Sponsor Assignment Aid Tool Connects Sailors, Gaining Commands

[USMCRET6391]

7/25/2005

By Journalist 2nd Class Amie Hunt and Journalist 1st Class Teresa J. Frith, Navy Personnel Command Communications

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Navy Personnel Command has developed a Sponsor Assignment Aid (SAA) tool to help Sailors get answers to their questions before they arrive at their new command.

The SAA is a Web tool that allows Sailors to communicate with their gaining command to request a sponsor be assigned to assist them with their upcoming transfer to a new duty station.

“There is nothing quite as intimidating to a young Sailor and their family than relocating across the country, and not knowing anyone or anything about the area,” said StayNavy Program Manager Lt. Dominic Formica. “The SAA helps ease that anxiety by quickly and easily connecting a transferring Sailor to a 'seasoned vet' in the area where they’ll be stationed.”

After a service member successfully submits a sponsor request, a notice is sent to the e-mail address on file for the gaining command. The SAA application tracks whether or not the gaining command coordinator has “read” the sponsor request. A “read” status indicates that the coordinator clicked on the Web link included in the e-mail notification and accessed the sponsor request through the Sponsor Request Retrieval tool.

The command has seven calendar days to read it, and 14 calendar days to process it. If a Sailor does not hear from his sponsor within that time frame, he or she can use the Sponsor Request Inquiry to check on the status of the request.

The Sponsor Request Inquiry will let a Sailor know if his e-mail was received and read by the gaining command. If it has been more than five working days, or seven calendar days, since the request was submitted and the command hasn’t read the message, the Sailor is given the contact information on file for the gaining command’s coordinator. If it has been more than 14 days since the request was submitted and the command has not replied, the Sailor is also given the message reader’s name and e-mail address.

The SAA is a tool to improve the quality and consistency of sponsor programs to ensure all Sailors experience a smooth transition from command to command, and improve quality of service for all involved.

All active-duty members can utilize the Sponsor Assignment Aid tool upon receipt of their orders. The Web-based tool provides a 24-hour-a-day Internet communications link between Sailors and the gaining command.

The SAA tool can be accessed by going to the Navy Personnel Web site, www.npc.navy.mil and clicking on the 'Career Info' tab, then 'StayNAVY', then 'Career Tools' and scroll down to the SAA link. There is a link for Sailors requesting a sponsor and one for commands to update their information.

The SAA tool is not only valuable to incoming Sailors, but also to gaining commands, as it helps promote communication between the two. Once a sponsor has been assigned, a command will be able to better track its incoming personnel through the information provided.

“The Sponsor Assignment Aid is an extremely valuable tool for transferring Sailors,” said Formica. “However, its full benefit can not be realized unless there is 100 percent participation from every command. Each command must make sure that they establish, maintain and update their sponsor coordinator information as needed.”

Commands are urged to participate in the program by establishing and maintaining a sponsor coordinator point of contact within the SAA tool link. Since the beginning of the program, more than 1,000 command Unit Identification Codes have been added to the SAA tool database.

Commands needing to update their information should click on the Sponsor Coordinator Update link on the same page as the SAA and fill out the necessary data. The command sponsor coordinator point of contact information should include a name, phone number, and the command’s e-mail address.