ACC financial team to talk new financial services center

Published May 4, 2007
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- A financial services team from Air Combat Command will visit here May 10 to brief wing leadership and inform the base populace about the Air Force Financial Services Center, which will open later this year.

The team will hold a town hall meeting at 1 p.m. in the base theater, and members of the Minot Air Force Base community are encouraged to attend, learn how the new center will operate and ask questions.

Set to open in October 2007, the AFFSC will transform most military and travel pay operations by centralizing transactions from 93 bases into one centralized location at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. Overall, the center will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Air Force financial services and customer service, according to a media advisory released in 2006.

"As a result of automation efforts and manpower reductions, the financial management community is undergoing one of the largest transformation efforts in its history," said Maj. Miles Mathieu, 5th Comptroller Squadron commander. "From a customer service and support aspect, the goal of this transformation is to be as seamless as possible."

All ACC bases, Minot included, is scheduled for workload cut-over to the AFFSC in November or December 2007.

"Every individual, military or GS-civilian, on this base now or PCS'ing to a new location will be affected by the stand-up of the Air Force Financial Services Center at Ellsworth Air Force Base," said Major Mathieu.

While base finance offices will have a reduced presence, they will remain open to assist Airmen with those financial services that require personal interaction. However, the actual processing of forms will take place at the AFFSC. As the center matures, the integration of new Air Force systems will enable most financial services, from travel vouchers to all allotments, to be handled via the Web.

"As such, people probably have questions about how pay transactions will be completed, travel vouchers will be processed and how responsive customer service will be after this migration," the major explained.

Major Mathieu strongly encourages members of the base populace attend the town hall meeting on May 10, 2007.

"This is our opportunity to hear firsthand from the individuals with their fingers on the pulse of this effort and provide appropriate feedback," he said. "It's a great chance to hear directly from the folks who are implementing this change from the Air Force, Air Combat Command and Minot Air Force Base perspectives."