This article provides information to help locate an active-duty NCP’s unit and commanding officer. Finding active-duty military personnel requires patience and persistence. The process often involves multiple steps, and each branch of the military has its own unique rules and methods for tracking down service members.
Refer to the OCSE Military and Veterans online resources for further information: Military & Veterans | The Administration for Children and Families
SCRA Certificate Limitations
The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) SCRA website verifies active-duty status, dates of service, and identifies the member’s military branch (Service Component). However, it does not track unit assignments, physical duty stations, or provide commanding officer contact information.
Location Procedures
Caseworkers must use the following methods to identify the duty station and command structure:
- Identify the Service Branch (Component): Review the SCRA certificate generated from the DMDC website. The military branch is listed under the “Service Component” field.
- When the Branch is Known, but Not the Duty Station: If you know the military branch but not the duty station, submit a written request to that branch’s worldwide locator service.
- Draft a formal request on OKDHS agency letterhead containing the member’s name and SSN.
- Mail the request to the branch locator (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard).
- Refer to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Working with the Military Training Guide (Module 2 Handouts) for the mailing addresses and procedures for each branch’s locator office.
- Locate the Unit Identification Code (UIC) or Monitored Command Code (MCC): If you have the member’s Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) or Department of Defense (DoD) records from the OCSE Child Support Portal, use the following fields to identify the unit and duty station:
- Army, Navy, and Air Force LES: Locate Block 62 (PACIDN) on Army statements to find the six-character activity UIC. On Army, Navy, and Air Force statements, check Block 8 (ADSN/DSSN) for the Accounting and Disbursing Station Number. This identifies the servicing finance office or station of assignment. Identify Block 56 (JFTR) for the location code tied to the member’s duty station. Refer to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) LES guides for branch-specific block layouts.
- Marine Corps LES: Locate Block 13 (Unit Information), which lists the Platoon, the three-character Monitored Command Code (MCC), and the Reporting Unit Code (RUC). Check Block 14 (BAH Information) to find the five-digit ZIP code for the Marine’s duty station.
- OCSE Child Support Portal DoD Entitlement Records: The DoD Entitlement application on the Portal provides a monthly breakdown of military pay and allowances rather than unit codes or physical addresses. However, if the DoD Entitlement report shows a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) payment, cross-reference the monthly BAH dollar amount and the member’s pay grade in the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) BAH Rate Lookup to identify the Military Housing Area and duty station ZIP code. You can also submit a request through the Portal’s Locate application to obtain the member’s unit or APO/FPO mailing address.
- Using the Codes: Provide the UIC, MCC, RUC, or station code to the installation’s base operator or search branch-specific online unit directories to obtain the unit’s physical address and command telephone numbers.
- When the Installation is Known (Base Operator): If the physical military installation is identified, find the installation’s main phone number using the Military OneSource Installations Directory. Contact the base operator by telephone and request a transfer to the member’s unit orderly room, First Sergeant, or Commander’s office.
- How Telephone Verification Assists Caseworkers: Speaking with unit command staff confirms whether the service member is present at that installation rather than deployed, on temporary duty, or reassigned to another post. Unit personnel can provide the commanding officer’s name, the unit’s physical building or street address on post, and installation requirements for completing Service of Process. Because federal jurisdiction rules restrict civilian process servers from entering military installations unannounced, speaking with the unit, the base Provost Marshal, or the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office establishes the local protocol for delivering court documents.
- Caseworkers must ask specific questions regarding these protocols, such as where the process server is permitted to go, who they must coordinate with upon arrival, and how to formally request command assistance to make the member available for Service of Process.
- Compare Verified Location Data with OSIS FCRL Screens: Compare the unit and installation information obtained from the methods above against the address data displayed in the OSIS FCRL screens.
- Why Comparison is Necessary: Automated employment and locate returns in FCRL list the central Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) payroll address (such as Indianapolis, IN, or Cleveland, OH) rather than the member’s physical duty station. DFAS addresses route to national payroll processing centers that process income withholding orders but cannot accept Service of Process for court actions. Comparing your verified installation data against FCRL prevents mistakenly mailing legal packets for establishing, modifying, or enforcing orders to a payroll facility where service cannot be executed.