The Army plans to launch a new pay and personnel system this year that is designed to streamline personnel processes across the active component, Army National Guard and Army Reserve, the Army representative for the new program said last month.

The Army Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System (DIMHRS), which is part of a Defense Department initiative, will be implemented Oct. 1, said Col. Patrick Devine, program director.

DIMHRS is a commercial product that will take the pay and personnel data from all three Army components and put it in a single database accessible online 24 hours a day.

It will also integrate pay and personnel systems, which means that when a personnel action is taken, the system automatically triggers any associated pay change, Devine said.

DIMHRS should solve many of the administrative problems associated with multicomponent units, which are comprised of active, Guard and Reserve soldiers, Devine said.

In the past, these units had to deal with six different personnel systems and three pay systems, he noted. DIMHRS will consolidate those into one system.

A big benefit to Guard and Reserve soldiers will be continuity of pay when they are mobilized, Devine said.

Guard soldiers currently go through five different sites from mobilization to deployment and have to complete paperwork and be certified at each location, he said.

When DIMHRS is launched, all military pay will be handled in the one system, and is coordinated with personnel data, so problems can be avoided.

The new system will also allow soldiers to access their records and make certain self-service changes, such as a change of address or requesting a personnel action, Devine said.

The Army has launched an ambitious top-down training program to familiarize the entire force with DIMHRS, Devine said.

Training materials and more systeminformation are available on the DIMHRS Web site at www.armydimhrs.army.mil.

The Air Force plans to launch DIMHRS next year.

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