COMMENTARY>> Personnel Records Readiness: Are you ready?

By Maj. Gen. Tony Przybyslawski
AFPC commander

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — Because change is the one thing you can count on, take time now to review your personnel records to ensure they are ready for whatever is around the next corner. The Air Force Personnel Center is establishing an annual campaign to encourage Airmen to review their records at the beginning of each year to make sure they remain complete, current and accurate.

The Center will continue to provide tremendous service and take care of all Airmen. However, that service requires each Airman to do their part. Consider what could happen if you fail to update your virtual Record of Emergency Data (vRED) and become a casualty.

Rather than receiving notification through Air Force channels, your next of kin may learn of the situation through the news media or another unofficial source. Even worse, what if your parent is ill and is not able to deal with the stress of your injury?
Documenting these types of details on your vRED enables the Air Force to correctly follow your instructions in the event you become a casualty.

Equally distressing would be if you failed to update your Servicemembers Group Life Insurance beneficiary information.
An oversight like this could lead to your family members not receiving insurance benefits from the Air Force.

Keeping your records current is not only applicable for a deployment.

Unfortunately, accidents on- and off-duty occur all too frequently…vehicle, motorcycle and recreational sporting accidents occur almost daily.

Personnel records also need to be reviewed as they directly impact your promotion potential. Look at your records and understand what is documented and what should be documented.

Individual performance counts! It’s critical that your records accurately reflect your performance. When your records meet a promotion board, we need your help to ensure the board views your complete and accurate record of performance.
Airmen should review their records and physically account for their decorations and performance reports. Just because this information appears in your electronic personnel record or SURF, doesn’t mean the information is also in your hard copy record.

It never hurts to check. Also, consider the impact on career development for an officer who fails to keep a Transitional Officer Development Plan current. Development teams can only conclude that the last entry in the record is what matters. If we don’t know what your career goals are, they won’t be a factor as we’ll match you to the needs of the Air Force. Many portions of your personnel record can be reviewed or updated at a time and place of your choosing through AFPC’s virtual Military Personnel Flight or by contacting the Air Force Contact Center.

When we are all ready as Airmen, we become an Air Force ready to complete the mission our Country calls upon us to accomplish, while ensuring our families have the best care possible. I encourage you to take charge of your career, review your personnel information and keep it accurate.