MilPDS scheduled for upgrade in December

21 Sep 2012 | Tech. Sgt. Rob Hazelett

The Military Personnel Data System will be upgraded and migrated to the Defense Information Systems Agency's Defense Enterprise Computing Center in December. MilPDS will be unavailable during the upgrade project, which is scheduled to take 23 days to complete.

MilPDS is a personnel records database which tracks actions occurring throughout every total force Airman's career. This system is used to initiate many Airman pay actions, maintain Air Force personnel accountability and strength data as well as support a host of interactions with other Air Force systems and processes which rely on personnel data.

"All MilPDS system updates will be affected during the R12 upgrade period, but most should be unnoticeable to the general Airmen," said Chief Master Sgt. Kristine Seney, 439th Force Support Superintendent at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. "Military personnel sections will be consolidating documentation for data that can be updated once MilPDS is back online."

Some of the major areas affected by the upgrade are retirements, separations, reenlistments and enlistment extensions.

"As Airmen apply for retirements and separations, we'll encourage them to pick a date outside the shutdown period," said Seney, whose team processes approximately 745 retirements, separations, reenlistments and extensions each year.

Transactions received by the MPS during the shutdown will be held until the system is back online. MPS will work to update these transactions as quickly as possible, but the amount will affect how long it takes for all actions to be updated. Separations and retirements are normally worked 180 days prior to the effective date.

"Members who will have an expiration term of service during the November 2012 and January 2013 unit training assemblies, or those who could possibly deploy, attend training courses or are eligible for promotion, will need to work with their unit leadership and their unit Career Assistance Advisor to determine eligibility and complete the required documents," said Master Sgt. Manny Chavez, 439th Wing Career Advisor at Westover ARB.

Seney emphasized a few key points for Airmen to remember regarding enlistments and re-enlistments:

Airmen should be aware of their ETS and coordinate with their CAA prior to the shutdown period. Also, individuals receiving a bonus need to ensure an early reenlistment does not affect their future eligibility. Lastly, extensions may be required instead, with a reenlistment after the cut-over period.

"With extensions, for example, those Airmen not eligible to reenlist but require retainability, the CAA will generate the AF Form 1411, Extension or Cancellation of Enlistment in the Regular Air Force/Air Force Reserve/Air National Guard, then forward the request to their unit commander for approval," Chavez said. "Due to the normal monthly UTA retention workload, all DD Forms 4, Enlistment/Reenlistment Document Armed Forces of the United States, and AF Forms 1411 must be turned in to the wing CAA office no later than the close of business on the last day of the November UTA."

Other pay-affecting programs, include, but are not limited to bonuses, promotions and foreign language proficiency pay.

"We're recommending all of these be processed before Nov. 15 to the maximum extent possible," Seney said. "Airmen will need to ensure they've coordinated with their MPS throughout November for personnel programs, system updates and general questions since most personnel programs require an update to MilPDS."

Many processes will continue to function during the scheduled system downtime. These include personnel and pay processes related to accessions, reenlistments, Guard and Reserve unit training assemblies, mobilization/activation, casualty and immediate separations, issuing common access cards and dependent ID cards, orders through the Air Force Reserve Order Writing System program, UTA participation system and Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Any problems that arise with these processes will be addressed immediately and at the appropriate level to resolve as quickly as possible said Seney.

Pay-related areas such as accessions, participation, activations and deactivations, will be coordinated with the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air Reserve Personnel Center to work around MilPDS and minimize adverse impacts to basic pay. For new accessions, activations and deactivations, all agencies will communicate and coordinate to ensure actions are completed without problem or delay.

Regular Air Force members will receive specific instructions from the Air Force Personnel Center concerning how the MilPDS upgrade will impact their personnel programs. More information is available on the AFPC public website at http://www.afpc.af.mil.

Reserve members will receive specific instructions from AFRC and ARPC concerning how the upgrade will impact their personnel programs. Air National Guard members can access MilPDS Upgrade/Migration information from the myPers Website at https://mypers.af.mil. Information is also available on the AF Portal at https://www.my.af.mil  in the ANG "Career" tab under "Featured Items."

Representatives from Total Force Service Centers will work with Air Force component headquarters agencies and base-level personnel and pay service providers to develop procedures to accomplish critical functions for Regular Air Force, Guard, Reserve and civilians during the MilPDS upgrade.

For general information about personnel services and programs, visit myPers.