Beginning this year, the Air Force tightened tuition assistance criteria to mandate that airmen maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or higher to continue receiving funds toward an undergraduate university degree. “If it is not maintained, your records will be locked, tuition assistance will be denied, and you will have to pay to take classes to bring your GPA up,” said Alice Patton, training and education chief at Nellis AFB, Nev., in a Jan. 8 base release. Graduate students must meet higher GPA standards than undergraduates, maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA to continue receiving assistance, states the release. Under the new criteria, airmen keeping up those grades will be eligible for $4,500 a year or up to $250 per credit hour. “Otherwise, airmen would just be wasting their time as well as Air Force funds,” said Patton. (Nellis report by A1C Monet Villacorte)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.