U.S. COAST GUARD
Pay & Personnel Center

May 28, 2021

1-SWE coming soon

The active duty enlisted workforce will soon see a change in how often junior petty officers compete for advancement. Beginning with the May 2022 servicewide exam (SWE), the Coast Guard will move to an annual examination, eliminating the November SWE, for all active duty enlisted members competing for advancement to E5 through E8, an effort known as the 1-SWE .

May 27, 2021

One-Servicewide Exam (1-SWE), Flag Voice 548

Please see RADM Nunan's attached Flag Voice regarding One-Servicewide Exam (1-SWE)

May 18, 2021

Former Spouse – Annual Certification No Longer Required

The yearly certification that former spouses who receive division of retired pay pursuant to  the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (FSPA) have completed in the past are no longer required.  Consequently, former spouses won’t be receiving a reminder to file their yearly certification forms.

May 13, 2021

New Edition of the Family Separation Allowance Worksheet, CG-2035, Issued

The May 2021 edition of the Family Separation Allowance Worksheet is now available for use.

April 26, 2021

Known Issue: PCS Leave Overlapping With Denied Absence Request

If PCS leave was erroneously requested through Absence Requests and then denied, it may cause an error when attempting to enter the leave in the Delay En route section of the PCS Orders. A Trouble Ticket with screenshots must be submitted to have the ‘Denied’ Absence Request deleted from DA before the PCS Orders may be completed.

April 19, 2021

Long Term Care Benefits for the Uniformed Services

​Richard Hartley, USCG Retired, FedPoint | Defense Agencies Account Manger, April 19, 2021 — A long term care event can happen at any age, and the potential financial and emotional strain that comes with it can have an impact on you, your family, and your loved ones.

March 16, 2021

Personnel and Pay Procedures Manual - Chapter Ten

This Email ALSPO message promulgates an update to the Personnel & Pay Procedures Manual (PPPM), PPCINST M1000.2 (series). This message promulgates chapter ten of the PPPM.

March 2, 2021

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) plan

FLTCIP 3.0 is the current Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) plan, available to new applicants. This group long term care insurance plan offers comprehensive coverage, including a stay-at-home benefit and informal care provided by friends and family*, with added premium stability.

Feb. 19, 2021

Known Issue: Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) Auto-Start

​If a member’s PCS Transfer Job Data row is not built (should populate upon the approval of the PCS Reporting endorsement), the CGSMR will not automatically start. If this occurs, a help ticket must be submitted to PPC to have the PCS Transfer Job Data row manually added. The SPO MUST manually start CGSMR. The SPO does not have to wait for the Job Data row to be added.

Jan. 14, 2021

Clarification of Continuous Duty On Board a Ship Required for FSA

ALCOAST Commandant Notice 004/21 implements the provision in Section 615 the 2021 NDAA that amends Subsection 427(a)(1)(B) of Title 37 U. S. Code to include the periods in home port before, during, and following a cutter’s deployment away from home port to be included in the 30 day qualifying period for FSA-S, so long as the with-dependent crewmembers (permanently or temporarily assigned) are ordered to remain aboard that vessel while in home port.

Jan. 5, 2021

Travel Authorizing /Approving Official (AO) Course Offline

The AO Course contains Adobe FLASH Media and has been temporarily removed as Adobe FLASH Media is no longer supported and deemed a cyber-vulnerability by CG-6. Please submit your CG-7421a without any attachments and permissions will be granted. As soon as the course comes back online, we will update our website and require proof of completion of the AO course for new AO's or proof the tests have been completed for renewing AO permissions.

Dec. 18, 2020

Separating or Retiring? Take Your Mandatory Transition Training

All members are required to take pre-separation counseling on the Learning Management System (LMS) or a transition seminar. Members are authorized to begin their transition one year out from separation or two years out from retiring. Contact your local transition manager or visit the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) website at https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/CG1/Health-Safety-and-Work-Life-CG-11/Office-of-Work-Life-CG-111/Transition-Assistance-Program/.

