USCG Pay & Personnel Center

Direct Access User Guides Retiree Self-Service E-Gov Travel System (ETS)

DIRECT ACCESS

The Pay and Personnel Center (PPC) Customer Care Branch is receiving a high volume of phone calls and email inquiries from customers indicating Direct Access is down, timing out, or not accessible. If you or your members are experiencing any of the below error codes, please submit your concerns to C5ISC via CGFIXIT Ticket with a screenshot of the error code along with the IP Address you are attempting to log into DA from. PPC is unable to resolve Direct Access connectivity and system issues.

Errors identified:

Spinning circle
DA Link is timing out
404 Error code
Authorization Error – Contact your Security Administrator
Hmmm… Can’t reach this page

ETS SYSTEM MAINTENANCE AND UPDATE

Online Booking and reservation functions such as retrieving a reservation and cancelling reservations will be unavailable through the application beginning at 6:00PM (CST) Friday Jan. 24. through Saturday Jan. 25 at 9:00PM.

If you are needing reservations for emergent travel (departure within 4-6 hours) or to cancel reservations, please call the SATO to complete those reservation actions.

PASSWORD RESET

The password reset function in Direct Access doesn’t function as designed. The loss of functionality is a result of Direct Access’s migration to a cloud provider’s servers. We apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, the Pay and Personnel Center (PPC) does not have oversight of Direct Access functionality. PPC has made the C5I Service Center aware of the degradation in password reset functionality. The C5I Service Center is working diligently to correct this issue. In the meantime, please submit a trouble ticket (or call), so one of our technicians can assist in resetting your password.

If your email address is NOT present or is incorrect, you will not be able to use the self-service password reset feature. Your business email address in DIRECT ACCESS must be added to the system or corrected. Active duty and Reserve members must contact your P&A office or Servicing Pay Office (SPO) for assistance to update.

Please note: Customer Care will no longer send password resets for active/reserve military members or civilian employees to personal email addresses. All password resets will be sent to USCG.MIL email addresses only. Do not submit multiple requests. Please allow 5 days upon submission for response.

Guide: Passwords and Set up/Update Security Questions

RETIRED PAY

At present, for temporary, permanent, VA offset, AEW’s, CRDP, and CRSC disability, we are encountering a processing delay due to systematic issues and a shortage of personnel. You remain our primary concern. We want to assure you that we are fully committed to resolving these issues promptly and handling your cases with utmost proficiency.

Customer Service Feedback

Mailing Address:

Commanding Officer (Staff Symbol)
U.S. Coast Guard
Pay & Personnel Center
444 S. E. Quincy St.
Topeka, KS 66683-3591

Telephone

(866) 772-8724
0730-1600 (Central time) M-F

E-Mail

PPC-DG-CustomerCare@uscg.mil

Web Content Manager

Oct. 21, 2022

New Pay Entitlement - Assignment Incentive Pay for Cutters Undergoing Maintenance Periods (AIP-CMP)

Assignment Incentive Pay for Cutters Undergoing Maintenance Periods (AIP-CMP), a special pay. AIP-CMP may be paid to active duty officers and enlisted members entitled to Basic Pay under REF (B), including Reservists on active duty who are permanently assigned to a career sea pay (CSP) eligible cutter, and whose CSP has been stopped in conjunction with a lengthy cutter maintenance period, such as SLEP, MMA, etc. AIP-CMP is authorized effective 01 OCT 2022 in the amount of $200 per month.

Aug. 10, 2022

E-Gov Travel System (ETS) Frequently Asked Updates

An updated (August 10, 2022) list of ETS frequently asked questions is available via PPC's ETS web page (https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/tvl/ets). This list covers post-go-live issues. Here is a direct link to the file (the file is in PDF format): https://wwsw.dcms.uscg.mil/Portals/10/CG-1/PPC/GUIDES/TRAVEL/ETS/ETSPostGoLiveFAQs.pdf

Jan. 14, 2022

Your PCS move just got easier—Coast Guard Mutual Assistance rolls out two new programs in support

Your Coast Guard family’s permanent change of duty station (PCS) move is now supported by two new programs offered by Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA). As of Jan. 1, 2022, both programs operate year-round and provide compensation toward specific family relocation fees. The first is a grant, called the Education Advocate Grant, and the second is a no-interest loan, called the Spouse Professional Requirements Loan Program.

Jan. 12, 2022

Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)-VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Off-Set Phase Out

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 changed the way that Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity payments are reduced (off-set) by the receipt of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

Nov. 4, 2021

Regular to Reserve (R2R) Frequently Asked Questions

The Coast Guard inadvertently misinterpreted a 2010 BCMR ruling for a Regular to Reserve (R2R) case in which it was authorized to close the break in service of a member who transitioned into the Coast Guard Reserve by way of Regular to Reserve (R2R). PPC blanketed this ruling to any R2R Rehire from 2010-2017 and aligned their Anniversary Year with their Pay Base Date.

Oct. 28, 2021

Reminder: If your retirement date is on or after 1 January, 2022, as of 1 November 2021, PPC/RAS will no longer accept Form CG-4700 as your application for retirement pay

CG Form 4700, Coast Guard, PHS & NOAA Retired Pay Account Worksheet and Survivor Benefit Plan Election is being phased out. Coast Guard, PHS and NOAA personnel will join their DoD counterparts and begin using DD Form 2656, Data for Payment of Retired Personnel to establish their retired pay accounts at the Pay & Personnel Center.

Oct. 4, 2021

ETS First Logon and ADVTRAV Profile Data Transfer

Per ALCOAST 361/21, the entire Coast Guard workforce (military, civilian and reserve) will receive invitations via an email from etravelservices@cwtsatotravel.com on 04 October 2021 to activate your account. These invitations will expire within 72 hours; failure to activate in the required timeline will create additional administrative workload on support staff. Commands should ensure all service members are provided adequate time to complete the activation process. Accounts will remain active for 90 days and members who have not logged on will receive a reminder to log in or risk the accounts being disabled.

Aug. 30, 2021

Joint Travel Regulations Update to Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) - Flag Voice 556

As part of this change, TLE can be extended for up to 60 days due to the severe housing shortage brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This JTR change, however, is not retroactive for expenses incurred prior to 25 August 2021. This change is not a blanket approval to increase all TLE to 60 days; it is intended to target those CONUS areas where the housing market is significantly stressed by the pandemic.

Aug. 26, 2021

Video: E-Gov Travel System (ETS) Training Begins on August 31

Master Chief Petty Officer Patricia Pilkington talks about the new travel system E-Gov Travel System, or ETS, coming on board Oct 1, 2021. Pilkington talks about training that users can expect to undergo prior to the new system going live at the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Aug. 6, 2021

Leadership and Management School (LAMS) Completion Deadline for Servicewide Exam Waiver Process Guidance

PPC (ADV) has created a process guide which provides reference to policy, procedures and information on submitting Leadership and Management School (LAMS) completion deadline waivers to PPC. LAMS completion deadline waivers are available to allow for certain provisions where individuals are unable to complete LAMS prior to the Servicewide Examination Eligibility Date (SED).

The U.S. Department of Defense is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998. DoD websites use the WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility standard.

For persons with disabilities experiencing difficulties accessing content on a particular website, please use the form DoD Section 508 Form. In this form, please indicate the nature of your accessibility issue/problem and your contact information so we can address your issue or question. If your issue involves log in access, password recovery, or other technical issues, contact the administrator for the website in question, or your local helpdesk.