The Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC) recently announced it has created an online virtual tracking status bar that allows Guard and Reserve airmen to see the status of their retirement application at a glance.

Members can use the status bar to see a real-time snapshot of the status of their application in myPers. Once in the Virtual Personnel Center, just navigate to the Action Request tab and select the Retirement Application Status link in the Retirements section for real-time status.

The status begins with "Coordination" following a successfully submitted application, to "Sent to DFAS" for initiation of retirement pay, and finally "Completed" at the conclusion of all retirement actions.

The tracker is designed to make it easier for potential retirees to keep track of their retirement application without having to call the personnel center to learn its status.

"The virtual status bar was created to meet the needs of our customers," said Rob Poe, Headquarters ARPC retirement supervisor. "We see a large amount of calls to the Total Force Service Center and myPers inquiries regarding the status of retirement orders. This status bar will allow retirees to get immediate updates on their application and provides an element of transparency to the process."

The status tracker shows potential retirees exactly where in the process their application is, allowing them to know who to contact if the application is delayed.

"One of the great features the tracker provides is not only status updates here at HQ ARPC, but updates as the application passes through the system at DFAS," Poe said. "Once the application is approved and is sent to DFAS, the tracker provides an 'Ask DFAS' reference number enabling the retiree to inquire with DFAS on the status of their retired pay."

Col. Ashley Heyen, director of Personnel and Total Force Services Directorate, said, "Applying for retirement pay is a once-in-a-lifetime event. We cannot expect the customer to be the expert so we're working to make the process as user-friendly as possible. The automated application process, the reduced retirement pay age application, and now the status bar are all examples of how (Headquarters) ARPC is creating innovative solutions to provide outstanding customer service for retirees."

By Jim Absher