Anniston Army Depot, AlabamaVolume 32, Number 30013 May 28, 2020

U.S. Postage PaidPresort Standard

Anniston, AL 36201Permit No. 326

Address ServiceRequestedTracks

Lockout/TagoutDo you know how Lock-

out/Tagout could impact you and your work?See article on page 3.

Inside Tracks

Lean progressThe Cleaning, Finish-

ing, Painting Division is currently Leaning pro-cesses.See article on page 2.

Hail and FarewellA change of command

ceremony is scheduled to take place today between Lt. Col. Martin Wennblom, the outgoing commander of DLA Distribution An-niston, and Lt. Col. Ayo Al. Oladipofaniyi.

NOTES• COVID-19 resources• Social media links• iWatch reminder• Cafeteria menus• And more

See info on page 7.

Memorial Day ceremony held at McClellanRemembrance event reduced in size due to pandemic, need for social distancing

U.S. Army Photos by Mark Cleghorn

ABOVE: Tarisha Gibson places a flag at a grave marker at Fort McClellan Military Cemetery as part of Annis-ton Army Depot’s May 20 Memorial Day event.

RIGHT: ANAD Commander Col. Mar-vin Walker, left, speaks to the small group gathered for the remem-brance event. Standing an appro-priate social distance from Walker is Col. Jeff Smith, commander of the Alabama National Guard Fort Mc-Clellan Training Center, which par-ticipated in the event.

While the COVID-19 pandemic made a large gathering or a traditional ceremony un-feasible, Anniston Army Depot still wanted to ensure remembrance and honor for the service members and their family members interred at the Fort McClellan Military Cemetery for Me-morial Day.

“Normally, we would do a ceremony, but, based on the climate and environment we are in with the coronavirus and social distancing, we’ve limited it to a few people,” said Col. Marvin Walker, ANAD’s commander. “That doesn’t take away from the importance of the event.”

Ten current and former service members from ANAD and the Alabama National Guard Fort McClellan Training Center met at the cem-etery May 20 to pay their respects and place a flag at each grave marker.

This was Tarisha Gibson’s first time to place the flags for Memorial Day.

Gibson served four years in the Air Force as a supply system analyst and now works in ANAD’s Directorate of Production.

“Being able to place the flags on graves of those who served means so much,” said Gibson.

Kecia Ragland, who also works in DP, served in the Army as a dental assistant. For her, the act of respect shown with the flags is both a duty and an honor.

Ragland has assisted with the depot’s Me-morial Day ceremony every year since 2011.

In addition to Walker, six current service members from the Alabama National Guard participated in the event.

Memorial Day was first observed after the Civil War. At the time, it was known as Decora-tion Day, because families typically decorated gravesites with flowers or flags.

“We use this as an opportunity to pay re-spects those who sacrificed more of themselves and gave more of themselves in defense of what they believed, in defense of their country, in de-fense of their families and, basically, in defense of all of us,” said Walker.

by Jennifer BacchusANAD PAO

This Army newspaper is an authorized publica-tion for members of the DOD. Contents of TRACKS are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government or the Department of the

Army. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Anniston Army Depot PAO.

Printed by Consolidated Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Govern-ment, under exclusive written contract with Annis-ton Army Depot.

The editorial office is located in the Abrams Build-

ing, Room 358, telephone 256-235-6281. TRACKS in-vites comments and contributions from its readers. Address email to: usarmy.anad.tacom.list.publicaffairs@mail.mil and mail to: Editor, TRACKS, TAAN-SCO, 7 Frankford Avenue, Anniston, AL 36201-4199. DEADLINE days are Thursdays pre-ceding date of publication. Circulation: 3,500.

Postmaster: Send address changes to TRACKS, PO Box 2285, Anniston, AL 36202.

Commanding Officer....................Col. Marvin WalkerPublic Affairs Officer...........................Clester BurdellEditor..............................................Jennifer BacchusPhotographer....................................Mark Cleghorn

Tracks

TRACKS2 May 28, 2020

Anniston Army Depot’s Cleaning, Finishing and Painting Division is one of several areas on the installation currently going through Lean initiatives.

