Fort Cavazos is Fort Hood again: an arrival guide for 2026 orders
If your orders, an old school form or a rental listing says Fort Cavazos, it means the same Central Texas post. The Army redesignated Fort Hood as Fort Cavazos on May 9, 2023, and returned the Fort Hood name on June 11, 2025, this time honoring World War I artillery officer Col. Robert B. Hood. The colors were swapped at a ceremony on July 28, 2025 (Army.mil, July 29, 2025, read Oct 15, 2026).
This page covers the base side of the move: getting through the gate, where to sign in, the housing office you must visit before signing a lease, 2026 BAH, and how to start on schools. For town-by-town neighborhood detail around the post, use the dedicated local guide at forthoodneighborhoods.com. This page doesn't repeat it.
Gates and getting on post
The installation's own access page publishes hours for one gate only: the Bernie Beck Main Gate, open 24/7 every day, with no commercial cargo truck access. Every gate uses the Army's Automated Installation Entry (AIE) system. The first time you scan your DoD ID at the in-lane pedestal you're registered, which takes 10 to 15 seconds. You can also register at the Marvin Leath Visitor Welcome Center, which can take up to 10 minutes. Registration expires when the ID card does. If the light doesn't turn green, follow the guard's directions to the welcome center (Fort Hood AIE page, read Oct 15, 2026).
- Marvin Leath Visitors Center: Building 69012, T.J. Mills Boulevard, open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday, 254-287-9909. Visitors can apply for a pass online at pass.aie.army.mil (Military OneSource, Fort Hood check-in, read Oct 15, 2026).
- Non-DoD visitors, such as grandparents arriving to help with the move, need a REAL ID-compliant credential or a valid passport (AIE page above).
- When you arrive with passengers, scan your own card at the pedestal, then hand everyone's IDs to the guard at the booth.
ID cards and DEERS
The ID Cards Facility is in Building 130, and it books appointments through the DoD's IDCO site. Dependent, retiree and disabled-veteran cards use site ID 101420. CAC issue for DoD civilians, contractors and assigned active-duty units under 1st Army and Division West uses site ID 175737. The office phone is 254-287-5670 (Military OneSource check-in page above). Add a newborn or a new spouse in DEERS early, because housing applications and TRICARE enrollment both depend on it.
The Housing Services Office comes before any lease
Military OneSource says in-processing through the Housing Services Office is mandatory before you rent, lease or buy in the local area. The office is in the Copeland Soldier Service Center, Building 18010, Room B209, at T.J. Mills Blvd and Legends Way, open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Main line: 254-285-2313 (Military OneSource, Fort Hood housing, read Oct 15, 2026). The same page says:
- Most off-post housing is in Killeen, Harker Heights and Copperas Cove, a commute of about 10 to 15 minutes. Temple, Belton, Gatesville and Lampasas are about 30 minutes out.
- The HSO keeps a list of registered rental agencies. It also handles discrimination complaints, tenant-landlord disputes and lease reviews.
- Expect non-refundable application, credit-history and pet fees, plus a security deposit that can equal one month's rent. Make sure the lease includes the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act termination right, and finish the move-in inspection on time.
2026 BAH for ZIP 76544
The DoD 2026 ZIP file puts the post's ZIP, 76544, in the FORT HOOD, TX (TX286) housing area. The table below is generated directly from the DoD rate files when the site is built. An E-5 with dependents draws $1,695 a month. To check a ZIP off post, use the BAH calculator.
| Grade | With dependents | Without dependents |
|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $1,662 | $1,374 |
| E-4 | $1,662 | $1,374 |
| E-5 | $1,695 | $1,530 |
| E-6 | $1,920 | $1,626 |
| E-7 | $2,070 | $1,668 |
| E-8 | $2,238 | $1,746 |
| E-9 | $2,409 | $1,806 |
| W-2 | $2,139 | $1,743 |
| O-1 | $1,731 | $1,623 |
| O-2 | $1,917 | $1,689 |
| O-3 | $2,340 | $1,833 |
| O-4 | $2,577 | $2,076 |
| O-5 | $2,748 | $2,169 |
Against HUD's rent benchmark
HUD sets one Fair Market Rent for Bell and Coryell counties together. Use the right-hand column as a rough budgeting check, not as a price you should expect to see in a listing.
| ZIP / area | Place | BAH area | 2-BR FMR | 3-BR FMR | E-5 BAH (w/ dep) | BAH minus 3-BR FMR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killeen-Temple metro | Bell and Coryell counties | TX286 | $1,233 | $1,711 | $1,695 | $-16 |
FMR source: HUD FY2026 FMR documentation. An FMR is HUD's estimate of a typical gross rent (rent plus utilities) used for housing vouchers; it is not a listing price.
Schools: start with the School Liaison Office
The School Liaison Office (School Support Services) is on the 1st floor of Building 36000, Shoemaker Lane, open Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed on federal holidays. Phone: 254-288-7946 (Military OneSource, Fort Hood local schools, read Oct 15, 2026). A liaison can explain district boundaries, credit transfers and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. Hand-carry report cards, immunization records and any IEP or 504 plan, so placement doesn't wait on a records request.
Fort Hood arrival checklist
- Confirm the name on your paperwork. Fort Cavazos and Fort Hood are the same post, so don't let an old form or listing slow you down.
- Book an IDCO appointment for any dependent card that expires within 90 days (site ID 101420).
- Plan your first entry through the Bernie Beck Main Gate, the only gate with published 24/7 hours.
- See the Housing Services Office before you sign anything. Ask for the registered-agency list.
- Look up your exact off-post ZIP in the calculator. Some towns in commuting range may fall outside TX286.
- Call the School Liaison Office with your report month and your children's grades.
- For neighborhood-level comparisons, go to forthoodneighborhoods.com.