Procedures & Development (P&D) Branch

Direct Access Process Maps, User Guides, Tutorials and Webinar Recordings

Known Issues / Guide Updates

This is a running list of known issues and procedural highlights for the past few months. Items will be updated when resolved.

• 13 June:
  • Disciplinary Actions SPO User Guide updated. An "Offense Date" is now required for each UCMJ articled entered. 
  • SRB Eligibility Checklist updated.
  • Death of a Member SPO User Guide updated.
  • Release from Active Duty (RELAD) with Sep Request - AD Officers & Members on EAD SPO User Guide updated.
  • Release from Active Duty (RELAD) orders for an Active Duty (AD) member being released into the Selected Reserves (SELRES) or Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) SPO User Guide updated.
  • Discharge with Separation Request SPO User Guide updated
  • Discharge - End of Enlistment SPO User Guide updated.
  • Reserve Active Duty Orders Processing SPO User Guide updated.
  • Lump Sum Leave Sale Overview Guide updated.
  • SPO Separations Overview Guide updated.
  • Retirement Orders SPO Separations User Guide updated.
  • Known Issue: Career Sea Pay Premium (CSPP) for TACLETs - SPOs must submit trouble tickets to have CSPP pay out for CSPP eligible TACLET members who go TDY to a ship.
• 10 June:
  • ​Refund Missed Meals (RMM) SPO User Guide updated.
  • Retirement Orders SPO Separations User Guide updated.
  • Blended Retirement System (BRS) Post 1/1/2019 Opt-In Guide added. This guides provides procedures for electing the BRS for new accessions (for members with a Date of Initial Entry into Military Service (DIEMS) prior to 1/1/2018), or for members to request an automatic or discretionary hardship extension. 
  • Disciplinary Actions SPO User Guide updated. An "Offence Date" is now required for each UCMJ articled entered. 
  • Direct Access Competency Dictionary updated. There were a total of 10 competency changes since the previous Dictionary (April 2019) was published; changes since last update are in blue font color text on the spreadsheet.  The changes for this month are as follows:
    
    - 9 Competency Created
    - 0  Competency Modified
    - 1  Competency Inactivated
• 6 June:
  • Death of a Member SPO User Guide updated.
  • Officer Integration (NP500 Add-On) SPO User Guide added. This guide provides the procedures for researching a suspicious net pay difference as a result of an officer integrating from the Reserve component to Active Duty.
  • Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) Programming Challenges SPO User Guide added.
  • View Member's Payslip Self-Service for Command User Guide added.
• 5 June:
  • Disciplinary Actions SPO User Guide updated. An "Offense Date" is now required for each UCMJ articled entered. 
• 4 June:
  • Government Travel Charge Card Self-Service for Commands User Guide updated.
  • ​​Urinalysis Report UA Coordinator User Guide updated.
  • Release from Active Duty (RELAD) with Sep Request - AD Officers & Members on EAD SPO User Guide updated.
• 30 May:
  • Release from Active Duty (RELAD) orders for an Active Duty (AD) member being released into the Selected Reserves (SELRES) or Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) SPO User Guide updated.
• 29 May:
  • ​Urinalysis Report UA Coordinator User Guide updated.
• 28 May:
  • ​Refund Missed Meals (RMM) SPO User Guide updated.
• 24 May:
  • Discharge with Separation Request SPO User Guide updated.
• 23 May:
  • Stopping OHA SPO User Guide updated.
  • Discharge - End of Enlistment SPO User Guide updated.
  • Resuming Retirement for a Recall Retired (Ret-1) Member SPO User Guide updated.
• 22 May:
  • Starting BAH for Reserve Members SPO User Guide updated.
  • Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP) SPO User Guide updated.
  • PCS eResume Command Endorsement Self-Service for Commands User Guide updated.
  • Submitting an eResume Self-Service for Member User Guide updated.
  • Direct-Access Password Setup & Reset Self-Service for Member User Guide updated.
  • Cancelling a Separation Order SPO User Guide updated.
• 16 May:
  • Rehire-Reserve SPO Accession User Guide updated.
  • Rehire-Prior Service SPO Accession User Guide updated.
  • Rehire-Cadet SPO Accession User Guide updated.
  • Rehire-DCO SPO Accession User Guide updated.
• 10 May:
  • Processing Advance Pay, BAH, & OHA Requests SPO User Guide updated.
• 9 May:
  • Separation Reports SPO User Guide updated.
  • Federal & State Tax Withholding Retiree Self-Service User Guide updated.
  • Initial Login / Change Password Retiree Self-Service User Guide updated.
• 8 May:
  • Federal & State Tax Withholding SPO User Guide updated.
  • PCS Orders - Amend & Cancel SPO User Guide updated.
• 7 May:
  • Approving PCS Orders SPO Tutorial added.
  • View My Year-End Tax Statements Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • View My Payslip Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • Change My Phone Number Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • Change My E-Mail Address Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • Change My Delivery Options (Payslip & Newsletter) Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • Change My Mailing Address Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • Change My Direct Deposit Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • View My Final Pay Beneficiary Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • Voluntary Deductions (Allotments) Retiree Self-Service Guide updated.
  • PCS Entitlements Auto Start/Stop SPO User Guide updated.
  • PCS Orders Depart/Report TDY SPO User Guide updated.
  • Starting Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) SPO User Guide updated.
• 6 May:
  • Known Issue: Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) Auto-Start failure. If a member reports in TEMDU first and then to the cutter CGSMR doesn’t auto start and needs to be manually started via meal rate request
  • Contract Data - Reenlistment - SPO Tutorial added.
  • Contract Data - Approval - SPO SPO Tutorial added.
• 2 May:
• Known Issue: PCS Orders - Getting Kicked Out When Trying to Access. 

