What happens if I had a lapse of insurance coverage during active duty?
In order to avoid these lapses of coverage, you are required to pay enough to maintain continuous coverage or to surrender your plates before any deployments.  If you were unable to do so, DMV has a procedure in place to exempt you from administrative actions upon your return.  You must provide a notarized statement that the vehicle was not used during the time in question, a copy of your military ID, proof of current insurance or surrender of plates, and signed and dated copies of deployment and return papers or DD-214 if separated from service.  You can present all of that at any DMV office or mail them to the Albany address.
Were you unable to pay enough to maintain continuous coverage for the duration of your deployment or to surrender your plates before you left?