Direct Access is getting an upgrade on 29 May 2018. Here are some important things to know and share with the workforce:
- The upgrade will require a short maintenance period. During this period, users will not be able to access Direct Access from 2100 EDT, Thursday, 24 May 2018 through 0600 EDT, Tuesday, 29 May 2018. The maintenance period will ensure the upgrade is properly completed and fully reactivated in a timely manner.
- The Direct Access upgrade affects all users: Active Duty, Reserve, Retirees and Civilian personnel. In order to prepare for the maintenance period, please ensure that all military absence requests, processing of pay or separations paperwork and processing of orders are completed NLT COB, Wednesday, 23 May 2018.
- Special thanks to the Reserve and Active Duty members from Station Port Canaveral for testing the system. They were able to perform and validate a broad range of essential self-service functionality for the upgrade.
- Users will still be able to access Direct Access through CGPORTAL following the maintenance period. The URL will change and users trying to connect to Direct Access will automatically be redirected to the new URL. Once redirected, it is recommended that all users update their favorites with the new URL to ensure quick and easy access.
- Users can expect the following improvements:
- Cleaner look and feel
- Work Centers for key business transactions
- New Navigation Options
- Unified Header with home page tabs (self-service, requests, etc.)
- While the base system functionality of Direct Access is not changing, it will have some new navigation options. User guides and tutorials are available at http://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/pd/da. The user guide and tutorial web page will also provide links to any known issues and workarounds that may arise following completion of the upgrade.
- Separate guidance regarding payroll processing cutoff dates for SPOs will be provided in an upcoming E-Mail ALSPO message.
If you have any questions regarding the Direct Access upgrade, contact PPC Customer Care at (866) 772-8724 / (785) 339-2200 or by submitting a trouble ticket at https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/ppc/SitePages/Contact Us.aspx.
RDML William G. Kelly
RDML WILLIAM G. KELLY
Assistant Commandant for Human Resources
Issue date: 5/16/2018