Lean is a continuous improvement process, which focuses on finding and eliminating waste in processes. That waste often comes in the form of time, which is one of the areas currently under review in the division.

Though they are only in the beginning phases of the Lean event, Wilburn Sparks, the division chief, sees improvement.

“Lean has helped us get the line mov-ing more productively,” said Sparks.

The biggest changes have been ones to assist the employees with planning their work.

One of the first changes made, in Feb-ruary, was to add a lane for work to be per-formed that day and one for the next day, known as “Today” and “Tomorrow” lanes.

“The employees can see what they are working on tomorrow,” said Sparks.

After that, lanes in the paint area were color-coded, using signs which change as production needs change.

“A lot of painting depends upon the prep,” said Sparks. “Prep is what takes the most time.”

With lanes color coded and dated, em-ployees can move parts which need to be coated with the same paint color together, ensuring longer, more efficient paint runs.

“We can already see a difference in the time and the quality,” said Toney Twy-mon, one of the depot’s paint leaders. “If everything is running and everything is going well, we are doing well.”

The division has seen an uptick in production, despite numerous personnel changes.

Approximately half of the employees currently working in the division were hired in the last year.

“Yet, we are still able to produce more conveyances than we were in January,” said Sparks, adding the painting area is able to complete about 450 conveyances a week.

According to Twymon, employee buy-in of the changes made through the Lean project has contributed to the increase in production.

“Employees are seeing the improve-ments and buying into the changes,” he said.

The Lean initiatives are going hand-in-hand with renovation projects in the largest of the division’s facilities, which

gave employees a new breakroom and gave the production area new sandblast booths, new paint lines, new sandblast tables and new cleaning vats.

“We gained one more line, which has essentially given us one extra day a week of production,” said Sparks, explaining the division now produces as much in five days as it previously did in six.

The new breakroom holds at least three times more people than their former break area, which helps with employee morale.

“It gave us more space and made em-ployees more comfortable,” said Twymon.

Lean in action: Cleaning, Painting, Finishing Div.Time studies, process changes, building improvements help productivity, efficiency for employees

by Jennifer BacchusANAD PAO

U.S. Army Photo by Jennifer Bacchus

Andrea Williams, right, performs a time study observing Theresa Hall as she works in Anniston Army Depot’s Cleaning, Finishing and Painting Division.

from: theleanway.net

1. Define ValueIt is important to understand what

value is. Value is what the customer is willing to pay for. It is paramount to discover the actual or latent needs of the customer.

2. Map the Value StreamThe goal is to use the customer’s

value as a reference point and identify all the activities that contribute to these values. Activities that do not add value to the end customer are considered waste.

3. Create FlowAfter removing the wastes from

the value stream, ensure the flow of the remaining steps run smoothly without interruptions or delays.

4. Establish PullInventory is considered one of the

biggest wastes in any system. The goal of a pull-based system is to limit inven-tory and work in-process items, while ensuring the requisite materials and information are available for a smooth flow of work.

5. Pursue PerfectionThe fifth step of pursuing perfec-

tion is the most important among them all. It makes Lean thinking and contin-uous process improvement a part of the organizational culture.

Apply the PrinciplesBy practicing all 5 principles, an

organization can remain competitive, increase the value delivered to the cus-tomers, decrease the cost of doing busi-ness and increase their profitability.

The Five Lean Principles

TRACKS 3May 28, 2020

When it comes to controlling hazardous energy, we tend to fo-cus on the mechanic, technician or the authorized employee’s re-sponsibilities.

These individuals perform the service or maintenance of a machine or piece of equipment. However, the operator has cer-tain responsibilities, as well as all other personnel who may be in or around the equipment or the facility where the service or maintenance is conducted.

Let’s take a moment to dis-cuss these particular employees.

The employee or machine operator may be ready to begin their work shift and, upon arrival at their machine, find some un-usual red padlocks with “Dan-ger”.

The machine is under active service or maintenance and in a Lockout/Tagout status.

This means this machine must not be, or attempted to be, operated.

The employee cannot effec-tively work without the machine and now becomes an “Affected” employee.

