Update: The Air Force announced on July 21 that they were able to work with Congress to restore funding for many of the personnel programs that were suspended or closed. The FY23 PCS authentications that were stalled will all be restored. The Air Force is also restoring bonuses intended to incentivize, sustain, and retain Airmen. More information about the changes is available here.
This week, the Air Force sent out notifications to both Airmen and Guardians about new measures going in place , effective July 11. The Air Force faces an expected shortfall in the FY23 Military Personnel Appropriations due to higher-than-projected personnel costs. At this time these measures only affect Airmen and the Air Force and not Guardians or the Space Force.
PCS Pause
One of the immediate changes that may have the biggest effect on Airmen is the pause on Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders for members slated to depart in August. Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) is currently approving PCS orders for Airmen with a projected departure in July. Dates after July are being reviewed on a priority basis. AFPC will continue to prioritize and authenticate orders for mandatory moves and will consider Exception to Policy (ETP) requests on a case-by-case basis.
Considering this news came out less than 30 days before the beginning of August, this change will have a big impact on Airmen slated to move next month. As schools are set to begin and families work to get relocated and settled, this change can throw a wrench into an already mentally and possibly financially stressful situation.
The head of the U.S. Air Force, Gen Charles C.Q. Brown said, ”We’re working through the process of reprogramming so we don’t go through an Antideficiency Act [violation] and not spend money we don’t have. So, part of this is for us to be able to work with Congress to get the reprogramming in place so all the programs and impacts that were outlined in that article that we communicated to the force here recently, we can reverse and minimize the impact to airmen and their families through the rest of this fiscal year.”
And while the goal may be to minimize the impact on airmen and their families, many Air Force families will face challenges because of this decision. Moves delayed, retirement orders on hold, and bonuses suspended will affect any Airman directly connected to the changes. And with PCS delays, it may also affect units expecting replacements for those who have left.
Overseas Orders and Retirement
Besides PCS order delays, Airmen on an overseas long tour will also see changes starting in October. Airmen with an Assignment Availability Code 50 and on an overseas long tour with a Date Estimated to Return from Overseas (DEROS) between October through December 2023 will have their Code 50 and DEROS extended to January through March 2024.
Changes for those planning to leave the Air Force through either retirement or separation, fortunately, will not start until 2024. Orders will be paused for those retiring after April 1, 2024 or those voluntarily separating on January 1, 2024 until funding authority allows.
Bonus Programs
And lastly, four bonus programs are being suspended. Selective Retention Bonus programs are on hold. The Air Force is working to help ensure certain members receive bonuses in early FY24. The Air Force is also temporarily pausing the Regular Air Force Aviation Bonus (AvB) program that began on June 6. They plan to reopen a restructured AvB program allowing officers that did not complete the AvB contract to be able to do so as long as funds remain. The final bonuses pausing are all new Foreign Language Proficiency Bonuses and new Assignment Incentive Pay (AIP) bonuses. Those currently receiving these bonuses will continue to do so, but no new bonuses will begin until FY24 at the earliest.
There are rumblings of Airmen starting to take action. Message boards on Facebook are encouraging members to draft and send letters to Congress. The Air Force has done its best to limit the Airmen affected by these changes by continuing bonuses already in place and delaying effects to orders for retirement and separation until FY24. However, funding shortfalls always carry repercussions.
