502nd PSB ready to help

Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Sgt. Robert Yeager from Detachment C, 502nd Pesonnel Services Battalion from Fort Carson, Co. attampts to fix the computer used to produce ID cards. He is on the phone with a stateside helpdesk as they try to walk him through troubleshooting the equipment.  

12.08.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

Detachment C of the 502nd Personnel Services Battalion on Logistical Support Area Anaconda has its doors open to everyone who needs assistance with personnel issues.

They help over 20,000 personnel on Anaconda, and additional customers from the surrounding forward operating bases. Whoever walks through their door becomes their customer, whereas, at their home station at Fort Carson, Co., they have identified units who make up their clientele.

PSB offers a wide variety of services. These include: updating noncommissioned officer evaluation reports, officer evaluation reports or issuing common access cards often referred to as ID cards. They also have a machine to produce identification tags.

"We do citizenship applications, personnel actions if Soldiers want to go to warrant officer boards, OCS boards, we work on promotion documents, ERB [Enlisted Records Brief] updates, ORB [Officer Records Brief] updates," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patricia Winfrey, the OIC of personnel services support.

If a Soldier is eligible for a board, he or she may walk in to PSB to update records. If a Soldier just needs to use a computer to download some items from their official military files, they may do so at PSB, Winfrey said.

The PSB is in the process of getting their systems up and running, so that they can access and update Reservists and National Guard records as well. Currently whenever Reserves and National Guardsmen deploy, there isn't a system that is accessible theater- wide to update their records. PSB is working on getting the RLAS [Regional Level Application Software] and PERMS [Personnel Electronic Records Management System].

For now, they have points of contact on the Reserve and National Guard side who they can consult.

"The ID cards section is the majority of our workload here. We get civilians, DOD contractors and Soldiers," Winfrey said.

The section helps anywhere between 35 and 50 customers a day, said Spc. Almando E. Garcia, personnel clerk assigned to the ID cards section.

"I like getting to see all the different Soldiers coming in, who are not from normal garrison units. They tell me about their experiences all the time," he said.

Different cases require different documentation when one needs an ID card.

If the card was lost or stolen, the Soldier "has to have a DA Form 4187 signed by the commander, and a DA Form 4856, where I counseled him on loosing his ID card and the importance of keeping up with that ID card," said Sgt. 1st Class Larry R. Johnson, a mechanic from Forward Support Company, 159th Aviation Brigade, 4th-101st Aviation Regiment from Fort Campbell, Ky.

He's been in country for a little over a month, but he's already had two Soldiers loose an ID card.

If a Soldier was promoted, all he needs is promotion orders to acquire a new card. If a card is expired, PSB needs to see deployment or extension orders to issue a new card.

The system is not always very reliable and goes down quite a bit. If that happens, the NCOIC of the ID card section needs to call a helpdesk in Germany or in the States. "Normally if our systems are down, we come in earlier or stay later, so we can help Soldiers, because most have to fly in," Winfrey said.

If they are unable to repair the system, they provide a memorandum for the customer, stating that the customer was not able to obtain a new identification card. This memorandum will temporarily allow access to the Post Exchange or the dining facility, until PSB is able to make a new card.

Despite the occasional holdups, customers seem satisfied with the PSB.

"I think this far I have been pretty impressed with the service. It is not their fault that the machinery went down, so I really don't have any complaints," Johnson said.

Another issue that the PSB has been experiencing is that most people have more time to come in during the weekend to get a new ID card. Little do they know that during the weekends, some of the systems used to issue the cards are under scheduled maintenance in the U.S., which creates enormous delays in issuing cards.

PSB asks their customers to only contact the ID cards section during the weekend if it is an emergency. If everything is up and running, an ID card can be issued in as little as 12 minutes, whereas during the hours of scheduled maintenance, the process can take over an hour, Garcia said.

PSB has also experienced a flood of customers who were concerned with their Servicemember's Group Life Insurance or Family Servicemember's Group Life Insurance lately.

According to a Department of the Army memorandum dated Nov. 22, 2004, "The SGLI coverage was automatic for servicemembers who were married when the program began (including dual military); entered active duty or Ready Reserve and were already married or had dependent children; got married or gained a dependent child during service and had SGLI coverage. Coverage must be automatically declined by submitting SGLV Form 8286A to the servicing Personnel Services Battalion."

Lt. Col. Randolph Draughohrne, a National Guard signal officer from the 40th Corps Support Group had some issues regarding his FSGLI. He is the night shift OIC of the Combat Service Support Automation Management Office. Shortly after he was activated, in July, $400 was deducted from his pay on his leave and earnings statement for the FSGLI. From that point on, the monthly deductions for FSGLI was made.

"I did not enroll in Spouse SGLI and was not aware that it even existed until I saw the deduction," Draughohrne said.

He cautions everyone: "Carefully read your LES. Take action to decline enrollment in programs that Soldiers are automatically enrolled in if the Soldier is aware of the program."

Thanks to the 502nd PSB, his LES now reflects that the deductions have been stopped. He thinks that Reserve and National Guard Soldiers should be especially aware of automatic enrollments and deductions. He also thinks that although the SGLI is a great benefit, it should not be automatic. Soldiers should be given the option to enroll.

The Department of the Army memorandum also highlights that dual military couples who did not decline coverage, and whose premiums were not deducted, may incur a significant debt when one member separates from service and is registered in DEERS. The debt for overdue FSGLI premiums will be collected retroactively.

The President also signed into law a $150,000 increase of the SGLI, raising it to $400,000 coverage. It is an automatic raise, which went into effect on Sept. 1. If servicemembers do not wish to participate in the program, they need to fill out the SGLV Form 8286A.

Although it is something dealing with pay or money, SGLI and FSGLI matters need to be addressed at the PSB, not at finance.

PSB is located in Building 4141-A, across from the East PX. Customers may also contact PSB at 829-2883 or 829-2978.

The hours of operation for CAC cards are Monday to Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For the personnel services support section it is Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The hours are the same for both sections on Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"Come prepared, make sure you have all the right documentation, try to get here early and expect to wait," Garcia said in conclusion.

• Date Taken: 12.08.2005
• Date Posted: 12.08.2005 07:50
• Story ID: 3987