Edwards AFB News

Airmen encouraged once more to review personnel records, accomplish transactions before MilPDS upgrade

  • Published
  • By 412th Test Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Department of Defense and Air Force officials are encouraging Airmen to review their personal data in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and accomplish personnel transactions before the service upgrades the Military Personnel Data System between March 4 and 27.

Personnel actions accomplished using MilPDS like reenlistments, enlistment extensions, promotions, unit transfers, discharges and retirements should be completed before the MilPDS upgrade expected to begin March 4 to avoid processing delays with military pay and benefits eligibility issues. Airmen are encouraged to access the milConnect website at http://milconnect.dmdc.mil to review their personnel information as soon as possible. Airmen can use milConnect to check personnel information listed in DEERS as well as view their TRICARE coverage, Post 9/11 GI Bill education benefits, life insurance coverage, and other benefits.

"The Air Force has processes in place to enable personnel & pay service providers to work critical transactions during the 23-day MilPDS downtime," said Alexander Kovras, 412th Force Support Squadron director. "Base pay & entitlements like BAH, BAS, Hazardous Duty, and Family Separation, managed by Air Force Finance offices, will not be affected."

According to Kovras, there will be a delay for non-critical pay affecting updates until after the upgrade, like Promotions, Special Duty and Bonus pay.

"The 412th FSS, Military Personnel System and Air Force Personnel Center will update the majority of held transactions within 10 business days," added Kovras.

The upgrade project is scheduled to take about 23 days to complete while the Air Force Personnel Operations Agency here upgrades and transfers MilPDS to the Defense Information Systems Agency's Defense Enterprise Computing Center. During this time, MilPDS will not be available.

MilPDS is the records database for personnel data and actions that occur throughout every total force Airman's career. MilPDS is also used to initiate Airmen's pay actions, maintain Air Force accountability and strength data. MilPDS also supports a host of interactions with other active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard systems and processes that rely on this personnel data.

Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members are not required to take any immediate actions unless they are notified by their military personnel section. MPSs will receive specific instructions for active-duty, Air National Guard and Reserve on unique personnel and pay processes related to accessions, unit training assemblies and participation, mobilizations and activations and casualties. Other personnel and pay processes will be held during the cutover period and processed once the upgrade is complete. Servicing MPSs will notify their affected members as soon as possible of any required personnel follow-up actions.

Air Force officials will continue to release additional information and guidance to the Air Force's manpower, personnel, services and pay communities and total force Airmen to continue to educate them on how the service will perform critical personnel and pay tasks during the MilPDS upgrade.

Pay issues are personnel-driven, so if you have questions, military personnel are asked to contact the MPS first, not Finance. The Edwards AFB point of contact for the MilPDS upgrade is 1st Lt. Stephanie Frick at (661) 277-5290.

More information is available on the ARPC public website at http://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil and the myPers website at http://mypers.af.mil. For more information about DMDC, visit http://www.dmdc.osd.mil. For more information about the MilPDS upgrade, visit the myPers website at http://mypers.af.mil.