By definition, an affected em-ployee is:

• An employee whose job entails operating or using a ma-chine or piece of equipment, which is being maintained and is under a Lockout/Tagout.

• An employee whose job re-quires him/her to work in an area in which such maintenance is be-ing performed.

If the affected employee can-not operate the machine, what do they really need to know about the Lockout/Tagout program?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says af-fected employees must be trained in the purpose and use of energy control procedures.

Let’s tackle the purpose first. The purpose of controlling haz-ardous energy, known as Lock-out/Tagout, is to prevent the un-

expected energizing, or startup, of the machine or equipment, or the release of stored energy, which could harm employees.

The unexpected startup of a machine is just that, unexpected.

Have you ever been in a situ-ation where a machine started up or an equipment part moved unexpectedly? It can be frighten-ing and such incidents show why Lockout/Tagout is so important.

An authorized employee may be working on replacing a belt under the machine and, if the machine starts, they may be ex-posed to rotating parts, electric-ity, hydraulics or other potential hazards.

Exposure to the release of stored energy is another harm-ful, if not fatal, characteristic of working on equipment.

Have you ever picked up a water hose on a warm day and had water shoot out when you

depress the sprayer, even though the water is off at the spigot?

That is stored or residual en-ergy.

Stored or residual energy must be isolated by being re-leased, disconnected, restrained or otherwise rendered safe. This must be done in a controlled manner.

Stored energy comes in vari-ous states.

In machines and equipment, stored or residual energy can be live or residual electricity, mov-ing parts, heat, gravity, steam, chemicals, pneumatic, hydraulic, air and water pressure.

The energy control proce-dure is typically attached to the machine or equipment and pro-vides the authorized employee very detailed information to safely lockout, or de-energize, the equipment.

The energy control procedure

details the exact machine to be serviced.

In industrial settings, ma-chines may look the same, but be connected to different panels or sources of electricity or energy.

The energy control procedure also identifies where the energy sources come from and how to disconnect or control that energy.

It also points out other po-tential hazardous items, such as heat, gravity, pinch points or sharp edges.

Many injuries could be pre-vented by following the energy control procedure and making sure equipment is locked out be-fore servicing it.

In fact, a government study showed 80 percent of workers fail to turn off equipment before servicing it. These types of en-ergy sources cause thousands of injuries and fatalities each year.

To prevent injuries, hazard-

ous energy must be effectively controlled by following energy control procedures and using lockout and tagout devices. These procedures and devices prevent access to hazardous en-ergy and warn you to avoid it.Lockout/Tagout:

• Prevents machinery or equipment from being turned on during servicing and mainte-nance

• Prevents machine and equipment parts from mov-ing, usually by using locking or blocking devices

• Provides a means of warn-ing you, usually with warning tags, when it is not possible to lock out controls or parts.

You may be asking what this has to do with you as an affect-ed employee? Even though you don’t actually carry out Lockout/Tagout procedures, you have im-portant safety responsibilities re-lated to these procedures.

Depending on whether you are a machine operator or some-one working nearby, you must fulfill some or all of the follow-ing responsibilities:

• Notify maintenance when equipment needs to be serviced or repaired

• Leave all Lockout/Tagout devices in place while autho-rized employees are servicing or repairing machinery

• Wait for authorized em-ployees to tell you it’s okay be-fore using equipment

• Verify Lockout/Tagout locks and tags are removed be-fore attempting to use the equip-ment

• Follow manufacturer in-structions for startup. And fi-nally, adhere to all safety rules while operating equipment

Everyone needs to go home at the end of their shift in the same condition as when they ar-rived. The next injury you pre-vent could be yours or one of your coworkers. Use situational awareness and stay alert of your surroundings. Stay alert and stay alive.

What you need to know about Lockout/Tagoutby Rob CunninghamANAD Safety Office

U.S. Army Photo by Jennifer Bacchus

Joseph Wood verifies a machine is clear following a Lockout/Tagout for maintenance. Lockout/Tagout prevents machinery or equipment from being turned on during servicing and maintenance.

TRACKS4 May 28, 2020

In the South, college football is the king of the sports world. Many football programs in the state of Alabama are at the top of their respective conferences, year in and year out.

