Patience, understanding key to change Published April 14, 2008 By Maj. Tracy Watkins 30th Comptroller Squadron commander VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE Calif. -- Team Vandenberg, what a great time to be in our Air Force and a wonderful time to be a Comptroller. The 30th Comptroller Squadron is not only the wing commander's financial advisor, but the last stop in ensuring you are receiving the correct pay and entitlements. As the financial advisor, in the words of the deputy chief of financial analysis, we try to treat each penny like it is worth a million dollars and understand the importance of your pay and entitlements. Our mission in the 30th CPTS is to provide world-class decision support and financial services through outstanding customer service. An easy mission to write on a piece of paper but one that is hard to execute. Why? Because Air Force financial management is changing on a daily basis. We now have a central processing center where all transactions that affect your money are input into the pay system. Said another way, we receive all in-processing documents, travel vouchers and military pay documents from our customers, ensure they are correct and then scan and transmit them to our processing center. We then rely on the Air Force Financial Services Center at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., to put them into the system. Once they put the information in the system and the system accepts them, you will receive your entitlements. Seem like a diluted process? Absolutely, but a process we will be working with for a very long time. Know that we haven't lessened our efforts to provide world-class financial services, but we need your help now more then ever. While I was in our customer service lobby last week a customer walked in and I asked him what we could do to help. The answer, while disappointing, was exactly what this article is about. He told me he submitted his travel voucher three weeks ago but still had not been paid. My response was one of frustration because I don't want to have anyone back in our lobby a second time for something that should have been paid correctly the first time. However, he was being a responsible Airman by following up on his entitlements. So I ask you to do a few simple things as it relates to your pay. First, always, always, always log on to myPay at the beginning of every month and look at your leave and earnings statement. Look at your entitlements, allotments, deductions and leave balance. If something doesn't seem right, let us know! If you need help reading an LES, we can help with that. Second, when you file a voucher or make changes to your pay, make sure you are been paid for that voucher and that the changes are made. Third and probably most important, understand what you are entitled to and hold us accountable for giving you the correct entitlements. Beginning in November we at the base level are being further removed from providing face-to-face financial support. The Air Force Financial Services Call Center will open for business and become your first stop for all finance-related questions. You will call a toll-free number and be directed to someone who can help answer the questions you have based on your individual problem. If needed, you will be referred to the local finance office for assistance. Be assured that as we transition to this call center, you will always have financial services representation at your base and our desire to provide world-class decision support and financial services through outstanding customer service, will not be diminished. Throughout these ongoing changes, know that the 30th CPTS will constantly seek to improve the financial services and decision support we deliver to you, our customers.