Commander's Hotline

This hotline is your direct line to voice your concerns to the 366th Fighter Wing commander. It's your opportunity to make Mountain Home Air Force Base a better place to live and work. If possible, you should first contact the organization responsible for the problem or situation. First sergeants, commanders and agency chiefs want to help, so please let them try. If you do not know how to proceed or if you have already tried your chain of command, then do not hesitate to contact the Hotline.

Submit a question to the Commander's Hotline by clicking here, or call 208-828-1362.

Veterans sponsorship

Hotline: I am a 100% disabled vet and Security Forces at the Visitor Center would not allow me to sponsor my guest on base. Why?

Response: The Defender at the Visitor Center conducted his duties in accordance with Air Force regulations and DoD guidance. Specifically, Veterans Identification Card Holders are not authorized escort or sponsorship authority. 

However, after a review of this policy and due to the less than desirable impacts of this rule on our military community, of which veterans are a part, I directed my Base Security Officer to take the necessary action in our system to authorize 100 percent Disabled Veterans possessing a Department of Defense/Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card the ability to sponsor guests onto Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Taxi Cab Access to MHAFB

Hotline: We arrived at Mountain Home Air Force Base with the first group of Space A passengers that your base has apparently welcomed in quite some time. We arranged for a taxi to Boise which needed a sponsor to get on the base. Ultimately, the taxi was not allowed on the base at all.

Response: You are correct, we do not receive many Space-A passengers, but your feedback regarding the logistics of transportation on and access to base has helped to ensure a smoother process. We have already started to work with local cab drivers so in the future they will have the needed

Hotline: I was in a taxi coming on base and had to wait in line at the Grandview Gate for hours. Why could the taxi driver not just take me through the Main Gate?

Response: The Defenders at the Main Gate followed proper procedures for an un-vetted commercial vehicle.  We take installation security very seriously and Air Force Instruction 31-113, Installation Perimeter Access Control, directs all un-vetted commercial vehicles such as a taxi service to an installation vehicle inspection gate. The Mt Home city buses aren't required to do this because background checks on the drivers have been done, and the IDs of the bus drivers and all passengers are checked to ensure everyone on the bus has authorized entry.

Allowing installation access to un-vetted taxi drivers without first conducting a vehicle inspection is a security risk we cannot accept. The reason for this is that once a passenger authorized to enter the base is dropped off, a  taxi possibly containing dangerous items could be driven  anywhere on base. The speed at which an un-vetted taxi driver processes through the vehicle inspection at the Grandview Gate depends on how many commercial vehicles are already in line.  We have recently reached out to the local taxi services with the intention of pre-vetting their drivers prior to their arrival, thus enabling expedited entry through the Main Gate as is done with buses.  Our hope is that the taxi services within the local area utilize this service. We also recommend guests to base request a driver that has been vetted for base access as this will ensure prompter access onto base and it will encourage local taxi services to ensure their drivers are properly vetted before taking passengers to the base.

BAH Verification

Hotline: Within the past year, I provided documentation to verify my BAH. Why am I being required to provide dependent documentation to the finance office again?

Response: The Financial Services Office (FSO) customarily requests BAH recertification for two reasons: (1) after the member has been on station for four years or (2) when dependency status changes. 

However, the 2014 request for BAH recertification is a separate, Air Force wide tasking, requiring a review and certification of supporting documents for all members receiving dependent-rate BAH. The documents must be original or verified prints in hard copy. The purpose of this service-wide request is based on the National Defense Authorization Act, which requires all Armed Services to be prepared for an audit by 2015. 

In preparation for this audit, Air Force leaders identified that the original FSO-certified AF 594 form, which accompanies a change in BAH entitlement, was not being kept. Thus, the mandated one-time, Air Force-wide BAH recertification was initiated; and hereafter, the FSO-certified form will be saved indefinitely.

Formation Runs on Base

Hotline: What is the base policy on formation runs that take up an entire vehicle lane?

