Jan 08.pmd - 349th Air Mobility Wing

NEWSFamily Care Plan - plan to succeedSubmitted by349th Mission Support SquadronAs an Air Force member, youknow how important it is to bein the right place at the righttime and able to do your job. If you weresuddenly called away on a short-noticedeployment or TDY, would you have aproblem finding someone to care for yourremaining family members? Having afamily care plan will help provide guidanceand the tools necessary for caregivers incase of member’s absence.In accordance with AFI 36-2908, it isyour responsibility, as an Air Forcemember, to ensure that adequate familycare arrangements are made for your familymembers inthe eventyou aremobilized ordeployedincludingshort-notice,alert,extendedtour of duty,Civilian personnel services transformation announcedby Steve Wan WertAir Force Personnel CenterCivilian personnel services aretransforming at the Air ForcePersonnel Center to ensurespeed of personnel actions and enhancedself-service capabilities.“Overall the transformation isdesigned to improve the efficiency ofdelivering personnel services,” saidCharles Huerta, the AFPC PersonnelServices Directorate deputy.PSD transformation will have fourmajor accomplishments. First, it willredesign personnel service processes toeliminate unnecessary steps andapprovals to speed up work and reduceworkload.Second, it will enhance Contact Centerand self-service capabilities, which willexpand online and contact center optionsto make personnel inquiries and selfservicetransactions available worldwide,24 hours a day, seven days a week.Third, it will recast field organizationsshift work or other similar militaryobligations. Failure to make sucharrangements may not only causeunnecessary problems for your family, butcould result in disciplinary action underthe UCMJ, involuntary separation, orboth!How will I know if I need to have afamily care plan?According to AFI 36-2908 you musthave a Family Care Plan if you fall into anyof the following categories:a. Single Parentb. Dual military couples withdependentsc. Other: Members determined by theCommander or First Sergeant to havespecial family circumstancesWho is considered a family member?For the purposes of the family careprogram, a family member is:a. Unmarried child under 19 years oldb. A family member 19 years of age orolder who is incapable of self carec. A parent or another person related byblood or marriage who depends on themilitary member for over half of theirand shift personnelists from routinetransactions to even more valuable keyadvisory services for commanders andleaders.And fourth, it will modernize personnelarchitecture and technology, putting theright system in place to support andintegrate Web-based applications andenhanced contact center capabilities.Under PSD, most personnel servicingwill be centralized to one location to gainmaximum efficiencies, instead of oneportion of a transaction residing at AFPCand the other at the installation.“Have you ever done your banking online?” asked Mr. Huerta. “Primarily, it’s thesame concept. You would only speak to arepresentative on the phone when thereare issues you can’t resolve on yourpersonal computer through a Web-basedtransaction.”“This may seem easy to accomplish,”said Cindy Waechter, the AFPC CivilianFuture Operations Branch chief. “But thereis a lot of planning and re-engineering tobe done to make all this happen.”support, is incapable ofself care, and resides inthe same householdwith the militarymember.How do I initiate afamily care plan?Contact yourCommander or First Sergeant if you meetone of the requirements above. Yourcommander or First Sergeant will brief youon family care responsibilities and provideyou the AF Form 357 Family CareCertification, and instructions on how tocomplete form. This form has the namesand signatures of the caregivers ordesignees. The form must be reviewedand certified annually to ensureworkability. Each caregiver must have aPower of Attorney to allow medical care,enrollment in school, and any other actionnecessary to ensure care for the family.For further information or assistance onfamily care contact Technical Sgt. MiriamSosa, Family Care Program Manager, 349thMilitary Personnel Flight, Bldg. 228, Room107, (707) 424-3550.In order to arrive at the civilian PSDgoals set by leadership, AFPC’s role mustbe expanded.“All processes are being reviewed forstreamlining or elimination,” Mr. Huertasaid. “Is there any duplication, is theprocess necessary, or has technologymade the process obsolete?”Implementation plans and time-lineswill be developed to layout how andwhen the workload will move to AFPC, aswell as training.“There are many new and excitingopportunities for civilian personnelprofessionals as we move down this roadof significant transformation,” Ms.Waechter said. “Opportunities forleadership and growth are being reviewedand career paths and trainingopportunities are being developed toprepare people for upward mobility.”“The course is charted, the plans arebeing made, and the future looks brightfor providing excellent customer serviceto commanders in the field as well as toour civilian employees,” Mr. Huerta said.Contact Online -- http://www.349amw.afrc.af.milJANUARY 2008 9