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My Coast Guard
Commentary | April 14, 2022

FSMS: Progress report from the Incident Command

By Petty Officer Second Class David Weydert, FSMS Incident Command

The Coast Guard is extending the due dates for some government travel credit card (GTCC) payments as we continue our transition to a modern financial system. The extensions are intended to help minimize financial impacts on members and units as the service works through the challenges of transitioning to a modern financial system. 

The GTCC program will evaluate each member’s payment requirements and extend the due date on a month-to-month basis. No late fees or payments will be due until you receive your reimbursement. Please talk with your travel manager if you have any questions or need a higher balance waiver. (Detailed guidance will be released shortly via ALCGPSC.)

Relatedly, if you put pre-approved expenses, such as per diem lodging, meals, or fuel on your personal credit card, please don’t think you need to carry the burden yourself. Coast Guard Mutual Support (CGMA) can give you a no-interest loan, just talk with your unit’s CGMA representative.
 
Meanwhile, the Financial Services Modernization System (FSMS) Transition Incident Command is making progress paying our people and paying our bills. Here are the latest progress updates:

Auxiliarists: If you’ve already submitted a travel claim for completed travel, you must take some additional steps - no later than April 25 - for your payment to be processed. The Personnel Services Center emailed specific guidance on Apr. 13, for your immediate action.  If you have not received it, contact your supporting District Director of Auxiliary (DIRAUX).   Moving forward, Auxiliarists will work with their DIRAUX to obtain their own E-Gov Travel Service (ETS) accounts.

TDY claims: New TDY payments continue to work for most travelers. About 25% of outstanding TDY payments have now been processed. The Incident Command’s TDY Claims Working Group continues to work through the multiple issues preventing payment on about 2,700 claims, most related to Education and Training Quota Management Command, Reserve, and Direct Access-driven orders.  

PPM claims: About 50% of outstanding PPM claims have been processed.

TLA claims: Most TLA claims have now been paid, with about 25% of claims still waiting to be processed.

Vendor invoices: More than 1,500 backlogged vendor invoices were paid the week of Apr. 4. Surge staffing, process improvements, and automated programs are helping FINCEN continue to speed up the payment process.

FMPS community: The Coast Guard is surging support to ensure financial management staff have the tools and training they need. Some key lines of effort:

  • A new FSMS microsite brings all FSMS tools into one single location. Here, you’ll find searchable job aids, demos, and conversation boards. If you use FSMS, you’ll want to bookmark the new microsite and spend time familiarizing yourself with all the resources it provides.
  • Financial staff have also requested more job aids, so those have been prioritized – 90 have been produced, and 58 are currently in the works. Eventually approximately 150 job aids will be available for the financial management and procurement services community.  
  • FMPS Open Houses will now be held every other week, rather than monthly, giving financial staff more frequent opportunities to communicate directly with the FSMS Incident Command.
  • New guidance is available on interagency reimbursable work agreements – please see ALCGFINANCE 016/22.

The Incident Command’s priority next steps include civilian payments, auxiliary payments, streamlining the Military Standard Requisitioning and Issue Procedures (MILSTRIP) and micro-purchasing process, fuel procurement guidance, receipting guidance, and sell-side reimbursable agreement guidance. The Incident Command is also continuing efforts with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and IBM to diagnose, test, and improve FSMS system performance. 

The Financial Systems Modernization Solution (FSMS) system replaces an extremely outdated system. The FSMS Incident Command continues to tackle the challenges experienced during the transition. You can find the latest progress updates and job-aids on the newly launched SharePoint site: 
 
Resources