I am sure if we asked each coach the one thing setting their program apart from others around the country they would say the culture surrounding their team.

The culture of a successful college football program can be similar to a successful safety pro-gram.

We have all watched teams fail to work well together on the field – with missed blocks, dropped passes or missed tackles.

These are all things taught throughout practices, but are still problems on the field.

When a team works well to-gether and everyone is on the same page, we start to see suc-

cess.The effectiveness of a safety

program can viewed the same way.

Each person at Anniston Army Depot has a responsibil-ity, within the safety program, to work safely while on the job. With everyone working together to enhance our safety program, we will see these efforts pay off.

The depot is currently par-ticipating in the Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion’s Challenge program. This program lays out steps to create a safe work environment.

Management and employee involvement is the driving force in seeing these tasks to comple-tion.

The key elements for success are participation, communication and accountability.

Participation in everyday tasks, such as self-inspections of work areas, tracking hazards to abatement and continually up-

dating job hazard analyses are ways each team member can get involved.

The communication of safety related information is essential in notifying the workforce of safety hazards, documentation updates and regulations while working at the depot.

Finally, accountability is nec-essary within a team to achieve any goal.

It is everyone’s responsibility to correct a safety issue. If you see something, say something.

With these key elements in mind, ANAD’s safety program will continually improve and mit-igate the hazards endangering the workforce.

Remember, safety culture in-volves every individual within the organization doing the little things every day to accomplish a bigger safety goal.

As a team, we can accomplish the mission of overall safety im-provement at the depot.

Safety culture: Building a program for the futureby Nick Walker

ANAD Safety Office

When you plan to travel for work or train-ing or you get behind the wheel for an extended period of time, it is easy to become distracted, complacent and suffer from driver fatigue.

Failure to rest properly, prepare mentally for long drives or take frequent, needed breaks can increase your chance of being involved in a motor vehicle accident.

To avoid becoming sleepy while driving:• Sleep/rest for a recommended eight con-

secutive hours during any 24 hour travel period.• Avoid travel after working long shifts, if

possible. Have someone else drive.• Avoid driving more than 10 hours a day.

Rotate drivers and share drive times.• Take at least a 15 minute rest break every

2-3 hours or 100-150 miles.• Try to avoid traveling during the night.• When you feel sleepy, pull over in a safe

area and rest.

Stay Focused:• Avoid distractions.• Be alert to situations requiring quick ac-

tion.• Just one second of inattention is all it

takes to change a life forever.

Other tips while traveling long distances:• Carry healthy snacks, stay hydrated and

chew gum.• Plan rest stops to stretch and increase

blood flow throughout your body.• Avoid taking medications that make you

drowsy.• Keep your seat upright and adjusted

properly.• If you are impaired by alcohol or any

drug - do not drive.

Reminder:The Safety Office recommends all employ-

ees complete a TRIPS Assessment prior to trav-eling for scheduled TDY. Contact Safety at Ext. 7541 for additional information.

Safe driving tips for long distance travelfrom Staff Reports

ANAD Safety Office

Courtesy photo

Preparing for a long drive includes resting properly and taking frequent breaks to avoid drowsy driving.

U.S. Army File Photo by Jennifer Bacchus

Mike Pody assembles a Gunner’s Control Assembly in the Electronics Branch. Wearing proper personal protective equipment for the job is an important aspect of an effective safety program and safety culture.

TRACKS 5May 28, 2020

Incident Summary: An em-ployee was going on break and the area was congested, due to a buggy being in the bay. The em-ployee walked around the buggy tongue and, while passing tub-ing on a stand, caught the back of their right hand on the tubing. The laceration to the back of the employee’s hand required three stitches. Duct tape was imme-diately placed on the tubing to prevent someone else from doing the same thing.

Safety Recommends: Us-ing a grinder, grind the edges of tubing to remove any sharp edge burrs.

