Dear ARmy,

I am assuming that you mean you have the General Power of Attorney for another soldeir's dependent care plan.

It really doesn't matter, it just scares me to see that. I am a former First Sergeant and I know that the regulations, at least until last year, did not allow a military member who was potentially deployable to be a part of a dependent care plan.

None the less, having another soldiers general power of attorney does not make you non-deployable. If you are a member of the other soldiers family care plan, and they are availabel (not yet deployed), the the plan fails and the other soldier has to get another plan (care provider). If the soldier is already deployed or otherwise not avaialble, then you will have to make arrangements for another care provider.

If the family care plan fails, the other soldier may be forced to return, then would not be deployable, and then may have to sign bars to reenlistment, or even immediate discharge, depending on command attitutde about these kinds of things. (legally the command can make someone who has a failed family care plan to immediately be discharged)

If this does not involve a family care plan, then the situation is not so dire. It just means that you would have to find another person to have the GPOA of the deployed soldier.

Having the GPOA does not make you non-deployable.

Ed Johnson, 1SG, US Army (Ret)