Dec. 15, 2020

Hardship Duty Pay-Restriction of Movement and other COVID-19 Pay and Allowances

ALCOAST 278/20 formally authorizes, as of 03 April 2020, HARDSHIP DUTY PAY-RESTRICTION OF MOVEMENT (HDP-ROM) and other temporary policy changes for several travel allowance, Food Service policy, and certain Special & Incentive (S&I) pays as part of the overall military effort to support our members and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pay and Personnel Center is now processing these claims in accordance with the following guidelines and procedures.

Dec. 7, 2020

2020 IRS Forms W-2 and 1095C Information

ALCGPSC message 139/20 provides information on the availability of IRS Forms W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) and 1095-C (Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage) for the 2020 tax year.

Nov. 3, 2020

COVID-19: Travel and Leave Policy - Update 3

This ALCOAST cancels REF (A) and provides all Coast Guard (CG) members with travel and leave policy as it relates to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The intent of this ALCOAST is to update procedures for leave and foreign travel. This is in response to the changing force health protection posture in relation to COVID-19.

Oct. 30, 2020

October PPC Travel eNewsletter/Frequently Asked Questions

​The October 2020 edition of the Pay and Personnel Center Travel eNewsletter/Frequently Asked Questions – Update is now available at https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/portals/10/cg-1/ppc/travel/ppctravelenewsletteroctober2020.pdf.

Oct. 22, 2020

Veterans Affairs (VA) Separation Health Assessments

M​embers separating from active duty must complete a Separation History and Physical Examination (SHPE) and a mental health assessment (MHA) prior to separation. Servicemembers who file a disability claim with the VA prior to separation, via the Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program, will receive a VA provided Separation Health Assessment (SHA). ALCOAST Commandant Notice 127/20 authorizes the use of the VA separation Health Assess​ment to meet the requirements for a military SHPE and MHA.​​

Oct. 15, 2020

Distribution of Finalized DD-214

The implementation of electronic transmission of DD Form 214 data to the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) is complete. The Veterans Administration, State Directors of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Labor have access to DD Form 214 data. SPOs are not required to produce and distribute paper copies 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. DMDC is the official distribution source of the Military Services authoritative and certified information for all periods of active duty that are completed on or after January 1, 2015.

Oct. 1, 2020

Plan Now: TRICARE Select Enrollment Fees for Group A Retirees Coming January 2021

Did you hear the news about TRICARE Select enrollment fees? TRICARE Select Group A retirees must begin paying enrollment fees to maintain health coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2021. TRICARE Select is the name of the plan that replaced the former TRICARE Standard and TRICARE Extra programs in 2018.

Sept. 8, 2020

Servicing Personnel Office Consolidation Update: SFO Galveston SPO Closed

The SPO located at SFO Galveston (008282) has been disestablished in DA. All records previously serviced by the SPO at SFO Galveston have been moved to Base NOLA SPO (042311).

Aug. 28, 2020

Sea Duty for Advancement - Not the Same as Sea Time for Points

The sea/surf duty time for advancement and points are both calculated​ based on Direct-Access data entry (e.g., PCS report / depart dates, Surfman competencies, and Career Sea Pay start / stop dates). However, different rules apply as to when the "clock stops" with regard to periods of TDY away from the CSP eligible vessel.

Aug. 28, 2020

Family Separation Allowance for Housing (FSH) Policy Clarification

​The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Compensation Policy issued a memo on 12 August 2020 which clarifies the policy on entitlement to FSH when dependents are temporarily (e.g. Delay in processing visas by the host country due to COVID-19) prevented from accompanying the member with a PCS to a foreign country​.

July 17, 2020

Available Now: PCS Quarantine Guide for TPAX

This guide covers most of the common scenarios involving quarantine/isolation periods during PCS transfer.

July 7, 2020

Enlisted Rating Advancement Training System Update

This message promulgates updated advancement policy and procedures related to the Enlisted Ratings Advancement Training System (ERATS) and provides updates to the Occupational Analysis (OA) schedule.

June 3, 2020

Direct-Access Password Reset Guidance

During a recent Direct Access (DA) system upgrade, the forgot password security question "What is your mother's maiden name?" was disabled in DA to reduce the possibility of a compromise of personally identifiable information (PII). For users who originally chose this as a security question, the hint question will now default to "What town were you born in?" but the ANSWER has NOT changed from what the user originally established for "What is your mother's maiden name?"