SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE -- There is an old saying, “time is money” and while the saying is old, the concept is one that will never expire. This is why the Defense Finance and Accounting Service operates the Automated Time Attendance and Production System housed in the Defense Information System Agency, which ensures civilian and Air Reserve Technician employees are accurately paid for the work they execute on a daily basis.
For civilians and ARTs their pay rests solely in their hands.
While the Air Force Reserve Command Instruction 36-803, “Air Reserve Technician Time and Attendance Procedures and Audits,” requires training once a year, the 916th ARW intends to offer quarterly training on ATAAPS for time keepers and certifiers as new users and refreshers, said Keena Alston, commander’s secretary of the 916th Air Refueling Wing and the wing’s time and attendance point of contact.
The wing recognizes the importance of time and attendance and wants to set civilians and ARTs up for success.
“It’s directly related to your pay,” said Alston. “When people don’t input their information on time, DFAS will automatically process 80 hours that will be deducted from their annual leave balance. If the person does not have enough accumulated leave the system will process it as leave without pay. This is why it is critical that members enter their own time into ATAAPS.”
To minimize these sort of mishaps Alston sends out reminders for civilians and ARTs to certify their time on a consistent basis.
Although these sort of issues can be corrected, it’s not always a smooth process. The system has to be updated so the correct pay and leave can flow through. If the system flows as it should, at minimum the civilian or ART will be compensated by the next pay period, said Alston.
This is why it is critical that members enter their own time into ATAAPS and Janay Serlick, the budget officer with the 916th ARW agrees with Alston.
Members need to certify their ATAAPS on time, confirm their timecards are filled out completely and accurately, said Serlick. If members are on military orders they need to ensure there is no conflict of civilian time or military time on their timecards.
The finance department wants to make sure members get paid on time. But somethings, like dual compensation, is out of their control.
“Dual compensation is a huge thing in this wing, because we have ARTs,” said Alston. “ARTs perform duties in two different statuses, Title 5 as a civilian or Title 10 as a military member. When on active/inactive duty or on military travel status ARTs must be in a civilian leave status during the civilian duty hours. Leave must be charged for second and all subsequent days when on consecutive days of active duty orders, regardless to if it’s one or several sets of orders. All leave must requested and approved by the certifying official via ATAAPS,” said Alston.
Remember, time is money. In this case it’s your time and your money. If you do not record it precisely or in a timely manner you will not be paid properly.
This wing has provided civilians and ARTs with the necessary tools to report their time which is due every other week on their pay day. ATAAPS is accessible anywhere with your Common Access Card, a computer and a CAC reader. Each group and unit has their own time- keepers and certifiers that can be sought out for assistance.
ATAAPS is required to get your time, time is required to get paid, do not forget to pay yourself.