  ​We have gotten reports that some of you are getting kicked out of DA when you try to access PCS orders. Programmers have determined that it is due to people making customizations to their PeopleSoft pages. If you are experiencing this issue, you must submit a trouble ticket so that we can fix your account. Please reference " PSUSEROBJTYPE" in your ticket so that we can expedite your request.

• 1 May:
  • Starting BAH-TR tutorial added.
• 30 April:​​
  • Reserve Leave Not Calculating Correctly - If member has reserve AD orders of exactly 30 days, DA does not credit 2.5 days of leave, therefore the SPO will need to submit a ticket to PPC to manually credit. Also, if a member has back to back consecutive reserve AD orders, where each order is less than 30 days individually, but combined consecutively equal 30 days, the SPO will also need to submit a ticket for PPC to manually credit leave.  Use the Leave Actions template (from https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/mas/#leaveaction) for submitting tickets.
  • Viewing Bonuses SPO User Guide updated.
  • Identifying and Researching Overpayments or In-Service Debts SPO User Guide updated.
• 29 April:
  • Starting Responsibility Pay SPO Tutorial added.
  • Stopping Responsibility Pay  SPO Tutorial added.
  • PCS Orders Endorsements (Departing, Reporting, or with TDY) SPO User Guide added.
  • Amending / Cancelling a PCS Order SPO User Guide added.
  • How to Look Up a Unit's SPO in Direct Access SPO User Guide updated
• 26 April:
  • PCS Orders SPO User Guide updated.
  • Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) SPO User Guide updated.
• 25 April:
  •  Start Basic Allowance for Housing-Transit (BAH-TR) for new Accessions SPO User Guide updated
  • HR Quality Assurance Tool – BAH Mismatches SPO User Guide updated.
  • Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) SPO User Guide added.  This guide provides the procedures for a SPO to start, stop, correct, delete, and approve BAH transactions in Direct Access (DA) and replaces the separate guides for starting, stopping, approving, and correcting BAH.
  • View My Year-End Tax Forms Retiree Self-Service User Guide updated.
  • View My PaySlip Retiree Self-Service User Guide updated.
• 23 April:
  • SPO Tax Withholding User Guide added. This guide provides procedures for Federal and State Income tax withholding changes.
  • SPO RELAD with Sep. Request User Guide updated.
  • SPO RELAD AD to SELRES or IRR User Guide updated.
• 22 April:
  • SPO Approving PCS Orders User Guide updated.
  • SPO Stop Responsibility Pay User Guide updated.
  • SPO Start Responsibility Pay User Guide updated. 
• 19 April:
  • Initial DA Logon Retiree Self-Service User Guide updated.
  • Direct Access Compatible Browsers User Guide added under member Self-Service. This guide provides a list of internet browsers compatible with Direct Access (DA). This guide will also provide guidance on how to turn off pop-up blockers, necessary when attempting to access certain documents such as payslips and tax documents.
• 18 April:
  • Starting CONUS COLA SPO User Guide updated.
• 17 April:
  • "DA Pay Processing: Inactive BAH Case" SPO Guide added. This reference guide provides guidance and procedures for reviewing a BAH correction beginning from the point when the BAH row, generated by PCS orders, was finalized through to correction in Direct Access (DA).
• 16 April:
  • Reserve Title 14 Contingency Orders User Guide updated.
• 15 April:
  • Discharge with Separation Request SPO Separations User Guide updated.
  • Retirement Orders  SPO Separations User Guide updated.
  • Discharge – End of Enlistment  SPO Separations User Guide updated.
  • Contract Data Extensions SPO User Guide updated.
  • Contract Data Reenlistments SPO User Guide updated.
  • Approving Contracts SPO User Guide updated.
• 8 April:
  • Removed Self-Service BRS opt-in and BRS status check guides and videos. The Self-Service options have been removed from DA. However, Command Users may still review a member's BRS status.
• 5 April:
  • Reserve Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) Drills Self-Service for Commands User Guide updated.
• 2 April:
  • Starting Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) Deduction SPO User Guide updated.
• 28 March:
  • Enlisted Evaluation Report System User Guide updated.
• 27 March:
  • Retained Beyond Normal Expiration of Enlistment SPO User Guide updated.
• 25 March:
  • Approve/Confirm OUTCONUS COLA Transaction SPO Tutorial added.
• 21 March:
  • BAH/COLA Report SPO Tutorial added.
  • Starting OUTCONUS COLA SPO Tutorial added.
  • Correcting OUTCONUS COLA SPO Tutorial added.
  • Deleting OUTCONUS COLA SPO Tutorial added.
  • Stopping OUTCONUS COLA SPO Tutorial added.
• 18 March:
  • Change Federal/State Tax Information Retiree Self-Service Tutorial added.
  • Stopping a Voluntary Deduction Retiree Self-Service Tutorial added.
  • Change EFT/Direct Deposit Retiree Self-Service Tutorial added.
  • Added OUTCONUS COLA SPO User Guide. This guide provides the procedures for a SPO to start, stop, correct, and approve OUTCONUS COLA transactions in Direct Access (DA). This guide also provides the procedures to confirm OUTCONUS COLA corrections were processed accurately in DA.

