The Foreign Service Journal, October 2021

AFSA NEWS 74 OCTOBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Payroll Issues: An Update AFSA knows that many mem- bers have been negatively affected by the new American Payroll system. On Aug. 4 AFSA staff received a briefing from senior management at the State Department’s Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS). They confirmed that the cur- rent payroll problems are the direct result of the introduc- tion of the new system. They shared that the pre- vious system was more than 40 years old and that there was no doubt that it needed to be replaced. We acknowl- edged that information but pointed to the large number of emails we have received frommembers over the past several months on this issue. Although the problems are not yet fully solved, we were reassured that CGFS is doing all it can to ensure that operations are back to nor- mal within the next couple of months. CGFS management explained that their rectifi- cation efforts are directed to two fronts: entitlements, which include pay, allow- ances, advances and so on; and retroactives, which involve missing back pay and unpaid allowances. The aim has been to ensure that entitlements get turned on, which was a focus in Pay Period 15, and that the retroactives are corrected by Pay Period 17. Actual dis- bursements, however, may take a little longer, given the task’s magnitude. With regard to the PayHelp turnround time for inquiries and assistance requests, CGFS explained that with the current volume of calls and emails, it does in fact take at least 15 days to ensure that any answer provided is correct. AFSA urged CGFS to devote all available resources to getting the system back on track as soon as possible. CGFS stated that they are well aware of the implications for both morale and pocket- books, and assured us that they are dedicated to rectify- ing any and all errors as soon as they can. If you are not receiving the response you need from CGFS even after the 15-day wait, please let us know at member@afsa.org. If you have a “no pay” issue, i.e., you did not receive any salary, please contact us immediately. n AFSAGoverning Board Meeting Aug. 18, 2021 Update Your Information for the 2022 AFSA Directory of Retired Members It’s that time of the year when we ask retiree members to make sure AFSA has your most up-to-date contact information—including address, telephone and email address—for inclusion in the 2022 AFSA Retiree Directory. If you have moved or changed any of your contact information in the last year, please email us at member@ afsa.org . If you have not, there is no need to act. The deadline for all changes for the 2022 Retiree Directory is Nov. 2, 2021. Please note that if you have previously requested your name not be included in the directory, we have that information recorded and will ensure that it is not. Further, if you have previously told us that you do not wish to receive a copy of the directory, we have that information recorded, as well. For new requests, please email AFSA at member@afsa. org. n After in-person Governing Board meetings in June and July, the board met by videoconference on Aug. 18 due to concerns over the COVID-19 delta variant. Any decisions by the Governing Board made virtually must ultimately be passed when the board meets again in person, according to AFSA bylaws. Legislative Priorities: The Governing Board approved the inclusion of Senate Bill 2590 in the list of AFSA’s 117th Con- gress policy priorities. If passed, the bill would designate a senior official on the National Security Council to serve as the anomalous health incidents interagency coordinator to coordinate the U.S. government’s investigation of, and response to, anomalous health incidents that have affected U.S. diplomats and officials in Cuba, China, Austria, Vietnam and other locations. n