Category: News

AFRC RPA Obligation Uniform and Organizational Clothing Purchase Initiative

The staff has provided two options below for consideration as you begin assessing shortfalls that can

be addressed. 

(1)   Uniforms for prior-service members. The staff continues to hear concerns from the field that many units have prior-service Airmen that do not have the basic issue of 4 sets of OCP and/or a complete set of Blues. These instances have led directly to ARC deployment discrepancies, personnel arriving in the AOR without required uniforms/cold weather gear, and Airmen arriving to Tech School without the mandatory uniform compliment.  Follow guidance in attached PIM 20-006 for funding allowance information.

(2)   AF Maintenance Duty Uniform (MDU). The Air Force authorized the purchase and wear of the AF MDU/Coveralls on 7 February 2020 (DAFI36-2903). The MDU is classified as Organizational clothing and, IAW AFRC PIM 20-006,Commanders are authorized use of Reserve Personnel Appropriation (RPA) Funds for MDU/Coverall purchase. Airmen in AFSC’s: 2A, 2F, 2G, 2M, 2P, 2S, 2T, 2W, 3E, 3D and 1P are authorized to wear the MDU. HQ AFRC has confirmed that PIM 20-006 is still valid and applicable.

NOTE: Any RPA funds utilized to order standard uniform items IAW AFI 36-3012, Attachment 3 will need to be obtained using KYLOC IAW 23-101_AFRCSUP, Chp 11.3 BL: Please be on the lookout for the funding distribution to your 721 accounts and be prepared to execute immediately upon receipt of funds.  

Please coordinate and work with your local FM and Supply teams for any specific 721, GPC or KYLOC procurement questions.  My A4RM Material Readiness Branch is standing by to provide any KYLOC related sourcing inquires or concerns.  They can be reached at the following workflow email address:  HQ AFRC/A4RM Command IPE AFRCA4RMMOBILITY@US.AF.MIL

Appoved AF Coverall Uniform (MDU)Download
PIM-20-006-Guidance-Related-to-Uniform-and-Clothing-Issues

CFO Academy Leadership Certificate

Advance your career and the DoD mission – take advantage of the extended application deadline to August 13 for the Fall 2021 term

Don’t miss out! The CFO Academy is seeking applicants for its Fall 2021 CFO Leadership Graduate Certificate program. This program will help prepare you to lead within and across organizational boundaries by leveraging knowledge of federal budgeting, financial accounting and reporting, data management and analytics, risk, internal controls, and audit for strategic advantage. 

A component of the College of Information and Cyberspace at the National Defense University (www.ndu.edu), CFO Academy courses align with the competencies specified in DoD Financial Management Certification Program and provide accredited, graduate-level education in the leadership of resource management – critical learning that directly supports the DoD mission to make efficient and effective use of financial and other resources.

Application Instructions: https://cic.ndu.edu/Admissions/Application-Instructions/

Why you should pursue this opportunity

Students earn this certificate by successfully completing these five robust courses:

  • White House, Congress, and the Budget
  • Data Management Strategies and Technologies
  • The Future of Federal Financial Information Sharing
  • Risk Management, Internal Controls and Auditing for Leaders
  • Strategic Performance and Budget Management

For more information, please visit: https://cic.ndu.edu or email CICOSS@ndu.edu

To apply online: https://cic.ndu.edu/Admissions/Apply-Online/

Defense Travel Dispatch – Volume XIV – Issue 2 – Summer 2021

DTMO Link

The Defense Travel Management Office is pleased to publish the newly redesigned Summer 2021 edition of our quarterly newsletter, Defense Travel Dispatch.  Recognizing the need for better communication between the Defense Travel Management Office and the travel community, the Dispatch provides timely travel-related news, best practices, and updates. 

  • The Rapidly Changing COVID-19 Travel Environment
  • What Can You Expect During Your Next Hotel Stay?
  • What’s New with Defense Travel Modernization
  • Rental Car Shortage Felt by Defense Travelers
  • Mark Your Calendars for GovTravels 2022
  • Dining Traveler Rewards – Too Good to Be True?
Dispatch-VolumeXIV-Issue2-Summer-2021Download

Updated GTC Regulation and SoU

DTMO updated the GTCC Regulation and Cardholder Reference guide, to include the new DD3120 Statement of Understanding (SoU).  

DTMO completed their revision of the March 2021 Regulations updates and posted it here. The new DD3120 Statement of Understanding (SOU) can be found here. Both documents are also available to view or download below. 

