DFAS, the agency that pays the nation’s more than 2 million military retirees, is getting ready for its first live social media event by pulling together a team of retired pay experts and preparing to answer as many questions as possible during the two-hour meeting.
DFAS polled military retirees last month to find out what they want to talk about during the event. Forty-five percent of respondents said they wanted to know more about Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC), while nearly 20 percent were interested in issues regarding waiving military retired pay in order to receive Department of Veterans Affairs compensation.
One Facebook user, for example, said she wanted to discuss "Medical retirees who cannot draw CRDP because they are short of their full 20 years." Another said, "I would like to talk about how my retired pay will affect my social security, if at all."
The town hall will be available online at www.facebook.com/DefenseFinanceandAccountingService. While anyone can view the town hall page, retirees and other interested guests must have a current Facebook account to submit questions or make comments.
DFAS representatives will not answer account-specific questions or issues during the town hall as these often involve revealing personal information and require time away from those questions of interest to most participants.
For more information about the event, visit www.dfas.mil/facebooktownhall. This page serves as a home base for town hall information and soon will be updated with bios and photos of the retired pay experts who will be online during the event.
DFAS launched its Facebook presence in May 2010 and now has more than 65,137 "likes." The agency regularly responds to inquiries and customer service requests via Facebook with an average turn-around time of two to three business days.
DFAS experts plan to answer as many questions as they can during the two-hour town hall meeting. Any retirement questions they can’t answer during the event will be answered within the normal two to three business days. Non-retirement related questions submitted during the live town hall session will be held until it is over and answered within the normal time frame.
Updated May 3, 2012
Original Article: http://www.dfas.mil/pressroom/dfasnewsreleasearchive/Release0512001.html
