Inprocessing

When You Arrive
Upon arrival at Eielson AFB you will need to proceed to the Military Personnel Section (MPS) during duty hours to sign in. The MPS will collect your records and schedule you to attend the next available Right- Start/First-Term Airmen's Center briefing. If you arrive after 4:30 p.m., contact your sponsor and proceed to the Gold Rush Inn located in Building 540, on the corner of Central Avenue and North Street (24-hour arrival point) to sign in. On the first duty day after you arrive at Eielson, the MPS will collect your records and schedule you to attend the next available Right-Start/ First-Term Airman's Center briefing. Most rooms, including the Sourdough Inn Temporary Lodging Facility, are located in close proximity to the dining facility, Yukon Club, shoppette, base exchange and commissary. Lodging is limited. Reservations in advance are highly encouraged. For reservations or more information, call (907)-377-1844 or DSN (317)-377-1844.

If you are single and enlisted, your sponsor may have already made arrangements for a dormitory room. Check with him or her before going to lodging. Next, contact your Unit Program Coordinator (UPC) or Base Level Service Delivery Model (BLSDM) rep to in-process your unit. The UPC or BLSDM rep will inform you on specific unit in-processing tasks.

Right Start
Right start is a mandatory all-day program that gives you and your family important information about life in Alaska, including winterization, security and fire safety tips, as well as information about the many services available to you during your tour here. The chapel, Airman & Family Readiness Center, legal and other base helping agencies will be on hand to answer your questions and give you more information.

First Term Airmen's Center (FTAC)
Eielson's FTAC helps Airmen make the transition from the controlled environment of basic military training and technical school, to their first duty station. The center provides a streamlined process for base and unit in-processing, while helping Airmen understand how they fit into the mission at Eielson AFB. The program consists of 10 duty days of in-processing, professional briefings, ancillary training and mission orientation. In-processing includes briefings on drug abuse/ prevention training, human relations issues, financial management, career enhancement, family support services and senior leadership perspective briefings. Professional briefings include reinforcement of core values and other fundamental aspects of Air Force life. Mission orientation briefings are designed to help first-duty-station Airmen understand what their roles/responsibilities are in support of global operations.

For additional information on FTAC, please call (907) 377-3061 or DSN (317) 377-3061. The 354th Comptroller Squadron Financial Services Office is dedicated to providing top-notch customer service and is your focal point for all financial matters while assigned to Eielson AFB. The finance office is located on the first floor in the east wing of Amber Hall, Bldg. 3112. For routine military or travel pay questions, call (907) 377-CPTS (2787) or send an e-mail to 354cpts.

Military Pay
In addition to your normal military pay and allowances, all military members assigned to Eielson receive a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to help defray the higher-than-average expense of goods and services in Alaska. COLA rates are established based on location, rank, years of service and number of dependents. If you're authorized to live off base, you will receive Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) at Eielson's rate. BAH rates are based on zip code, marital status and pay grade. To learn more about COLA and BAH or to find your rate, surf to www.defensetravel.dod.mil 

Advance Military Pay
You may request advance military pay 90 days before a permanent change of station (PCS) departure or 180 days after PCS arrival. The maximum you may request is three months advance basic pay minus deductions. Members in the grades of E-4 and above may receive one month of basic pay repayable within 12 months without a commander's signature. Any requests exceeding one month of basic pay or a 12-month repayment period will require your commander's approval and an itemization of expenses regardless of your rank.

Advance Dislocation Allowance
Members accompanied by their dependents are authorized Dislocation Allowance (DLA) to help offset moving expenses. Single members not assigned government quarters within 60 days upon arrival are also eligible for DLA. Normally, you may request a DLA advance 10 duty days prior to your departure; call (907) 377-CPTS to request the advance. DLA rates are published at www.defensetravel.dod.mil/perdiem/dla.html 

FINANCE
PCS Travel Pay
The military personnel section (MPS) should provide a PCS In-Processing System (PIPS) brochure to you upon arrival at Eielson AFB. This brochure will provide instructions for filing your PCS-in travel voucher along with adjusting your military pay entitlements as necessary. Your PCS voucher can be accomplished at your desk or in the Finance customer service lobby between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Your authorized travel entitlements will be based on your mode(s) of travel to Alaska. Save all of your receipts and keep a welldocumented log of your trip to simplify the PCS voucher filing process. If you're taking the ferry, authorization must be annotated in your orders. Additionally, you may receive reimbursement for lodging and per diem for one night at your port of departure and arrival, so make sure you save your lodging receipts for those nights.

Other PCS Entitlements
If you stay in temporary lodging when you arrive at Eielson, you may be authorized to claim up to 30 days of Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA). Should your quest for housing take longer than 30 days, your commander can approve as many as 30 additional days. All TLA claims must be filed through the housing office every 15 days. In addition to TLA, military members PCSing from a stateside base who stayed in billeting or with friends/ family in the local area of the previous base are eligible for up to five days of Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) reimbursement. Both TLA and TLE require lodging receipts, non-availability statements (if lodged off base) and copies of PCS orders. Members who stay with friends/ family are not allowed to claim lodging expenses for TLE.

Advance BAH
Members authorized to live off base may file for Advance Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). You may receive an advance of up to three times your BAH rate with a maximum 24-month repayment period. Advance BAH requests must be approved by your squadron commander and submitted along with a copy of your rental agreement.

Pay Issues While Traveling
Two avenues are available for you to obtain pay information while you are on the road. The following services are available online through "myPay" at https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx 

• View your last three pay statements
• Start, stop or change allotments
• Change your direct deposit account
• Start, stop or change Thrift Savings Plan contributions
• Change your state and federal income tax withholding
• Change your correspondence address Your local finance office should be able to help you obtain a login ID and password. You can also contact the Centralized Customer Support Unit toll free at 1-888-DFAS411, ext. 5, from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.  read more...