Centralized Assignment Applications, Contact Center Hours, Change Readiness Assessment, CEI Access on vPC-GR, Tricare Reserve Select Published Sept. 26, 2008 ARPC NOTAM 049 -- Commanders- ASSIGNMENT APPLICATIONS CENTRALIZED OCT. 1 (ANG, AFRC) - Beginning Oct. 1, the Air Reserve Personnel Center will centralize the receipt of Air Force Forms 1288, Applications for Ready Reserve Assignment. All new 1288s, which were previously sent to ARPC/DPAAB, should be faxed to 478-327-2215 or DSN 497-2215 or e-mailed to arpc.contactcenter@arpc.denver.af.mil. They also may be attached to a request within the virtual Personnel Center-Guard and Reserve. Questions regarding this change may be directed to the contact center at 800-525-0102. NEW CONTACT CENTER HOURS (ANG, AFRC) - Beginning Oct. 1, the contact center customer service counselors will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. MT the first 3 Saturdays of every month. Also, Airmen can request assistance 24/7/365 by logging onto vPC-GR, the customer service Web portal for personnel support. It is available online at http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/vPC-GR/. CHANGE READINESS ASSESSMENT (ANG, AFRC) - AF/A1X is launching a Total Force Personnel Services Delivery Transformation Change Readiness Assessment to help A1 leaders streamline the delivery of information and training to personnelists and their customers. The results of this assessment will help A1 improve education, training and communications to personnelists to prepare for PSDT initiatives. It is part of a two-fold approach to assess the A1 and Air Force community's readiness for transformed personnel services delivery. Soon, an e-mail with a link to the survey will be sent to about 3,200 officer, enlisted and civilian personnelists from base-to-Air Force level, across all components. The Air Force Manpower Agency-approved assessment, control number 08-066, will be anonymous and confidential. Airmen in your squadron may be contacted to participate in the survey. It takes about 15 minutes to complete and will remain open for 30 days. ANNUAL CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION ACCESS NOW ON vPC-GR (ANG, AFRC) -- Updated CEI provides Defense officials visibility of who can be called up for active military duty without jeopardizing the civilian forces responsible for safeguarding our country. Airmen now can access the OSD Guard-Reserve Portal to update their Civilian Employment Information when they log into the vPC-GR Dashboard. Beginning 60 days before their birthday, a pop-up reminder will appear when Ready Reserve Airmen log on to the vPC-GR Dashboard. The reminder will appear until the update has been completed or until their birth date. All ANG and Reserve Airmen, with the exception of Active Guard Reserve members and retirees, are required to complete this annual requirement. A link to the OSD Guard-Reserve Portal https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/Guard-ReservePortal is also located on the vPC-GR home page to help Airmen update their CEI. TRICARE RESERVE SELECT (ANG, AFRC) - TRS offers coverage comparable to Tricare Standard and Extra and features open enrollment, increased availability to survivors, and no activation requirements. Tiers, service agreements and differing premium levels are no longer elements of the program. The only restriction is that Selected Reserve members eligible for the Federal Health Employee Benefits program, or currently covered under FEHB, may not participate in TRS. Monthly premiums are $81 for servicemembers and $253 for member-and-family coverage. Reserve members can find out more about TRS and download the information through "My Benefits" portal at www.tricare.mil. Additional information is available on the "Entitlements" Web page at www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/entitlements. //signed// GERALD R. COSTELLO, Colonel, USAF HQ Air Reserve Personnel Center Vice Commander