62nd CPTS begins transition to new financial structure Published Sept. 20, 2007 By Tyler Hemstreet Staff writer MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Representatives from the Air Force's Financial Services Transformation Team visited McChord Tuesday and Wednesday to brief leadership on the transition to the new centralized financial service structure and the effect it will have on the base. The transition is slated to take full effect in October 2008. The first changes in the finance operations here will take place next month. At that time, Phase I of the transition begins with the opening of the central processing center at the Air Force Financial Service Center in Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. From then on, all the back shop procedures, such as travel voucher processing, will be handled there. The 62nd Comptroller Squadron is in the midst of a 40 percent manning decrease since April, with some personnel undergoing a permanent change of station to Ellsworth Air Force Base, said Senior Master Sergeant Tommy Key, 62nd CPTS. On average, Airmen in the 62nd CPTS process more than 1,500 Defense Travel System vouchers, 1,500 military pay documents and 2,400 non-DTS travel documents a month, Sergeant Key said. The switch to move everything to Ellsworth Air Force Base is focused on processing documents in a more efficient format, which will expedite payments to Airmen, he said. While the 62nd CPTS staff will be downsized to eight Airmen by March, Sergeant Key said face-to-face customer service here will not be affected. "Because our Airmen won't have to spend so much time processing documents, we can get back to assisting the customers," he said. Phase II of the transition will begin in October 2008. At this point a 24/7 full service contact center at AFFSC staffed by experts in pay and travel will become operational. Airmen will be able to access financial services around the clock via a number of ways including phone, web and fax. (Information from an Air Force News story contributed to this article.)