  • Submitting Trouble Tickets with Supporting Documents User Guide updated. This guide provides the procedures for inserting or attaching supporting documents to a Trouble (Help) Ticket in HEAT.

• 15 March:
  • Viewing Pay Transactions by Member SPO Tutorial added.
  • Starting a Voluntary Deduction Retiree Self-Service Tutorial added.
  • View/Change a Voluntary Deduction Retiree Self-Service Tutorial added. 
  • Rehire Reserve SPO Accession User Guide Updated.
• 14 March:
  • View Payslip Self-Service for Retiree User Guide updated.
• 11 March:
  • Added Beginning an Extension of Enlistment SPO User guide
  • Added Beginning a Re-Extension of Enlistment SPO User guide
  • Added Retention Beyond Normal Expiration of SPO User guide
• 7 March:
  • Rehire Reserve SPO Accession User Guide Updated.
  • Starting Family Separation Housing Allowance SPO User Guide updated.
  • The following Knowledge Base topics were updated (Note: The Knowledge Base is hosted on CGPortal. CaC logon is required):
    • Family Separation Housing Allowance: Added "Annual Validation of FSH" requirement for DA data entry following the annual legislative pay change (LPC).
    • Basic Allowance for Housing Overview: Added examples for member-married-to-member marriage and divorce under BAH rate protection. 
    • Accessions Overview: Noted that SPOs do NOT need to submit a separate leave ticket on top of a SOCS to have a prior service members' leave carried over. ADV updates prior service members' leave accounts as part of the SOCS if the supporting documentation can validate the leave.
    • OUTCONUS Cost of Living Allowance:  Added that when a member is entitled to Reduced OUTCONUS COLA but the CO determines that use of a government dinning facility is impractical the member is entitled to OUTCONUS COLA at the W/O dependent rate.
• 5 March:
  • Processing Advances (Pay, BAH, or OHA) SPO Tutorial added.
• 1 March:
  • Processing Advances (Pay, BAH, or OHA) SPO User Guide updated.
  • Pay Calendars, Cuts and Timing - SPO Reserve Tutorial added.
• 28 February:
  • Starting Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) Deductions SPO Tutorial added.
• 26 February:
  • Understanding My Payslip Leave Summary Self-Service User Guide updated.
  • Rehire Prior Service SPO Accession User Guide updated.
  • Verifying a Delay in Pay for a Reservist SPO Tutorial added.
  • Entering Refund for Missed Meals (RMM) SPO Tutorial added.
  • Starting BAH for Reserve Members  SPO Tutorial added.
• 25 February:
  • HR Quality Assurance Tool - BAH Mismatches SPO Tutorial added.
  • Starting Coast Guard Standard Meal Rate (CGSMR) Deductions SPO User Guide updated.
  • HIRE Direct Commission Officer (DCO) SPO Accession Guide updated.
  • Starting Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) SPO User Guide updated.
• 22 February:
  • Disciplinary Actions SPO User Guide updated.
  • HR Quality Assurance Tool – BAH Mismatches SPO User Guide updated
  • Starting BAH for Reserve Members SPO User Guide updated.
