playing heck establishing John's NM identity! You can't get a library card or NM driver's license without proof of residency. You can't apply for EMS licensure in the State without proof that you live here. And you can't apply for a tuition residency waiver without a NM license and proof of residency. (All sane requirements. Normally, it's not this blessed difficult to get a kid put on a lease!) But that's okay, because we still haven't been able to get him registered for classes, which start Monday.
So this particular part of the move hasn't been a hoot, I'll be upfront about that.
However, there has also been so much good! I'll fill you in on that tomorrow!
Be encouraged!
~ Dy
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