Soldiers begin receiving two separate SmartDoc email campaigns in February
By DFAS Cleveland
Beginning in February, the Retired Military and Annuitant Pay (R&A) division of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), will send out two separate SmartDoc emails to Soldiers.
1. Automated Army Establishment (AAE) SmartDoc
Audience: Newly retiring Soldiers (regular, non-regular, and disability).
Purpose: a set of two emailed status notifications from DFAS about retired pay application processing. The first status notification informs the Soldier when Army transmits retired pay data to DFAS. The second status notification will be emailed once DFAS processes the retired pay package and schedules the Soldier’s initial pay. The second status notification has 3 variations, depending on the pay status for the Soldier. The messages also direct recipients’ attention to the ‘welcome letter’ that will be mailed to them, which provides a detailed breakdown of their retired pay.
2. Age 59 SmartDocs
Audience: Soldiers awaiting pay in the Gray Area (Gray Area Retirees) at the beginning of the month of their 59th birthday.
Purpose: A deliverable of the Gray Area Retiree (GAR) project, this campaign is a single message to GARs in the month they turn age 59. The message itself has many important themes, but the main goal is to make sure GARs know they need to apply through their branch of service and to acquaint them with Army’s GAR webpage on DFAS at: https://www.dfas.mil/RetiredMilitary/plan/Gray-AreaRetirees/. On this page is an outline of your process for applying for retired pay, and important timelines.
*Since GARs are not in receipt of retired pay, there is a special “shell” myPay account called “Future Retiree” that must be activated by GARs with an updated email address to receive these messages. Closing this gap and “spreading the word” to GAR populations is an ongoing focus of the GAR project.
How Soldiers Receive these SmartDocs
• A valid email address in myPay is required to receive emailed SmartDocs.
• Age 59 SmartDocs are sent to GARs who have a special “Future Retiree” myPay account.
Watch for any new information and always monitor your DFAS accounts for updates or changes to your pay and other activities.