• 21 February:
  • Refund Missed Meals (RMM) SPO User Guide updated
  • Electronic Training Request Submission - Command tutorial added.
  • CG Exchange Allotment for Dity Bag-SPO tutorial added.
  • Reserve Order Extract Report-SPO tutorial added.
  • Reserve Member Balances Command tutorial added.
  • HR Quality Assurance Tool – BAH Mismatches SPO User Guide updated
• 20 February:
  • Rehire Direct Commission Officer (DCO) SPO Accession Guide updated.
  • E-Mail ALSPO A/19; Human Resources (HR) Quality Assurance (QA) Tools posted.
    • HR Quality Assurance Tool - BAH Mismatches SPO Report/Query User Guide added.
• 19 February:
  • Hire Cadet SPO Accession User Guide updated.
  • Montgomery GI Bill-Enroll or Decline SPO Accession Guide updated.
  • Aviation Incentive Pay SPO User Guide updated.
  • Submitting and Electronic Training Request (ETR) Command User Guide updated.
  • Reserve Member Balances User Guide updated.
  • Reserve Orders Extract Report User Guide updated.
  • Department Run - Command Tutorial added.
  • MGIB-SR - Recording Eligibility Tutorial added
• 14 February:
  • Aviation Incentive Pay SPO User Guide updated.
  • Airport Terminal SPO/Command User Tutorial added.
• 12 February:
  • Aviation Incentive Pay - Suspend/Terminate/Delete AvIP SPO Tutorial added.
  • Aviation Incentive Pay - Monthly to Month AvIP SPO Tutorial added.
  • Understanding Reserve Pay Processing in DA  User Guide updated.
• 11 February:
  • Aviation Incentive Pay - Establish Aviator/Start AvIP SPO Tutorial added.
  • Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Self Service Tutorial updated.
  • Divorce, Annulment, or Death of a spouse or dependent SPO Tutorial added.
• 8 February:
  • Self-Service Allotments User Guide updated.
  • Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP) SPO User Guide updated 
• 7 February:
  • MGIB Enrollment/Decline Enrollment SPO Accession User Guide updated.
• 6 February:
  • CG Exchange Allotment for Ditty Bag Bill SPO Accession User Guide updated.
  • Understanding Job Data User Guide updated
  • Understanding Job Data Tutorial updated.
  • MGIB-SR Terminate/Suspend Tutorial added
  • MGIB-SR Reinstate/Restore Tutorial added
• 5 February:
  • Understanding Reserve Pay Processing in Direct Access User Guide updated.
  • MGIB-SR - Recording Eligibility Tutorial added.
  • PDE By Department  Tutorial updated.
  • Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) Drills (Command) User Guide updated
• 31 January:
  • Chargeable Absences User Guide updated
  • Non-Chargeable Absences User Guide updated
  • Hire SELRES Depot SPO Accession User Guide updated.
• 29 January:
  • Move-In Housing Allowance (MIHA)  SPO Tutorial added.
  • Starting CONUS COLA SPO Tutorial added.
  • Starting High Pressure Chamber Hazardous Duty Pay SPO Tutorial added.
  • Officer Uniform Allowance SPO Tutorial added.
  • Dependent Information/Enter/Correct/Delete SPO Tutorial added.
• 28 January:
  • Competencies User Guide updated.