Selective Service cuts red tape on registration

The Selective Service System has added a change of address page to its website that will allow young men to update their registration information on-line.

Federal law requires that young men, ages 18 through 25, notify Selective Service within 10 days of an address change. The addition of the new webpage will make fulfillment of this legal requirement easier and more convenient.

“This initiative corresponds to the Agency’s vision of increased customer service,” said Selective Service Director Gil Coronado who first initiated on-line registration on Dec. 28, 1998.

“For two decades, men could only go to the post office to obtain a Selective Service Change of Address Form; this new webpage will make the process more convenient for men who have Internet access,” Mr. Coronado said.

It is also expected to reduce the Agency’s printing and processing costs, while saving young men the cost of first class postage to make the change of address form.

Any man who is registered and was born after 1959 can update his address information by connecting to the Selective Service website at www.sss.gov. He clicks on a link to the “change of address” page, types his new information, clicks the “submit” button and he is done.

He can also check a box if he wants to receive an updated acknowledgment card by conventional mail.

Federal law requires virtually all men to register with Selective Service within 30 days of turning 18. Each year, about 1.8 million men turn 18. All U.S. male citizens, no matter where they reside, as well as male non-citizens residing in the U.S., are required to register.

Although late registrations are accepted, a man cannot register once he reaches age 26. Failure to register is a felony. Moreover, Selective Service registration is linked to many benefits such as eligibility for federal student loans and grants, training programs under the Workforce Investment Act, federal jobs in the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, and jobs with the U.S. Postal Service.

More than half of the states have enacted legislation that links benefits such as state tuition assistance and eligibility for state jobs to registration.

Additionally, male immigrants who are in the U.S. when they are 18 through 25 years old may be denied U.S. citizenship if they fail to register.

Although the U.S. relies on an all-volunteer military today, the Selective Service System and the registration program help America remain prepared to reinstate a timely and fair draft in a future crisis, should a draft become necessary.