vPC-GR adds awards, decorations processing Published Nov. 17, 2006 By Tech. Sgt. J.C. Woodring Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs DENVER (AFPN) -- Reservists will have another capability in their Personnel Service Delivery toolbox Monday when officials release the online awards and decorations function. With the release, Reserve Airmen will submit awards and decorations requests online through the virtual Personnel Center Guard and Reserve rather than visiting their servicing Military Personnel Flights. "This is the first release that will impact all of our Airmen," said 1st Lt. Len Sobieski, Reserve Personnel Service Delivery Transformation Program Management Office chief. "Everyone has awards and decorations in their personnel files, and now everyone will have the capability to correct any errors in those records without having to visit the MPF." When Airmen return from an air and space expeditionary force deployment, they can log onto the vPC-GR and attach their paid travel voucher to update their awards. They don't have to visit the MPF for their records to get updated, he said. Before this release, to nominate an Airman for a decoration, someone would have to request a DECOR6 report and manually submit a nomination package for approval through the chain of command - sometimes requiring it to be hand carried throughout the base. Now, commanders can see all the information they need to evaluate the nomination on one screen, and people can monitor the status of a request from start to finish while sitting at their desks, officials said. "This is another step toward giving our reservists the freedom to maintain their personnel records whenever and wherever they are," said Col. Ann Shippy, Air Reserve Personnel Center commander. "It is a smarter way to do business. We're leveraging technology and Web applications to help strike a balance necessary to continue to deliver service with fewer personnelists." The new process should also make it easier to submit someone for a decoration, Lieutenant Sobieski said. "We hope that because of the automated process, supervisors will be encouraged to submit their Airmen for the awards and decorations they deserve," he said. "All they need is the details of the accomplishment. The rest is automatically generated for them." With the new process, Air Force Reserve Command units will electronically nominate and approve Meritorious Service Medals, Aerial Achievement Medals, Air Force Commendation Medals, Air Force Achievement Medals and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medals. It also enables AFRC unit commanders to certify Combat Readiness Medal awards and deny Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medals using the vPC-GR. Individual mobilization augmentees and active guard reserve members assigned to AFRC units will be awarded the decorations using the new online process. While getting awards and decorations correction support through the vPC-GR, IMAs and AGRs assigned to non-AFRC units will process new decorations using traditional Air Force Personnel Center procedures. Officials in the Air Reserve Personnel Contact Center will finalize AFRC wing-level awards and decoration actions traditionally performed by MPFs. To access the system, reservists can log onto the vPC-GR online at https://arpc.afrc.af.mil/vPC-GR/ by noon MST Nov. 20. For more information about ARPC Personnel Service Delivery transformation, visit http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/psd/default.asp.