Incident Summary: An em-ployee was cleaning a part, using alcohol, when they knocked the alcohol bottle over. The employ-ee picked up the alcohol bottle and attempted to sit it down on the block, but the bottle was not stable and slipped from the em-ployee’s hand. While attempting to catch the bottle, the employee struck their right hand on a stud, causing a sprain to the employ-ee’s wrist. The employee saw a doctor for an x-ray and received a brace to immobilize the injured wrist. The employee was released for full duty, but must continue to wear the brace.

Safety Recommends: Speak to employee about the impor-tance of not trying to catch some-thing that is falling. Let it go.

Incident Summary: As an employee attempted to remove a metal gasket, the edge of the gas-ket cut their finger. The employee was wearing latex gloves. The employee received sutures and seven restricted workdays.

Safety Recommends: Em-ployee should have used a gasket scraper or another tool to pry the gasket up. Another option would be to use a dipped Kevlar glove which fits snug and offers cut protection. Counsel the employ-

ee on using the proper tool for the job.

Incident Summary: The em-ployee was emptying a hopper of steel. Employee used a handle (much like an axe handle) to push the release handle on the hopper, which is in the air. When the em-ployee activated the handle, the hopper emptied very quickly and came back down. The employee had to exert a decent amount of force to get the lever to activate and, in the process, the handle slipped off and the employee’s hand struck the mast on the lift truck, causing a laceration to one thumb nail.

Safety Recommends: Get engineering to research a better way to empty the hopper, without using the tool they are currently using.

Incident Summary: The employee was removing a bevel gear from a basket in the aisle. The employee’s coveralls got caught on part of the basket wire, causing the employee to fall. The bevel gear (50 pounds) fell on the employee’s right hand, causing a laceration to two fingers and sev-ering the tendons in both fingers. The employee was out of work and will have several restricted workdays.

Safety Recommends: • Clean the aisle way and

line the baskets, so clothing is less likely to get caught on the baskets.

• Train employees to keep the aisle neat and organized.

• Employees should utilize eye bolts to pick up the bevel gear.

• Update the job hazard anal-ysis to reflect this change and train all employees on the new procedure.

Incident Summary: The Pal-adin has an insert in the large eye, which is used for picking it up. The insert has a lip on one side. There is only one way to attach the hook, due to the lip. When

removing the hook, the employ-ees have to work the hook in or-der to get it off and, many times, the safety latch is bent as a re-sult. The employee had one hand against a smaller eye, just below the large eye, as they worked the hook. When the hook came off, it hit the employee’s finger. There was a very slight cut to the employee’s right third digit. The employee did not receive stitch-es, meds or restricted duty.

Safety Recommends: Have an engineer look at this opera-tion and see if there is something which can be attached to the hook, making it easier to get on the Paladin eye (due to the lip on the insert). Engineering recom-mended a hook used in another area, which is more suitable for this operation.

Incident Summary: Per-sonnel from maintenance were working on a small blast machine and could not get the door open. An employee turned the air valve on while facing away. When the air was turned on, the lid on the hopper raised up a little and soda dust sprayed out. The dust cov-ered the employee’s head and face. The employee flushed their eyes and face. Employee was seen at the clinic and released.

Safety Recommends: Secure the lid, so it doesn’t raise up from the air pressure when turned on.

Incident Summary: The em-ployee was sitting in a chair using a hand drill. A piece of shaving went under the employee’s safety glasses and scratched an eye. The employee was sitting down and had the drill at eye level, which was determined to be the root cause of this incident.

Safety Recommends: Em-ployee should not be sitting and drilling at eye level without wearing a face shield. Employees can stand and use the drill with-out wearing a face shield. Modify job hazard analysis to reflect this and retrain employees.

Incident Summary: Em-ployee was walking around a desk and caught their right leg on a box on the floor, twisting their right knee. The employee was seen and evaluated at the clinic. The employee did not received any restricted workdays or meds.

Safety Recommends: Clean up the clutter around the desk. Get the boxes off the floor.

Incident Summary: Em-ployee placed their body in align-ment with the torque wrench and pulled it toward their body/face. The torque wrench slipped out of the groove and struck the employee’s safety glasses. The safety glasses cut the employee’s nose. A bandage and iodine were used and the employee returned to work. The employee should have positioned their body so the torque was in front and the employee was pushing down, instead of pulling the torque wrench toward their body/face.

