The Navy’s “pay boss” is getting actual.
Rear Adm. Stu Satterwhite, commander, MyNavy Profession Middle, spoke to command pay and personnel directors attending the MyNavyHR Profession Growth Symposium, held at Naval Station Norfolk July 13 and Naval Air Station Oceana July 14, to announce a number of new initiatives the Navy is implementing to get after challenges with Sailor pay.
Satterwhite mentioned the important thing initiatives outlined in a July 9 job order from U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe aimed toward enhancing Sailor pay. These initiatives, Satterwhite mentioned, assist a purpose of constructing positive by the tip of the 12 months all Sailors obtain the pay and entitlements they’re alleged to get inside 14 days of turning into eligible for them.
The Sterling, Virginia, native advised these assembled the Navy acknowledges the work forward of it.
“We’re altering our group, we’re listening to you. We’re getting actual, and we’re getting higher. Together with your assist we’ll make it occur,” he mentioned.
Satterwhite defined to just about 300 CPPAs what every initiative within the job order is and the way it helps deal with the issue. He began with establishing waterfront tiger groups at Transaction Service Facilities and Regional Assist Facilities to cut back the variety of transactions awaiting completion. These further personnel will obtain specialised coaching that can enable them to have launch authority for transactions as soon as they return to their mother or father instructions. It will broaden the pool of certified
personnel who can submit personnel and pay transactions and possess the authority to course of these transactions. The preliminary tiger groups are anticipated to be in place by the tip of July.
All CPPAs will even obtain fleetwide coaching to enhance the standard of submitted transactions. Satterwhite mentioned the coaching is slated to start in August and is devoted to the most important transactions, “to raise your consolation in doing this work.”
“You’ve requested for extra assets, and that’s what we’re going to supply you. We’re getting after this,” he mentioned. “The largest impression I may give you is extra coaching, extra functionality so you are able to do this work. And
that’s a giant deal to us.”
Subsequent, Satterwhite mentioned creating an enhanced Unit Commander’s Monetary Report to offer transparency and suggestions to every commander of their unit’s pay scenario. MNCC is working with the Protection Finance and Accounting Service to roll out the eUCFR, anticipated later this 12 months. This report, to be made accessible inside NSIPS, will give CPPAs and commanders an summary which is able to assist them establish issues with their Sailors’ pay and entitlements earlier.
“You possibly can look down this listing and see somebody didn’t get their BAH this month. You’d say, ‘OK, that’s an issue I ought to examine,’” Satterwhite mentioned. “With this dashboard, you possibly can see the place your transactions are at; so can your skipper, so can your ISIC and so can I. Transparency comes with it, so we are able to see it and you may get credit score for what you do.”
Lastly, Satterwhite mentioned a working group was stood as much as decide which key supporting paperwork, or KSDs, are required for processing transactions. KSDs are essential to justifying declare funds and are
required within the occasion of an audit. The group’s purpose is maintaining the variety of required KSDs as minimal as doable, all with the purpose of considerably streamlining transactions and decreasing errors. This working group consists of MNCC staffers, fleet representatives, and members of the CNP management and DFAS.
“The 1st step is to establish what’s the absolute minimal of what we want for KSDs,” he mentioned. “Why are there so lots of this stuff? How will we decrease these?”
Because the TSCs and RSCs come on-line, Satterwhite famous, CPPAs and Sailors will see standardization throughout the Navy on how pay and personnel procedures are achieved.
“For those who’re in San Diego and also you switch to Norfolk, we do enterprise the identical manner. That provides us the power to get stronger and be extra uniform,” he mentioned. “We’re working with the fleets, we’re working with native commanders; we’ve realigned our group, we’ve modified our manpower construction. We’re altering our IT system to make the system higher for you, in order that Sailors receives a commission when they need to receives a commission.”
CPPAs who attended CDS and listened to Satterwhite mentioned they have been inspired. Navy Counselor 1st Class Angelecia Faison, assigned to Fleet Digital Assist Norfolk, says of the initiatives Satterwhite described, “the elevated coaching is essential. I would like our Sailors, particularly
our junior Sailors, to achieve confidence within the system and when that occurs, it’s one much less factor they’ve to fret about.”
Chief Hospital Corpsman Plinio De Los Santos, assigned to 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, has been a CPPA since 2015, and just lately took on the tasks because the admin chief. He additionally sees coaching as the most important pressure multiplier.
“Every time we are able to improve the extent of information, we’re empowered. There’s a whole lot of stuff I wouldn’t really feel comfy doing earlier than, however with the coaching I’ll be in higher form to assist my Sailors,” he mentioned.
Senior Chief Navy Counselor Wesley Fox from USS Bataan (LHD 5) says he’s trying ahead to the standardization of insurance policies and procedures.
“As a CPPA, I must know what the expectation is from one clerk to a different,” Fox mentioned. “I’ll have an interest to see how the RSCs and TSCs work to make issues uniform.”
Satterwhite wrapped up the discussions by telling the CPPAs he — and the fleet commanders — want their assist, concepts, and cooperation.
“You make issues occur for Sailors, so thanks for what you do as a CPPA. I don’t want Sailors worrying about their pay; I would like them centered on the mission,” he mentioned. “We’re not good, however we’re getting actual about that; we’ll get higher, and every one in every of you possibly can assist me out on that.”
