Financial service center opens at Ellsworth: Upcoming pay changes explained

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The new Air Force Financial Services Center officially opened its doors at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., Sept. 14 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony officiated by Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne.

The center corresponds with Secretary Wynne's Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century initiative, which focuses on increasing value to the customer, eliminating waste, saving money and time, and improving quality.

As with all changes, the AFFSC will take adjusting to, which is why Team Dover finance professionals have been working steadily at making the transition as painless as possible, said Maj. Chad Conerly, 436th Comptroller Squadron commander.

"Individual bases will transition certain services from base-level finance offices to the AFFSC in phases," he said. "The transition started in October with Air Force Space Command, and is expected to finish with the Air Force Material Command and Air Force Reserve Command in May 2008. Dover Air Force Base is slated to transition in February 2008."

The idea of the AFFSC is to have a centralized office to handle the majority of financial services, which is set to improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery, while reducing time-consuming interactions.

"Opening the AFFSC is a significant step forward in the transformation of Air Force financial management," Secretary Wynne said. "Air Force financial management is leading the way to a smarter, leaner Air Force."

As with all bases, impacts will be felt at Dover.

To support the new AFFSC, some Dover Air Force Base customer service technicians will migrate to the center, said Senior Master Sgt. Eric Earhart, 436th CPTS first sergeant and point of contact for the transition.

"Dover finance technicians have already started relocating, with more to follow," he said. "In the interim, we will continue to focus and prioritize customer service and timeliness."

As an effort to answer questions Dover Airmen may have, three 436th CPTS experts volunteered to participate in a question-and-answer interview.

Here is what Team Dover can expect:

Q. What changes will we see at Dover?
A. "The first changes have already started ... you will see fewer familiar faces at the customer service counter and in back-shop operations as members continue to PCS to Ellsworth." - Staff Sgt. Marija Showalter, Military Pay NCO-in-charge.

Q. What services will be affected?
A. "The AFFSC will take over processing of all travel and military-pay transactions effective March 1, 2008. The Dover office will still have a limited liaison-type role to assist in scanning all travel and pay documents to forward to the Center for processing." - Master Sgt. Carolyn Brandt, Military Pay chief.

Q. With a bulk of finance issues being handled at a centralized office, will customer service at Dover be affected?
A. "The goal is for our customers to notice no change in customer service. The primary change will be where the work is being completed." - 1st Lt. Chris Spaulding, Financial Services Flight commander.

Q. How will the FSC benefit the men and women of the Dover AFB finance office and customers?
A. "Finance technicians will specialize in specific processes, allowing them to become experts in those processes, which will speed up processing times for our customers." - Lieutenant Spaulding
A. "Customers will also be able to address pay problems 24 hours a day via the new call center." - Sergeant Brandt

Q. Are there any expected down sides?
A. "Since manning will be redirected to help man the call center at Ellsworth, some customer service or support functions could be delayed. In this event, customers could face longer wait times in the lobby, and possibly longer processing times." - Lieutenant Spaulding
A. "Attention to detail will be paramount in transactions. Customers will need to ensure all travel voucher checklist-required items are correctly attached to their original submission for scanning because any rejected vouchers could cause significant delays in processing payments to the member and government travel card." - Sergeant Showalter

Q. How can Dover Airmen prepare now?
A. "Everyone should learn as much as they can about their pay and benefits. Know how to read your (leave and earning statement) and check it every month. If there is an irregularity, find out why. Know what entitlements you are authorized. If you are unsure, ask a supervisor or the finance office." - Lieutenant Spaulding
A. "We will also not be able to input documents locally, therefore it is imperative to double-check your vouchers for complete and correct information and utilize MyPay to make allotment and pay information changes." - Sergeant Showalter

Q. Will Dover Airmen still have the ability to speak with a customer service professional face to face?
A. "Customers will still come to Finance to process their transactions or documents, but instead of processing these documents ourselves, we will send them to Ellsworth via scanning technology. Again, the goal is for Dover Air Force Base customers to notice no change in customer service." - Lieutenant Spaulding