Military Estate Planning
Deployment orders, beneficiary paperwork, and on-base briefings do not add up to a complete estate plan. Fort Cavazos families need documents that work together and hold up once the service member leaves post.
Deployment Powers of Attorney
Many service members leave with a general POA from the JAG office and assume it covers the household. In practice, banks, title companies, and school districts often want specific authority for real estate, vehicle sales, or medical decisions for children. A plan built around the family's actual accounts and property reduces the odds of a document getting rejected while the service member is unreachable.
SGLI and the Will
SGLI pays out by beneficiary designation, not by what the will says, so a will that assumes otherwise can create confusion for a surviving family. Beneficiary forms get updated after a marriage, a birth, or a divorce far less often than they should. Reviewing SGLI, the will, and any trust together helps make sure money goes where the family actually intends.
Survivor Benefit Plan
The Survivor Benefit Plan is an elected annuity that continues a portion of retired pay to a named beneficiary after the retiree's death, and it interacts closely with divorce decrees, remarriage, and former-spouse coverage rules. Getting the SBP election, any court-ordered coverage, and the estate plan aligned generally takes coordination between the service member's finance paperwork and the family's legal documents.
TSP Beneficiaries
Like SGLI, the TSP account transfers to whoever is listed on the current beneficiary form, regardless of what a will says. Families who update their will after a life change but forget the TSP designation can end up with an outcome nobody intended. Checking TSP, SGLI, and life insurance designations against the estate plan is a quick step worth doing at the same time.
Guardianship and Family Care Plans
The military's family care plan satisfies deployment readiness requirements, but it does not carry the same legal weight as a Texas guardianship designation if something happens to both parents. Families with children benefit from naming a guardian in a will or a separate designation, so the family's wishes are legally recognized rather than just documented for command.
How we help
The first call should turn a confusing legal issue into a clearer next step.
Any current will, trust, power of attorney, or beneficiary designation, even if outdated.
Family structure, real property, accounts, and who should be able to act.
Marriages, divorces, deaths, moves, new property, or health changes that make planning urgent.
Estate planning is local and document-sensitive; the firm keeps the first conversation grounded in family facts and practical next steps.
“Ted Smith and his legal assistants Carol and Crystal are highly recommended.”
Questions
Not always, but it is worth a review. On-base legal assistance offices generally serve the family well for the basics, and the documents are typically valid. Some families need Texas-specific follow-up when property, business interests, or blended-family situations go beyond what a standard JAG template covers.
SGLI pays whoever is named on the current beneficiary election, not whoever the will names. The safest approach is to keep the SGLI form and the will pointed at the same intent, and to update both together after a marriage, divorce, or birth.
SBP coverage for a former spouse generally requires either an agreement between the parties or a court order in the divorce, and the former spouse currently has a limited window after the decree to submit the required election paperwork to the service finance center. Rules differ for reserve and National Guard members, so this is worth confirming with an attorney rather than assuming.
Yes, this is common. Bring whatever you have, even outdated documents or an approaching deployment date, and the office will prioritize what needs to be signed before you leave.
Ted Smith began practicing in Killeen in 1976 after serving in the Fort Hood JAG office, and the firm has worked with military families in this area for decades.
Call or text the Killeen office and the team will get back to you, usually within one business day.