Response:The base policy allows jogging on roadways as long as the jogger is facing oncoming traffic and follows the rules pertaining to pedestrians; the exception to this rule is formation runs and on-base races/fitness runs. This is a military installation and fitness is a priority so at times formations may be running while there is traffic. All drivers are reminded that when passing a formation the speed limit is 5 mph (in both directions). However, I have instructed my commanders and chiefs to remind their Airmen that in addition to following the rules, they need to be cognizant of their impact on traffic and plan routes or times to minimize the impact on others.If anyone observes a hazardous situation developing on Mountain Home AFB roadways, please call our Emergency Control Center at (208) 828-2256 and report it so that Security Forces can get to the scene and take appropriate measures to mitigate any risks to pedestrians and drivers.

Dependent BAH Verification

Hotline: Why can't you just look up my BAH dependent documentation in DEERS?

Response: Verification with Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System is not possible because documentation is not stored locally. The wing's finance office does not have access to DEERS, which is a Force Support Squadron system. Although finance can verify BAH status with the personnel section, it does not have the capability to print the supporting documents required for this review process. Documents scanned by the personnel section go straight to the Defense Manpower Data Center, so storage takes place remotely and cannot be accessed once sent to DMDC. 

To fill the gap between systems, the finance office stores supporting documents for six months based on facility storage protocols in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Only those granted system access and a need-to-know have access to the records. After six months have elapsed, the supporting documents are shredded.

Travel Concerns from Boise

Hotline: How are the roads checked for late reporting or mission critical personnel during the winter? The road conditions in Boise are not always the same for the roads in Mountain Home.

Response: In the event of adverse weather, the base remains open to provide mission essential service; however, late reporting may be authorized. Any time Base Weather projects inclement weather during the morning commute, base leadership conducts a conference call of mission essential services to determine impacts to mission and safety. Part of this decision is based off of the condition of I84 between Boise and the base as provided by the Idaho Department of Transportation.

I encourage everyone to work with their chain-of-command in advance on reporting instructions for their specific case based on their choice of where to live. In short, know your route to work, look up the weather along that route, be safe, and communicate with your leadership.

Pharmacy Customer Service

Hotline:  Why does it take so long to get a prescription filled at the base pharmacy?

Response:  If there is an issue with a prescription, a phone call to the prescribing physician is typically required when a matter arises. Depending on the availability of the physician, this can take as little as a few minutes to
as long as several hours. However, the standard operating procedure in the pharmacy is to communicate any delays to the patient. Pharmacy staff members receive briefings regarding patient communication and professionalism. The pharmacy is also in the process of procuring a system that tracks the time staff have been working on a given prescription. This new system will alert the pharmacy staff anytime a patient has been waiting longer than 30 minutes for their prescription. If an issue arises, please feel free to ask for the flight commander or NCOIC of that area and give them an opportunity to better meet your needs. Another resource for you is the Medical Group's Patient Advocate, who can be reached at 828-7900.

Hospital Appointments

Hotline: Why are there no same-day appointments available for active duty members? For nearly three weeks straight, I contacted the appointment line every morning between 7 and 7:15 a.m. and was told no same-day appointments were available. Additionally, why is the wait for a regular appointment between three and four weeks? I have heard this same concern expressed by many others across the base. I went to the urgent care center but was faced with a three-hour wait time to be seen.

Response: September of 2015 was a challenging month for us with regards to staffing. This led to increased wait times for appointments. Our staffing issues have since improved, and we are already seeing improvement in October. Our appointment clerks have been instructed to offer patients the next available appointments and inform callers of UCC availability if same-day appointments with their primary care team are not available. UCC visits are generally completed within 45 minutes, but can be longer when a scheduled event, such as a commander's call, reduces available appointments and causes a surge in non-emergency UCC visits. A three-hour wait is an extreme, but rare, example of a surge like this.

Additionally, thanks to your feedback, we have discovered problems with our Voice over Internet Protocol transition, and are working to correct them, so that we can ensure our ability to quality check appointment clerks and schedule appointments during times when internet access is down.

It is not a perfect system, but I am using your experience as a reminder to our staff to use all of our resources to the fullest extent possible, to aggressively work with the Air Force Personnel Center, contracting, etc. to ensure all of our manpower authorizations are not only filled, but filled with competent, compassionate and ready-to-work individuals. Similarly, at every opportunity, our team emphasizes customer service and providing safe, high-quality care. We will do our best to improve access and decrease wait times in the interim.