ARPC automates 20-year and mortgage letters Published Dec. 13, 2005 By Tech. Sgt. Rob Mims Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs DENVER (AFPN) -- The Air Reserve Personnel Center set another transformation milestone with the self-service automation of the reissue of 20-year and mortgage letters. The letters are now available via the Virtual Personnel Center Guard/Reserve portal. The original 20-year notification letter is issued approximately 120 days after the end of the retention/retirement year at the 20-year mark for Guard and Reserve Airmen. Once the data system reflects 20 years of satisfactory service, it issues the notification letter. The new automated process enables retirees to replace misplaced 20-year letters automatically by visiting the Web site at http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/support.asp. “This is a huge step to give Airmen what they want from the ‘big system,’” said Dave Aldrich, the center’s director of personnel services. “We self-service at the gas station, our banks, the post office. I believe Airmen expect they should do the same in getting their personnel support.” The personnel center has also automated the mortgage letter, which assists reservists with information regarding their retired pay benefits for mortgage applications. Reservists in the process of purchasing a new home may go online to http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/support.asp, sign in and print out a verification of the amount of gross retired pay they will received. “Secure self-service is crucial in our personnel service enhancements,” said Hugo Padilla, the chief of systems support in the personnel services delivery section. “This will provide Airmen the flexibility to access what they need via the VPC-GR when they need it, resulting in a far better service experience for our Airmen. We look forward to continually providing our customers self-service capabilities.” Automating the two letters will save thousands of man-hours spent preparing them manually. “In this age of information literally at your fingertips, this is a good change for our customers to have easy access to these letters, said Jackie Bing, the director of personnel program management. The directorates used to accomplish all the letters. “The process is more streamlined and they still have the option of contacting us if they have any questions,” she said. This process is another significant step toward Personnel Services Delivery Transformation. PSD represents a new way of doing business that will transform the Air Force personnel processes, organizations and technology to replace many of today’s labor-intensive processes. The transformation’s goal is to provide better customer service with 24 hour, 7 day-a-week accessibility.