Safety Recommends: Re-train employees on proper body placement when using a torque wrench.

Incident Summary: The auxiliary battery door was propped on the plenum doors, which were open at the time. The

employee was working on the other side of the auxiliary battery door and their hand was under the door, propped on the tank. The employee did not notice the plenum doors close and the aux-iliary battery door fell on the em-ployee’s hand.

Safety Recommends: Modi-fy job hazard analysis to include ensuring doors are completely open and can’t fall on hands/fin-gers.

Incident Summary: The em-ployee was stung by something. (Not a bee or wasp because the employee is allergic.) No Epi Pen was used. The employee felt diz-zy and paramedics were called. The employee declined the offer of transport and returned to work.

Safety Recommends: Con-tact the Directorate of Public Works to have someone check the area.

Incident Summary: The em-ployee was working in the parts area and some ceiling tiles fell, due to rain and a roof leak. The ceiling tiles did not hit the em-ployee. The supervisor put in a work order to have the roof leak fixed.

Safety Recommends: Sub-mit a work order to have the roof leak fixed.

Incident Summary: An em-ployee was testing large cylinders which had been stored outside for a long time. In the process of testing these cylinders, under pressure, one of the cylinders failed. The test stand also failed and a cylinder part went through the end of the test stand, taking out a window. The window did not shatter, but came out and the part busted a sheet rock wall.

Safety Recommends: • Following the recommen-

dations of the engineer, the test stand was modified.

• Paint a yellow square on the floor at the end of the test stand and mark (Do Not Stand) in the yellow box.

ANAD accident blotter: March 2020from Staff Reports

ANAD Safety Office

TRACKS6 May 28, 2020

Are you a current civilian employee in a permanent or term position who previously served in a branch of the Armed Forces?

If so, you should consider ob-taining a military buyback esti-mate to determine if it would be advantageous for you to buy those years of military service, so they can count towards your future civilian retirement un-der the Civil Service Retire-ment System or Federal Em-ployees Retirement System.

Below are the five steps to obtain a military buyback esti-mate:

Step 1: Complete the RI 20-97, Estimated Earnings During Military Service form, and send it to the appropriate military finance center, with a copy of all DD Forms 214.

Go to the following Defense Finance and Accounting Servic-es site to view a list of military finance centers: www.dfas.mil/civili-anemployees/customerservice.html#Military.

Step 2: Upon receipt of the completed RI 20-97 from the appropriate military finance center, complete the SF 2803 (for employees covered under CSRS) or SF 3108 (for employees covered under FERS), Application to Make Service Credit Payment.

Mail the application (the SF2803 or SF3108) along

with the completed RI 20-97 and your DD Forms 214 to: Army Benefits Center – Civilian, 305 Marshall Ave., Fort Riley, KS 66442-5004.

Step 3: ABC-C will receive the application, review it for accuracy, calculate an estimate of the amount of the military deposit and send it to DFAS.

You will receive a notice from eOPF that your mili-tary deposit estimate has been uploaded into your of-

ficial personnel folder.You may then log into eOPF to

view the amount of your military deposit. Also, the amount of the

owed deposit will be reflected in Block 20 of your Leave and Earnings Statement.

Step 4: When you receive confirmation of your complet-

ed military deposit calculation, you may make arrangements with DFAS to pay the deposit.

Details on the available pay-ment options may be viewed at www.abc.army.mil/retirements/FERSPost56.htm.

Step 5: Once your military deposit has been paid in full, you will need to request proof of pay-ment.

Contact the ANAD payroll of-fice to request the proof of payment.

When the proof of payment is received, provide a copy to your ser-

vicing human resources specialist to file in your electronic Official Personnel Folder.

More detail information on the military buyback process may be found at: www.abc.army.mil/retire-ments/CSRSPost56.htm or www.abc.army.mil/retire-ments/FERSPost56.htm.

You can also contact your servicing CPAC Special-ist should you have any questions about this process.

It’s never too early to plan for retirement

1. Confirm your retirement eligibility date.You can do this by review ing your Personal Statement

of Benefits.Your Personal State ment of Benefits can be located by

accessing the Employee Benefits Information System, via the Army Benefits Center – Civilian website. The direct website address for EBIS is: https://www.ebis.army.mil/.