Members do not need to reaccomplish the SoU if they already have one on file. New applicants will use the updated DD3120 Statement of Understanding (SOU), and current cardholders will use the new form when they hit their three-year renewal or move to a new duty station.

GTC Regulation (March 2021)

GTCC-Regulations-_March-2021

GTCC Regulations _March 2021Download

GTC Cardholder Reference (March 2021)

Cardholder-Reference-GTCC-Regulations-_-March-2021

Cardholder Reference GTCC Regulations _ March 2021Download

DD3120 Statement of Understanding (SoU)

DD3120-SOU-2

DD3120 SOUDownload

Abandon Old Assumptions About Defense Spending

Great article from War on the Rocks about America’s budget crisis and a new paradigm on the way to view it. I’m not sure I totally agree with it, but it’s important to open my mind and see the world through a different lens.

Our Debt-to-GDP ratio has skyrocketed from 6% in 2000 to 109% in 2020 and yet interest rates have gone from 4.3% to -0.1%. Robert Levinson author argues that traditional debt views aren’t relevant in the new low (or negative) interest rate environment we find ourselves in. I’m still dubious, but it’s a worthwhile read.

Abandon Old Assumptions About Defense Spending – War on the Rocks

Federal Employee Paid Leave Act Update

Message from the Indianapolis Civilian Payroll Office:

As you may be aware, the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA), authorized by NDAA for FY 20 (PL 116-92), is effective October 1, 2020. 

FEPLA allows  for the substitution of 12 weeks of FEPLA paid leave for FMLA unpaid leave in connection with the birth, adoption or foster placement of employee’s child on or after October 1, 2020. 

DFAS is working to program DCPS for this new leave type, but in the interim agencies should do the following:

  • Determine employee eligibility according to the agency’s policy guidance for FEPLA or the regular FMLA process.  Intermittent employees and temporary appointments less than one year are excluded
  • T&A should reflect type hour code ‘LV’ for FEPLA paid parental leave
  • Track employee usage of FEPLA manually to prevent exceeding the 12-week limit.

If you have any questions contact the help desk at 1-800-729-3277 or DSN 580-7500, Monday – Friday 07:30 am to 4:00 pm EST

DFAS Deferred Payroll Tax System Change Request

Please share the  below information with your Time Keepers and members.

Late yesterday evening, DFAS identified three programming issues with the implementation of the Deferred Payroll Tax (OASDI) System Change Request (SCR).  Their IT partners worked through the evening to deploy an emergency SCR to correct the issues, however all records were not updated during final pass last night.  All impacted employees requiring deferral of OASDI were corrected today, are processing in retro, and will see a refund of the OASDI deduction during pay period ending September 26, 2020.

More details below on the nature of those issues…we do not have a list of employees impacted, but DFAS has indicated all impacted employees will receive a SmartDoc when the refund piece has been run.

Issue #1:  Employees who reported time and attendance on Saturday, September 12: Employees that fall within this category who had wages subject to the OASDI collection that were less than $4,000, erroneously had their OASDI deducted during pay period ending.  Our IT partners were able to correct employee records during final pass is time and attendance was reported on Saturday except on the ZL0, Navy Shipyard/Overseas Database.  DCPS was erroneously calculating Day 14 of the pay period twice causing an employee who was close to hitting the $4,000 threshold to have OASDI collected.  For example, an employee’s gross pay was $3,800 in gross wages with 8 hours of time and attendance reported on Saturday.  DCPS erroneously added the 8 hours of pay ($300) twice for September 12 causing the earnings subject to OASDI to calculate at $4,100 versus the actual wages of $3,800.

Issue #2:  Employees who had lump sum payments for leave payouts:  Employees that fall within this category had a form of leave payout such as aged compensatory time.  Within the DCPS programming logic leave payouts are assigned to the last day of the pay period, Day 14.  Similar to the issue described above, DCPS was erroneously calculating these earnings twice.  It caused an employees who were close to the $4,000 threshold and have payouts included in the calculation to have their OASDI collected.

Issue #3:  Non-taxable earnings:  Employees that fall within this category did not properly have the non-taxable earnings reduce the OASDI subject-to wages.  For example, an employee’s gross wages were $4,100 and had non-taxable deductions for FEHB, dental and vision in the amount of $300.  OASDI subject-to-wages should have been $3,800 which would have put the employee below the $4,000 threshold and no OASDI deduction should have occurred. 

Brenda Denton

Financial Management Specialist

AFRC MDTA

HQ AFRC/FMFQ

brenda.denton@us.af.mil