ACN 067/21 - JUL 2021 BY DIRECTION AUTHORITY FOR FIELD-LEVEL PAY, PERSONNEL, AND ADMINISTRATION

united states coast guard

R 131416Z JUL 21
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST COMDT NOTICE
BT
UNCLAS
ACN 067/21
SSIC 5000
SUBJ: BY DIRECTION AUTHORITY FOR FIELD-LEVEL PAY, PERSONNEL, AND
ADMINISTRATION
A. United States Coast Guard Regulations 1992, COMDTINST M5000.3B
1. REF (A), Article 7-1-9, is amended to allow Commanding Officers
to authorize Second Class Petty Officers and GS-7 Civilian
Employees to sign, "By direction," pay, personnel, travel,
correspondence, routine papers, vouchers, payrolls, returns, and
reports not requiring administration discretion by the Commanding
Officer.
2. Background: The Deputy Commandant for Mission Support-led
Personnel Support Initiative (PSI) aims to improve field level
customer service for pay, personnel, and administration by
providing Yeomen with the tools needed to provide direct customer
support. Personnel and Administration (P&A) offices, traditional
customer touchpoints, are gaining permissions and authorities to
approve orders, manage records, approve DD214s, and enter pay
transactions into Direct Access. Increasing the number of personnel
able to approve transactions is a key aim for the initiative to
improve timeliness.
3. Guidance: Commanding Officers may authorize, in writing, "By
direction" authority to attached personnel, as outlined above. If
specific changes are made to a Civilian Employee's position or
conditions of employment, then the local COMDT (CG-124) specialist
must be contacted to determine if there any local bargaining
obligations.
   a. Designations must specifically state each task that is
authorized. For example, one E-5 may be authorized to sign only
orders and another E-5 may be authorized to sign orders and approve
certain entries into Official Military Personnel Files.
   b. Commanding Officers must verify that each member authorized
"By direction" authority is sufficiently competent to perform that
duty. Traditionally, these decisions are made with input from
senior Yeomen or based on position and rank. COMDT (CG-133) and the
Personnel Service Center (PSC), as Technical Authority over pay,
personnel, and administration services at the field level, have
developed a personnel qualification standard (PQS) for P&A
technicians.
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/psc/psc-bops/PSI/default.aspx

While FORCECOM's analysts review the PQS, unit Commanding Officers
may use it locally to aid "By direction" authorizations.
   c. PSI implementation kick-off meetings will specifically
address making "By direction" authorizations appropriate for each
unit. Additionally, the Pay and Personnel Center (PPC) provides
training during PSI implementation, and has hotline support
following the initial training. Units that have yet to implement
PSI may also contact PPC to schedule ad hoc training assistance.
4. These changes will be implemented into the next revision of
REF (A), which will be released within the next year.
5. POCs:
   a. PPC Customer Care: 1-866-772-8724 0700-1600 CST,
PPC-DG-CustomerCare@uscg.mil.
   b. Office of Military Policy (CG-1331): YNCM Phillip Payne,
202-475-5376, Phillip.C.Payne@uscg.mil.
   c. PSC Business Operations: LCDR Andrew Grantham,
202-795-6413, Andrew.M.Grantham@uscg.mil.
   d. PSI Implementation Team: CWO Dorothy Bradley,
202-795-6401, Dorothy.J.Bradley@uscg.mil.
   e. PPC: CWO Kirsten Atteberry,
785-339-2252, Kirsten.R.Atteberry@uscg.mil.
6. This message is cancelled on 12 JUL 2022.
7. Released by VADM Paul F. Thomas, Deputy Commandant for Mission
Support (DCMS).
8. Internet release is authorized.