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Show Hilltop December 4. 1 997 k mm auMtj P by Scott Stanger Civilian Personnel Division It was announced in September that the Ogden Air Logistics Center would in be faced with a reduction-in-forc- e fiscal 1998. Voluntary Early Retirement or in some cases, to the Office of Personnel Management. For this reason, it normally takes only a few weeks for the VSIP to be staffed and approved, but much longer for the VERA. Our request for VERA and VSIP has been forwarded, requesting authority for up to 469 incentive offerings in a variety of occupations and grades. There is a strong possibility we would not need or use that many incentives. That number could be reduced significantly if the RIF proves to be less severe than anticipated. Keep in mind we can offer only as many incentives as the number of employees who would otherwise be We have been told that our request is being given high priority, and will be staffed as quickly as possible. However, we do not anticipate a response Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay are two management tools that can be used, after approval has been obtained from higher headquarters, to offset or eliminate the need for RIF separations. Consequently, the work force was surveyed for interest in VERA and VSIR The idea is to generate voluntary separations by the use of incentive offerings in just the right occupations, so that involuntary separations are reduced or eliminated. There are more than 700 employees who expressed interon our VERA request before late Decemest in voluntary separation with incen- ber, or even later. If we were to receive tive pay. The amount of VSIP is VSIP approval in December, but were determined by an employee's severstill awaiting word on VERA, we could ance pay entitlement, but capped at a release, with incentives, a number of maximum of $25,000. employees who are eligible for optional An activity can only offer VERA and retirement on or before Jan. 2, 1998. VSIP to its work force by submitting a In any event, all affected employees will be notified as soon as possible. re'quest stating the reasons for the anticipated RIF, and the number and types Employees are cautioned against savof skills that would be impacted. The ing "use or lose" annual leave. There request is forwarded, through man- are no guarantees the authorities agement channels, to the appropriate will be granted before the end of the leave year, or that an individual appliapproval levels. The personnel director at Headquarters Air Force Materiel cation will be approved. There are no Command has approval authority for provisions in the law to restore leave VSIP, but the VERA request must be lost because an employee, of his own forwarded to the Department of Defense, volition, chose not to use it. We have RIF-separate- d. the RIF committee to determine which employees should be offered separation incentives. More simply put. if you are senior in your occupation and grade, and your position has been abolished, you will be offered the incentive. Or, if you are senior and your job can be used to save a RIF impacted employee, you will be offered the incentive. Question: Why aren't special salary rate employees, such as engineers, being offered the incentive? Answer: There will be no special salary rate employees who will be separated, nor could their jobs be used to save an employee who would be sep- requested our VERA and VSIP window extend through March 15, 1998. This would allow the RIF committee the flexibility of targeting incentives where needed, as they plot the RIF. Question: How is it determined who will be offered the incentives? Answer: Remember, incentives can only be used to reduce or eliminate RIF separations. So the RIF committee will be the focal point for this process. Management has determined which jobs must be abolished, and have identified these to the RIF committee. In the meantime, the RIF committee has been holding vacancies that could be used to help place employees whose positions have been cut. The first step is to identify where excess employees can be reassigned, using RIF proce- arated. Question: Could an activity offer either the VSIP or the VERA without the other? Answer: Yes. However, since both authorities are for the same purpose. RIF avoidance, and it is likely we will need to generate incentive takers from among both retirement groups, we have elected to ask for both to be used concurrently. Question: Will retirement counseling be available, if needed? Answer: Yes. The Civilian Personnel Entitlements Office staff will be available for all those who desire counseling. Because of the large number of employees who will need counseling, sessions will be scheduled only dures, to existing vacancies. The remaining people are what helps define the true "excess" occupations and therefore where the incentive offerings must be targeted. The next step is to identify potential incentive takers in the RIF impacted occupations. A list has been made of all employees who have expressed interest in voluntary separation with incentives. The list is sorted by occupation and grade. Employees are further ranked, within occupation and grade, by seniority. Seniority is defined as those who are eligible for optional retirement, then early retirement, then resignations. Employees are further ranked within a retirement category by service computation date. 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