New classification submission process now AF-wide Published June 7, 2013 By Debbie Gildea Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) -- Air Force hiring officials can track classification requests in real time through a myPers website knowledge article, Air Force Personnel Center officials said. The new process, implemented in April initially for Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System employees, is being used for position review and position establishment classification actions, said Jo Anne Dimitriou, the AFPC classification chief. "The new process has proved successful, so June 3 we began to use it for the rest of Air Force," she said. "The only exception is Tinker Air Force Base (Okla.) which will begin using the process July 8. The existing RPA process will continue to be used for all other actions." The previous position classification process began when a manager contacted the local civilian personnel section. The CPS created a request for personnel action using the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System and submitted the RPA to the AFPC classification team. Once the RPA was logged, classification specialists began the multi-step classification process. "That process hasn't been very customer-friendly," Dimitriou said. "The onus is on position managers to call to find out a request's status. That's time-consuming and inconvenient for them. It also affects classification teams' time management." The new process is simpler, faster and more efficient, enabling managers to view the real-time status of classification requests online anytime. With increasingly stringent budget constraints, the tool is designed to improve the classification review process, increase efficiency, and save customers time and reduce man-hours spent looking up and inquiring on the status of RPAs," she explained. Every man-hour saved is time classification specialists can devote to classifying positions. "We took a phased approach on the process change by initially starting with DCIPS positions only. Working with the DCIPS managers has enabled us to perfect the process and now we have been able to open it up Air Force wide," she said. To begin the process, managers go to myPers at https://mypers.af.mil, and enter "25121" or "classification" in the search window. "Select the link provided and read the knowledge article before beginning the request process," Dimitriou said. "After completing the article, scroll down and follow the step-by-step instructions." Initiating a request through myPers creates an incident that will generate an incident number to the submitter. Submitters will be able to access their MyAccount in myPers to view status and submit documents or questions. In addition, when an incident changes status, the submitter will get an auto response via email. Other interested parties can access the status area on the knowledge article to view the status of an incident submitted through myPers. "This process is such an improvement for customers," said the classification chief. "They will be able to stay up-to-date on their classification requests using a simpler process. The status area on the knowledge article and real-time status updates to the submitter will improve communication between classification at AFPC and customers to make a significant difference for position managers," said Dimitriou. For more information about civilian classification and other personnel issues, visit the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil.