Base civilian employees encouraged to update records prior to A-76 Reduction in Force action Published Oct. 17, 2008 By George Woodward 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Civilian Personnel officials urged all civil service employees at Sheppard Air Force to ensure their records are current and correct as the base prepares for a Reduction in Force action triggered by the A-76 Competitive Sourcing Study. "You really, really need to be looking at your career briefs to make sure they're correct," Civilian Personnel Officer Pat Leard told employees during a Town Hall Meeting Oct. 16 at the Base Theater. "I can't stress this enough." It's important because all permanent civil service employees at Sheppard--not just those in the units covered by the A-76 study--could be affected by the Reduction in Force action, or RIF, according to Ms. Leard. RIFs are based on a competitive area, and Sheppard AFB is considered one competitive area. So the RIF could include any permanent civil service employee, including both wings and general schedule and National Security Personnel System (NSPS) employees. Term and temporary employees are not covered under the RIF. According to Pam Fosdick of Air Education and Training Command's Personnel Programs Directorate, the RIF process can be divided into three parts: pre-RIF, RIF and post-RIF. Pre-RIF Pre-RIF actions are underway now, according to Ms. Leard. Civilian Personnel is "stockpiling" vacancies on base to ensure as many placement options as possible are available to employees affected by the RIF. Hiring actions requested now are being put on hold if these new positions could potentially be filled by employees affected by the RIF. Civilian Personnel is also working to identify employees who may qualify for the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) or Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VSIP) programs. If these employees are in positions impacted by the RIF, or positions that could be filled by another qualified employee due to a RIF action, they will be given the opportunity to apply for either or both programs. Qualified employees can retire early and potentially receive separation incentives up to $25,000. Ms. Leard stressed, however, that employees considering VERA or VSIP need to decide carefully. "When you sign your name, it's binding--you're saying you're going to leave Air Force employment by a certain date, and there's no taking it back." Another effort being made by Civilian Personnel is to make pre-RIF placements, putting employees who are expected to be affected by the RIF into new positions now, potentially reducing the overall number of employees affected. "We can't guarantee that these employees won't be touched again by the RIF, but we're going to do the best we can," said Ms. Leard. The RIF While it's certainly not something anyone wants to have to cope with, RIF actions are designed to keep as many civil servants in government employment as possible. In fact, Ms. Leard said that in her nearly 30 years of service here, Sheppard has never had to involuntarily separate a permanent civil service employee because of a RIF. "Obviously, I can't guarantee that will happen this time, but we're sure going to try. Our priority has always been to take care of our people, and that isn't going to change," she said. Because all the A-76 actions are not yet finalized, it is still uncertain when the RIF will actually occur--but it is expected to happen sometime in late spring or early summer. In either case, employees must be given at least 60 days notice before any RIF actions can occur. The RIF process is actually done at the Air Force Personnel Center, with lots of input from local Civilian Personnel Officials, who act as advocates for Sheppard employees. The first step of the RIF is to group all employees--including those not in units under the A-76--by competitive level--grade, series, qualifications and working conditions. For example, all GS-318-05 employees will be grouped together. However, two positions in the same grade and series could be grouped separately if one is supervisory and the other is non-supervisory, or there are other special qualifications such as required education for certain positions. Then, they are prioritized by career tenure (career, career-conditional, probationary, etc.), veterans preference for RIF, length of service and performance ratings, in that order. Based on this prioritized list, the RIF is performed in two "rounds". In the first round, employees are placed into existing vacancies within the same competitive level. For example, a GS-0318-05 in a position being eliminated could be placed directly into a currently vacant GS-0318-05 position elsewhere at Sheppard. Round two is often referred to as the "bump and retreat stage," but would more correctly be called "retreat and bump", since that is the order in which they happen. In the "retreat" phase, an employee in a position slated for elimination could be placed in a position they have previously held on a permanent basis. In the bump phase, an employee could be placed in another position they qualify for that is currently filled by an employee farther down on the priority list, such as one who has no veterans preference or a shorter length of service. An employee bumped out of a position can, in turn, retreat or bump into another position on base for which they qualify. This is why it's important for all civil service employees at Sheppard to make sure they're records are up to date--especially their service dates, veterans preferences and job qualifications. Post RIF At the end of the RIF process, it is possible that some current employees will not have been placed at Sheppard. But that doesn't mean they will not be able to remain in government service. The DoD Priority Placement Program exists to help employees adversely affected by RIF and other actions to be placed in positions elsewhere in DoD. According to Ms. Fosdick, it is very effective--since 1989, she said, 40 percent of DoD employees have been affected by RIF, BRAC or other actions, but only 10 percent have been separated from government service. Under the Priority Placement Program, employees who qualify for openings must be considered first for jobs they qualify for, and relocation expenses are paid. Employees who do not elect to use or cannot be placed by the Priority Placement Program may be eligible for severance pay and are eligible to participate in the base's transition assistance programs. Employees in positions eliminated by the A-76 selection of a contractor also have first right of refusal for jobs for which they qualify. What to do now The most important thing employees can do now is to make sure their personnel records are current and correct. This can be done online at ask.afpc.randolph.mil or by making an appointment with Civilian Personnel at 676-6784.