Financing today's fight

  • Published
  • By Airman Anthony Jennings
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The Financial Services Office here will look different come May 1, as it consolidates under the Air Force Financial Services Center at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. 

The FSO will continue to serve customers' financial service needs and will offer an ever-increasing suite of online services on the Air Force Portal. 

"Most people don't visit a physical location when they want to buy something like insurance. They do it over the Web," said Maj. Scott Thompson, 96th Comptroller Squadron commander. "The process is completely online."

Airmen are encouraged to make the AF Portal their first stop for financial services. A list of frequently asked questions could answer many concerns customers may have. They may also conduct transactions through the Defense Travel System, myPay and Leave Web. 

"We are trying to promote the 'click-call-walk' premise," said Tech. Sgt. Elaine Morris, 96th CPTS. "First you 'click' online to find the information you need or process documents, if you have any questions or concerns then you can 'call' the Contact Center, and if you are still having trouble then walk up to the base finance office for customer service." 

The migration is part of the financial management community's implementation of the new Financial Services Delivery Model to meet the goals set by the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force - to be a leaner, more efficient and effective Air Force. 

"This is the first phase of the new FSDM," said Major Thompson. "This will save the Air Force both manpower and efficiencies."

The AFFSC encompasses a Central Processing Center and 24-hour, 7-day-a-week contact center focusing on base-level military pay and travel operations. It is an example of the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative and is projected to save the Air Force more than $200 million in the long run.

Finance technicians here may process more than 2,400 vouchers and 1,000 documents per month. Consolidation of this heavy workload means comptrollers can focus more attention on customer service and Airmen are provided a wider variety and more convenient avenues to access their financial information.

"I think that this is not only a good thing for our customers, but for us comptrollers because this will provide us the opportunity to broaden and enhance our skill sets," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Olson, 96th CPTS.

Comptrollers will also become more available to commanders providing accurate, relevant and timely information allowing them to make the right strategic choices and ensure every dollar strikes the correct balance supporting the mission, maintaining the infrastructure and taking care of Airmen.

The behind-the-scenes processing of vouchers and documents are currently provided by 139 active-duty and reserve locations worldwide. As of Feb. 9, 62 of the 139 locations have transferred their workload to the AFFSC.

"The consolidation of our workload will benefit our customers because now they won't have to stand in line to have their documents processed," Sergeant Morris said. "This instant access to experts around the clock will improve overall customer service." 

There are several steps that one can take to support a smooth transition and prevent any delays in payment by following these basic rules:

· Use existing automated systems such as DTS, myPay and Leave Web for transactions. · Remember to claim all of the reimbursable expenses and annotate proper modes of transportation.
· Remember to have a complete set of orders when a file is made.
· Have the proper signatures on a travel voucher.
· Indicate the amount desired to be disbursed to their Government Travel Card.
· The Unit Agency Program Coordinator is the first place to go for GTC issues - not the AFFSC or local finance office.
· Write clearly and legibly so documents can be easily read.
· Conduct a quality check before taking the documents to the local finance office - the 

AFFSC rejects 10 to 15 percent of documents because of incorrect or missing basic information and this can significantly delay the processing time.