Currently, the Afterburner is produced twice a year for more than 800,000 retirees and surviving spouses.
In order to meet fiscal challenges and keep costs low, changes have been made in the distribution process. If funding permits, the Afterburner is printed and mailed to people without email or internet capability. People with an online myPay account with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service will receive an email notice when a new edition has been posted to the Air Force Retiree Services website. Emails are sent using the email address myPay users have on file with DFAS. Electronic notifications are also sent to people who have opted out of the hard copy by directly contacting the Air Force Retiree Services section at afpc.retiree@us.af.mil.
Changing the distribution process has resulted in big savings for the Air Force. The last Afterburner before the change was printed and mailed to more than 671,000 retirees and surviving spouses. Now, the Afterburner is printed and mailed to only about 220,000 retirees and surviving spouses, with the rest receiving it electronically. The cost of each edition has fallen from more than $300,000 to just under $95,000. Keeping costs down means the Afterburner can continue.