If you believe the reflected retirement eligibility date is not correct, please contact an ABC-C Benefits Special-ist at 877-276-9287.

2. Obtain a retirement estimate.It’s recommended that you obtain a retirement esti-

mate when you are one to five years from your planned retirement date.

Instructions for obtaining a retirement estimate can be found at: https://www.abc.army.mil/HowDoI/RequestaRetirementEs timate.htm.

3. Review your electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF).

This review will ensure your entire civilian federal work history is reflected accurately. Notify your servicing Civilian Personnel Advisory Center Human Re sources Specialist if you find any discrepancies within your eOPF.

4. Confirm which periods of your federal service, if any, can be bought back.

Employees who served on temporary appointments in the federal government, had a break in federal service during their civilian careers or who have served in the military should contact ABC-C for assistance to deter-mine whether it would be advantageous to buy the time back. This may impact your retirement eligibility date and/or the amount of your annuity.

5. Watch an on-line ABC-C retirement briefing.Check the ABC-C website at, https://www.abc.army.

mil/retirements/ for updates on Pre-Retirement Benefits Overview DCS Briefing. Participants will become fa-miliar with the requirements for retirement eligibility, consequences of not making a deposit/redeposit, survivor annuity elections, eligibility for continuing federal health and life insurance coverage and the process for submit-ting a retirement application. The briefing lasts approxi-mately four hours. Be sure to get your supervisor’s ap-proval to watch.

6. The Thrift Savings Plan website offers great re-sources and tools.

The Retirement Income Calculator, which can assist you with achieving your retirement financial goals, and other tools and resources are located at: https://www.tsp.gov/PlanningTools/index.html.

7. Get familiar with the ABC-C website. More information on retirement planning can be

found on the ABC-C website at https://www.abc.army.mil/retirements/PlanningForRetirement.htm.

Retirement planning tipsfrom Staff Reports

ANAD CPAC Office

CPAC team can review retirement applicationsThe Civilian Personnel Advisory

Center’s Labor Management/Em-ployee Relations Team is the point of contact for reviewing employees’ completed CSRS and FERS retire-ment applications prior to the employ-ee’s submission to ABC-C.

This service is only provided when requested by the employee or when an employee submits an application for

CSRS/FERS disability retirement. Requests for retirement applica-

tion reviews should be submitted to your servicing Labor Management/Employee Relations Specialist direct-ly or by calling the CPAC at 256-235-7860.

For general questions regarding federal employee benefits, call the CPAC at 256-235-7860.

How to buy back military timeA five-step process

from Staff ReportsANAD CPAC Office

TRACKS 7May 28, 2020

notes from around the Track

June 1Hamburger steakPotatoes au gratinField peasFried okraYeast roll or cornbread

June 2Country fried steakMashed potatoes and gravyBlack-eyed peasCollard greensCornbread

June 3Chicken or beef soft tacoSpanish riceBlack beans and cornTortilla salad

June 4Fried chickenBaked chickenMac and cheese Pinto beans, Turnip greensCornbread

June 8Salisbury steakRice and gravyGreat Northern beansFried squashCornbread

June 9Grilled chicken breastScallop potatoesGreen beansFried okraYeast roll

June 10Spaghetti with meat sauceMixed vegetablesCorn nuggetsSide salad Garlic bread

June 11Fried chicken wingsBaked beans, Potato saladFrench fries or onion ringsYeast roll

June 12Snack line

June 15Baked pork chopRoasted new potatoesButter beansGlazed carrotsCornbread

June 16MeatloafMashed potatoes and gravyGreen peasFried okraYeast roll

June 17Chicken or beef soft tacoSpanish riceMexican cornRefried beansTortilla salad

Cafeteria menu

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, including preventing the spread of disease, visit the following websites:

• cdc.gov• phc.amedd.army.mil

Are you following us?Get the information you need on our social media accounts:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnnistonArmyDepot

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/annistonarmydepot

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/AnnistonArmyDepot

TRACKS8 May 28, 2020