So what is DD Form 2788? The short answer: a Defense Department document, officially DD Form 2788, Child Annuitant's School Certification, 20150226 draft, used to Child Annuitant's School Certification. Anything else you need follows from that.
Is there a version specific to your service? No. A DD number is issued at Department level, which is the whole point of the prefix — every military department and defense agency works from one identical document. Looking for a branch variant wastes time you do not have.
Where does the requirement come from? From not stated, with not stated responsible for the document itself. Those are the names to cite if anyone asks under what authority you filed.
How current is this? Edition not stated, publisher status not stated. That is the version described throughout this page.
What the form asks for
- 1. Member's social security number.
- 2. Member's name: last, first, middle initial.
- 3. Annuitant's social security number.
- 4. Annuitant's name: last, first, middle initial.
- 5. If under age of majority, name of legal representative.
- 6. Date of Birth: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 7. Are you married? Press space bar to mark X in first box if yes, second if no.
- 8. Are you currently attending school full time? X first box if yes, second if no.
- 10. If high school, expected date of completion: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 11.a. If other than high school, date term or semester began: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 11.b. Date term or semester ends:s 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day, go to item 15.
- 9.a. Name of school.
- 9.b. School address, include zip code.
- 9.c. Telephone number of school. Include area code.
- 14.a. If other than high school, date term or semester began: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 14.b. Date term or semester ended: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 12. If not currently attending school full time: a. name of last school attended.
- 12.c. Telephone number, include area code.
- 12.b. Address, include zip code.
- 13. If high school, date of completion: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 15. Do you plan to attend school full time during the next 150 days? X first box if yes, second if no.
- 17.a. Date term or semester will begin: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 17.b. Date term or semester will end: 4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day.
- 18. Signature of annuitant or legal representative. Remember to obtain school official's certification on Page 2.
Download the form
What formats exist for this form? PDF. What is the scale of it? 2 pages and approximately 42 fields.
Why do two kinds of pdf exist? Because two kinds of user exist. One completes the form on screen and forwards a file; the other prints a blank and fills it by hand. The fillable release has interactive boxes, the printable release is a static image of the same page.
Is handwriting acceptable? Yes, but it is the weaker choice. Scanning flattens pen strokes and reproduction blurs them, while typed characters survive the whole chain intact. Print in capitals if you are working from a paper blank.
Why will not the xfdl file open? Because it is not a pdf. Xfdl belongs to IBM Lotus Forms, long the Department's electronic form format, and it needs IBM Lotus Forms Viewer or an equivalent reader installed first.
What does any of this cost? Nothing. Every format listed is a free download. One practical note: save the file and open it in a desktop pdf reader, because browser previews often ignore interactive fields and lose what you typed.
Where do you start? At the top. Identification first, the substance of the entry second, certification last. Why that order? Because fields lower on the page often depend on data you established in the header, and filling out of sequence produces contradictions.
What if your copy is old? Replace it. Check the date printed on the form against not stated. Old blanks circulate for years in shared folders, and because a DD revision lands across the whole Department at once, the receiving office will be working from the new layout.
Where do you look up an unclear entry? The form face first, not stated second. And when the two disagree? not stated controls.
Where does the completed form go? To the office named in not stated or in your organization's local procedure. Should you keep a copy? Always — a scan or a saved file costs nothing and spares you the whole exercise if the original disappears.
Do you need to know which branch issued a related form? No. DD numbering is Department-wide and unified, which means the number on its own is a complete address for the document.
Do DA and DD numbers ever correspond? Never. DA numbering is Army-specific, administered by an Army proponent, while DD numbering is Department-wide under not stated or an equivalent Department office. Identical digits in the two systems mean two unrelated documents, which is why the prefix matters more than the number.
Should you archive this file and reuse it next year? Better not. Forms are revised as directives are reissued, as data requirements shift and as statutory notice text is updated, and none of that reaches you directly. Download fresh, check the edition date.
What does this page actually provide? The blank form and a description of it. What does it not provide? Legal guidance, procedural rulings, or any assurance about a particular filing. Who answers those? not stated, the administrative office that serves you, or the authority identified in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 2788?
- DD Form 2788, Child Annuitant's School Certification, 20150226 draft
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?