Personnel services transform from 'in line' to 'online' Published May 21, 2007 WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Airmen around the world are trading in long lines and filling out lengthy paperwork at personnel offices for the convenience of online and phone-based self-service capabilities. These advances in technology allow individuals to manage their personal tasks more efficiently and conveniently, even from the comfort of their own home. As part of a broad transformation effort, Air Force leaders are actively working to bring those same conveniences to valued Airmen and civilian employees. The personnel communities within each component -- active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian -- are going through the largest and most comprehensive transformation effort since the inception of the Air Force. This effort is commonly referred to as Personnel Service Delivery transformation. "Many total-force airmen are witnessing and benefiting from the ease of access and use now afforded with the transformation," said Tim Beyland, director of plans and integration. "Every time a military member or civilian employee uses a self-service application or contacts the Air Force Contact Center, he or she has benefited from our PSD transformation efforts. By continuing to improve our personnel services each quarter, Airmen can now make informed career decisions without having to travel to a personnel office." "Our active-duty component continues to make tremendous strides through the centralization of personnel processes like retraining, retirements, Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records, duty status, duty history and evaluation appeals, which affect both the officer and enlisted corps," said Mr. Beyland. "By centralizing the work at the Air Force Personnel Center, what used to take approximately 200 personnel in the field to complete, now takes only 61 people located at the Air Force Contact Center," he said. "These types of efficiencies provide increased service to our customers, ensuring that our valuable resources are properly allocated in support of our wartime mission, as well as creating a leaner, stronger organization." Assignment preference, duty history updates, career job reservation and selective reenlistment programs used to generate an estimated 2,500 MPF visits per month or 300,000 per year. However, since centralizing these processes earlier this year, most personnel requests are now processed electronically through self-service applications. Additionally, Air Force Personnel Center specialists have scanned more than 18,000 Unit Personnel Records Group records from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; Altus AFB, Okla.; Ft. Meade, Md.; and Lackland AFB, Texas, into an electronic format for ease of access, review, retrieval and printing. The Air National Guard and Reserve components have their own success stories with the deployment of the virtual Personnel Center-Guard Reserve, which is an internet-based automated tool available to Airmen year round any time of the day or night and can be accessed from home, work or deployed location. Airmen can request retirement applications and corrections to awards and decorations, or nominate members for awards. In January 2007, nearly 5,000 online requests were received through vPC-GR. Since PSD is a total-force effort, the Air Force civilian personnel community has, and continues to play, a strong and vital role. "The Air Force led the way within the federal government by providing civilian employees with electronic personnel records or official personnel folders," said Mr. Beyland. Since October 1996, all civilian OPF documents are now stored electronically. Another tool civilian employees have used for several years is the Electronic Benefits Information System, or EBIS. Through EBIS, employees can obtain general, personal and projected benefit transaction information such as a complete benefits summary, on-the-spot retirement estimates, information on health insurance, life insurance and thrift savings plan benefit transactions. Two upcoming civilian initiatives include an automated retirement package self-service application which allows an employee to complete and submit a retirement package online, and a new recruitment tool called USA Staffing which is designed to increase staffing efficiencies. Another important goal of PSD is the integration of two civilian contact centers -- the Benefits and Entitlements Service Team and the Recruitment Service Center -- with the active-duty Air Force Contact Center and the Air Reserve Personnel Center Contact Center. "The integration of contact centers is a significant milestone as we continue to progress towards a total-force vision," said Mr. Beyland. "Through PSD, we will continue to transform and integrate our total-force components which will allow us to serve our Airmen more efficiently and effectively while providing world-class personnel support to the war fighter." Information on current and upcoming PSD activities is available. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) Click here to view the comments/letters page