(This was sent to all IMAs and PIRRs 3 Aug 2021. If you did not receive it in your personal email, please log in to the vMPF and make sure you have a good personal email in that system.)

RIO Buzz                                                                                                     Vol. 30

Here’s the latest Buzz …

IMA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM IS READY TO LAUNCH!
The HQ RIO IR Advisory Council’s new IMA Mentorship Program is gearing up for launch 2 August 2021. The IMA Mentorship Program will be another resource for IMAs.  It offers one-on-one assistance that is often needed but cannot always be provided by the Detachments or local Unit Reserve Coordinators. I’m confident it will increase the overall readiness of the IMA force.

If you or someone you know would benefit from the IMA Mentorship Program, please reach out to the IR Advisory Council member assigned as the point-of-contact for your respective Detachment.  Those members’ contact information can be found HERE.

IT’S TIME TO SCHEDULE NEXT YEAR’S IDTs IN UTAPS
The next FY calendar is now available in UTAPS.  IRs must go into UTAPS and put your next year’s IDTs into the UTAPS calendar no later than 15 Aug…yes, a few weeks from now.  This requirement exists because AFRC needs to see those days in order to budget for the next FY.  It’s REALLY important that you get those days loaded by the 15 Aug deadline.  If you’re not sure of your IDT dates for the next fiscal year, that’s okay.  Go ahead and put them in as your best guess and submit them, but contact your supervisor beforehand and request that they don’t approve them yet.  While you are required to input the days into UTAPS, you are not required to get them approved this early.  By not having them approved, it will be easier for you to reschedule or delete and move those days when you are ready to.

ARE YOU COMING UP ON YOUR ETS?
Did you know you need to pay close attention to your ETS (Expiration Term of Service)? Especially if you are coming direct from RegAF (Palace Chase or Palace Front) and did not immediately reenlist with your recruiter. Why is this important? Your ETS can come up on you fast. You MUST act prior to your ETS date or you may find yourself being ETS discharged from the Air Force.  For more information on reenlisting, click HERE.  If you have questions, contact the HQ RIO Career Assistance Advisor MSgt Ronald Brown at 720-847-3187 or email him at ARPC.HQRIO.CareerAssistance@us.af.mil.

RDEDB APPLICATION WINDOW IS NOW OPEN
The AY22/23 Air Force Reserve Developmental Education Designation Board (RDEDB) will convene 25-29 Oct 2021 at ARPC.  The RDEDB is convened to identify the best-qualified officers for in-residence developmental course placement. Board members will evaluate applicants based on the whole person concept, which includes depth and breadth of military experience.  It takes some time to put your package together, so if you’re interested in applying, I suggest you get working on it as soon as possible.  The ARPC suspense/deadline is 20 Sep 2021, NLT 1630 Mountain Time.

SURGE IN IMA TRAVEL/ORDERS RESULTING IN LONGER PAY PROCESSING TIMES
It’s the time of year when we see a surge in AT and IDTs amongst the IMA population.  I wanted to address that some of you may be seeing longer processing times for pay and travel reimbursement than you may have gotten used to over the last year.  Please know that our travel and pay staffs are working diligently to process your requests as quickly as possible in the order they are received.  You can always check the updated processing times on the PAY and TRAVEL sections of the HQ RIO website.

NEW MYFITNESS SITE IS NOW UP AND RUNNING
Your fitness test information can now be accessed on the new myFitness on the new myFSS platform.  This replaces AFFMS II.  The myFSS website can be accessed from the AFPC secure sites.
 
v/r,
Col Amy Boehle, HQ RIO Commander