ALCOAST 505/23 - DEC 2023 EFFORTS TO EASE ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS - UPDATE 1

R 201409Z DEC 23   MID600117020196U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 505/23
SSIC 1000
SUBJ: EFFORTS TO EASE ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS - UPDATE 1
A. COMCOGARD PSC WASHINGTON DC 191655Z JAN 23/ALCGENL 010/23
B. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 311212Z JUL 23/ALCOAST 274/23
C. COMCOGARD PSC WASHINGTON DC 021745Z AUG 23/ALCGPSC 091/23
D. COMCOGARD PSC WASHINGTON DC 111904Z OCT 23/ALCGENL 225/23
E. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 051414Z JUL 23/ALCOAST 250/23
F. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 251415Z SEP 23/ALCOAST 344/23
G. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 021540Z AUG 23/ALCOAST 278/23
H. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 191250Z JAN 23/ALCOAST 025/23
I. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 261546Z OCT 23/ALCOAST 415/23
1. Since January 2022, DCO and DCMS have led a collaborative effort
to identify, quantify, and accept organizational risk to ease
administrative burdens throughout the Coast Guard. The following
list captures recent actions and policy changes thus far, but our
efforts to identify creative solutions to reduce administrative
burdens will continue.
    a. Advance to Position, REF (A). This effort offers active duty
enlisted members an advancement to the next higher paygrade for
filling vacancies late in the Assignment Year (AY) or vacancies
shopped via Critical Solicitation. This option affords members
increased flexibility in managing their career progression while
simultaneously increasing the Coast Guard's ability to retain talent
and reduce administrative work by reducing Retirements-In-Lieu of
Orders, Separations-In-Lieu of Orders, and advancement opt-out
decisions.
    b. Body Composition Screening (BCS) Beta Test, REF (B). This
effort reduces administrative time spent on the BCS and weigh-in
processes. Military members assigned to Cutters, Boat Stations, Aids
to Navigation Teams, and Deployable Specialized Forces units are
eligible to participate in the BCS Beta Test.
    c. Expanding Personal Award Authority, REF (C). To promote timely
recognition and reduce administrative time spent approving awards,
this effort allows Commanding Officers and Officers in Charge under
the grade of O-4 to be final approval authority for certain awards.
    d. Vested Crewmember Beta Test, REF (D). This effort seeks to
maximize the effectiveness of Guaranteed A-School by assigning
graduating recruits to a Third-Class Petty Officer position in their
future rating which they will return to after graduating A-School.
    e. Leased Housing Policy Change, REF (E). This effort allows
accompanied members to be eligible for leased housing, regardless of
paygrade, when the cost of adequate private sector rental housing
exceeds the member's Total Housing Allowance.
    f. Suspension of E1-E3 Marks, REF (F). This effort reduces
administrative time spent by members and supervisors completing
enlisted evaluations by removing the requirement for regular
Enlisted Evaluation Reports for active duty and reserve enlisted
personnel in paygrades E1-E3.
    g. Boat Crew Survival Carriage Requirements, REF (G). This
initiative reduces labor hours, documentation and record-keeping
requirements, and administrative time by removing pyrotechnics
carriage requirements.
    h. Delegation of Authority to Certify Honorable Service for the
Purposes of Naturalization, REF (H). This effort removes a
burdensome process for naturalization after accessions.
    i. Unaccompanied Personnel Housing (UPH) Policy Change, REF (I).
This policy change removes the requirement to charge a UPH service
fee to members who reside on a space-available basis and whose
dependents do not reside within a reasonable commuting distance
of the member's permanent duty station.
2. I have directed a multi-disciplinary team to continue to evaluate
current administrative requirements and identify options to ease
those requirements to give hours back to operators in the field.
Members can send ideas to the team by emailing:
TMX-RRT@uscg.onmicrosoft.com.
3. VADM Paul F. Thomas, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support
(CG-DCMS), sends.
4. Internet release is authorized.