Feedback Fridays

Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week.

If you have a question or concern, please send an email to RandolphPublicAffairs@us.af.mil using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.

Personnel Issues

Q. Is there a conference room, training room with video/Wi-Fi access, available at Joint Base San Antonio for use by mission partners? I’ve heard such a thing exists at JBSA-Lackland. On JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, we’ve reserved the Fort Sam Houston Community Center and/or the IMCOM Academy, but we’re subject to be bumped.

A. What a great question and thank you for asking it. At one time the IMCOM Training Center (formerly the IMCOM Academy) did have Wi-Fi access, but they any longer do so.

The good news is there are video/Wi-Fi equipped meeting rooms available at the Fort Sam Houston Community Center and Golf Course, the Lackland Gateway Club, as well as the Parr and Kendrick Clubs at JBSA-Randolph that are available for use.

As these are non-appropriated fund functions, there is a fee for the room usage and, once reserved, the likelihood of being bumped is highly unlikely. Please contact any of these facilities for assistance.

Q. My Primary Care Manager is at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, but my family’s PCM is at JBSA-Randolph. Since they happened to be at an military treatment facility and both needed their flu shots, I advised them to go to the immunization clinic and get their shots. They were turned away and told they had to go to the MTF where their PCM is located. I was under the assumption that all MTFs were universally connected? Are we able to get a shot at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, Capt. Jennifer Moreno Medical Clinic, Brooke Army Medical Center, or even Scott Air Force Base clinic, or do we have to go where our PCM is located?

A. Thank you very much for your question. Medical facilities with immunization clinics provide immunizations to beneficiaries across Joint Base San Antonio.

The Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center at JBSA-Lackland and the 359th Medical Group at JBSA-Randolph have full-service immunization clinics for all categories of beneficiaries regardless of branch of service or where the customer receives their primary care.

Brooke Army Medical Center’s immunization clinic provides immunizations to all adult beneficiaries across JBSA. Unfortunately, stand-alone medical clinics across JBSA such as the Moreno Clinic, Westover Medical Home, Schertz Medical Home, etc.. lack the on-site vaccine supply and staff to be able to provide walk-in immunizations to beneficiaries assigned to another clinic.

Beneficiaries are encouraged to discuss immunization status and obtain immunizations during their appointments at their respective clinic or utilize one of the JBSA immunization clinics.

Q. What are the restrictions on retirees eating at dining facilities at JBSA-Camp Bullis and the Rocco dining facility at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston? I have been rejected a few times at the door of the JBSA-Camp Bullis facility as I had no CAC card and only a retiree card. It’s confusing.

A. Thanks for the question! JBSA has a large, thriving retiree population, and we value your participation in our activities. We welcome retirees to dine with us at the JBSA-Camp Bullis and Rocco dining facilities during the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas meals only.

Unfortunately, Department of Defense regulations restrict retirees dining in appropriated funds dining facilities at other times without specific approval by the installation commander.

That said, retirees are always welcome to dine at the Wingman Café at JBSA-Randolph, as that facility is part of the Air Force’s Food Transformation efforts, which allows active duty, retirees and civilians to eat in the facility.

Q. Why are we required to provide our complete Social Security number and date of birth when completing the SF-182 (Request, Authorization, and Certification of Training) form? If we are uncomfortable providing our social security number, would it be possible to use our CAC number instead? If we cannot use the CAC number, are there any other options that we can use without disclosing our personal information?

A. Great question! All training is requested utilizing the SF-182, but Social Ssecurity numbers are not required on this form unless the training also includes payment for travel.

When a member travels for training, he or she must be given access to the line of accounting in the Defense Travel System, or DTS. This requires the approval authority to enter social security numbers into DTS.

If there is no travel associated with the training, members can use their Department of Defense ID number instead. Birth dates, however, are never required on this form or as part of this process. For additional questions, please contact your Unit Training Manager.

Installation & Facilities

Q. When will we get speed bumps, traffic signs to slow down, and additional cross walks at the 502nd Contracting Squadron parking lot at building 224 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland? There are cars always speeding past our contracting employees, contractors, and military customers as they struggle to get from our main parking lot into the rear entrance of building 224. I am surprised that nobody has been hit or injured so far. This is a real health and safety concern.

A. We truly appreciate your question as personnel safety is a 502nd ABW top priority. As with past pedestrian/vehicle safety issues, we will raise this concern for action at the next JBSA-Lackland traffic safety working group.

While we work that process, Civil Engineers will coordinate quick-turn mitigation efforts with 502 CONS leadership, to include verifying signage is appropriate and sufficient to alert drivers of speed limits and awareness of pedestrian walkways. During this verification, CE will also assess the need to restripe parking lot. Thank you for looking out for the safety of all personnel on JBSA!

Q. With the rapid increase and usage of electric vehicles running on the road and around the JBSA areas, is there any plan to implement/install EV charging stations in base parking lots, or maybe just in BX/Commissary areas? To the best of my knowledges, there other bases already have the charging stalls in the parking lots.

A. Thank you for your question. Our Civil Engineers are focused on providing a resilient and energy-efficient installation and culture. Typically, energy initiatives such as charging stations are installed during new construction of facilities, or as a commercially provided contracted pay-for-use service.

We are supportive of such initiatives particularly when they target community gathering lots such as the BX and Commissary, as suggested in the question. To help, CE will recommend to AAFES and DECA to consider installing electric vehicle charging stations as they make capital improvements to their facilities.

Q. Is there an established reason why the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Post Office does not have a “self-service” automated postal items machine available for use in their lobby?

A. Thank you for seeking to improve our post office! The current facility size and customer demand do not justify the purchase of a kiosk at this time.

There are significant costs associated with equipment maintenance, facility modification and the initial kiosk purchase. The USPS provides a full customer service counter during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday, and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon. We will continue to evaluate customer demand to determine if purchasing a kiosk in the future would be justified.