Here’s the plan
People Matters

Personnel Branch – Air Force

Flight Sergeant Jason Minns takes care to secure gear in a Caribou. Air Force personnel will be able to better secure their future through Individual Career Plans. Photo by Michael Chambers

Personnel Branch recognises Air Force people want increasingly more control over their careers and that their priorities might differ from those of Air Force.

As part of the new Personnel Management Strategy you will be encouraged to take a more active part in your career planning by completing a RAAF Individual Career Plan (RICP).

RICPs are being designed to strengthen the personnel management partnership between individuals, their commanders and career managers by including all parties in an agreed plan for future employment. As a minimum, the plan will cover location and type of employment for the next four years with broader guidance covering the following two years.

The RICP is a plan, not a contract or cast-iron guarantee. Circumstances can change, both in your personal and family situation, and in service requirements, such as operational commitments and restructuring of organisations.

So the plan might need to be updated from time to time, and not all plans will come to fruition.
Nevertheless, the RICP will provide you with more control and predictability in your career.

RICPs are being introduced through a rolling program from July 2004 to December 2006 and, when the program is complete, will be available to all members, irrespective of rank, who want one.

More information on the RICP will be provided as we develop and refine this initiative.

Web site hiccup
WE know technology speeds up communication, but things got a little out of hand with the recent notification of promotion for airmen and airwomen.

An unintentional early leak of information by message and on the DPA web site put some commanders in an awkward position.

The intent of the notification process is for commanders to be given advance notice by message to allow them to inform and congratulate individuals within their own unit before full release of the information. For several reasons, this process did not work as intended with this round, but the problems have been identified and will be fixed. We aim to ensure that
commanders at least have an opportunity to tell people in person of their promotion, rather than them being the last to find out.

Just in passing
IT’S not the sort of subject we like to dwell on, but it’s important to consider what will happen after our deaths or in the event of injury. Here’s some information you should know:

• Military Superannuation Death Benefits: In the event of a contributing Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Scheme (DFRDB) or Military Superannuation and Benefits Scheme (MSBS) member dying in service, benefits are payable to the member’s spouse and children (including orphans).

  If a member dies and does not leave a spouse or child, the member’s estate will receive a benefit. If a member dies with no eligible spouse but has dependent children, the children will receive an orphan’s benefit.
  
  All pension benefits payable under the DFRDB and the MSBS scheme are fully indexed on a twice-yearly basis against rises in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Whether a DFRDB or MSBS contributor, the spouse of the former serving member receives an annual pension, but the distribution of these benefits varies depending on the scheme. Pension payments received by a dependent spouse are adjusted if there are eligible dependent children.

• Military Superannuation Invalidity Benefits: Both the MSBS and DFRDB schemes provide invalidity benefits to meet the possibility of a member retiring from the ADF due to physical or mental incapacity, and to cover subsequent resettlement into the civilian workforce.

  The DFRDB Authority or the MSBS Board assesses each member’s case and will determine the percentage incapacity in relation to appropriate civilian employment, taking into account the person’s condition, formal qualifications, experience and skills. There are three levels of invalidity classification (based on the percentage of incapacity) and they are subject to periodic review to determine if the level of incapacity has changed.
  Further detail on the entitlements is available from ComSuper’s Military Contact Centre on 132 366, or from the web site www.comsuper.gov.au.

• Wills – planning for the worst: There is no formal requirement for Air Force members to have a will, but the Air Force encourages members to prepare one.
  
  Maintaining a will can eliminate both the legal consequences and considerable trauma – both emotional and financial – caused to next of kin. A current will enables the quick settlement of a deceased person’s estate, the orderly distribution of the estate in accordance with expressed wishes, and ensures the proper safeguarding of the interests of the beneficiaries (particularly orphaned children).

Should any Air Force member not have a current will, they are encouraged to seek an appointment with an Air Force Legal Officer to arrange having a will drawn up through this free legal service.

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