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Don’t trip up on travel vouchers

  • Published
  • By John Parker
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Over the years Department of Defense watchdogs have pointed out mistakes made by military members and civilian employees alike for erroneous travel vouchers after conducting government business.

Most recently, the DOD's Inspector General Office released a report that concluded a member of the highly regarded Senior Executive Service received thousands of dollars in improper travel-related reimbursements.

The news prompted Major Steve Brogan, commander of Tinker's 72nd Comptroller Squadron, to spread the word that adhering to Joint Travel Regulations and other government standards is serious business with potentially significant financial and criminal consequences.

Both travelers and their organization's Authorizing Official who approved the travel, and subsequent travel voucher, are personally financially responsible when the government is wrongly charged for reimbursements.

We want to make sure that the approving officials are educating the travelers on what's authorized and what's not, and that the approving officials aren't afraid to go back and challenge anything they think is wrong," Major Brogan said.

Kelly Saxon, Defense Travel System lead for the 72nd CPTS, and Staff Sgt. Dustin Cochran, the Government Travel Charge Card area program coordinator, routinely examine hundreds of travel vouchers flagged for inspection by two different audit-triggering systems.

Here are some of the most common errors they find:

· Putting expenses in the wrong locations, resulting in double payments. Ms. Saxon said some expenses such as airfare and vehicle rental, for example, are added to the online travel voucher when booked. Travelers should not add those costs again under categories such as nonmileage expenses.

· Not updating the actual amount of money spent as compared to how much money was authorized. A travel authorization may allow a maximum of $70 a night for lodging, for example, but the actual amount paid could be less for any reason. "We're failing to update that cost and they're being reimbursed at the maximum rate when they didn't pay the maximum rate," Ms. Saxon said. The actual cost rule also applies to rental cars and other spending.

· OCONUS versus CONUS tax reimbursement. When traveling Outside the Continental United States, foreign taxes are added into lodging expenses. Whereby stateside taxes are not added into the lodging cost and should be claimed separately in nonmileage expenses. Don't seek a tax reimbursement for OCONUS travel in nonmileage expenses, Ms. Saxon said.

· Using a Government Travel Charge Card for anything other than official travel expenses. The CITI cards look like any other private credit cards and carry the traveler's name. Sergeant Cochran advises users to keep the card away from other credit cards in a wallet or leave it at home unless traveling. "It's no different than any other personal credit card, except it's partially owned by the government," the sergeant said.
                                                                                                                                                                                   
· Not using the City Pair Program for airfare. The program provides significant discounts and special travel options for government trips. Travelers are required to use City Pair carriers with limited exceptions that are spelled out in regulations.Over the years Department of Defense watchdogs have pointed out mistakes made by military members and civilian employees alike for erroneous travel vouchers after conducting government business.

Most recently, the DOD's Inspector General Office released a report that concluded a member of the highly regarded Senior Executive Service received thousands of dollars in improper travel-related reimbursements.

The news prompted Major Steve Brogan, commander of Tinker's 72nd Comptroller Squadron, to spread the word that adhering to Joint Travel Regulations and other government standards is serious business with potentially significant financial and criminal consequences.

Both travelers and their organization's Authorizing Official who approved the travel, and subsequent travel voucher, are personally financially responsible when the government is wrongly charged for reimbursements.

We want to make sure that the approving officials are educating the travelers on what's authorized and what's not, and that the approving officials aren't afraid to go back and challenge anything they think is wrong," Major Brogan said.

Kelly Saxon, Defense Travel System lead for the 72nd CPTS, and Staff Sgt. Dustin Cochran, the Government Travel Charge Card area program coordinator, routinely examine hundreds of travel vouchers flagged for inspection by two different audit-triggering systems.

Here are some of the most common errors they find:
· Putting expenses in the wrong locations, resulting in double payments. Ms. Saxon said some expenses such as airfare and vehicle rental, for example, are added to the online travel voucher when booked. Travelers should not add those costs again under categories such as nonmileage expenses.

· Not updating the actual amount of money spent as compared to how much money was authorized. A travel authorization may allow a maximum of $70 a night for lodging, for example, but the actual amount paid could be less for any reason. "We're failing to update that cost and they're being reimbursed at the maximum rate when they didn't pay the maximum rate," Ms. Saxon said. The actual cost rule also applies to rental cars and other spending.

· OCONUS versus CONUS tax reimbursement. When traveling Outside the Continental United States, foreign taxes are added into lodging expenses. Whereby stateside taxes are not added into the lodging cost and should be claimed separately in nonmileage expenses. Don't seek a tax reimbursement for OCONUS travel in nonmileage expenses, Ms. Saxon said.

· Using a Government Travel Charge Card for anything other than official travel expenses. The CITI cards look like any other private credit cards and carry the traveler's name. Sergeant Cochran advises users to keep the card away from other credit cards in a wallet or leave it at home unless traveling. "It's no different than any other personal credit card, except it's partially owned by the government," the sergeant said.

· Not using the City Pair Program for airfare. The program provides significant discounts and special travel options for government trips. Travelers are required to use City Pair carriers with limited exceptions that are spelled out in regulations.

· Claiming unjustifiable "savings" to the government. Travelers can use their personal vehicles for an official trip even when not directed by the government, but they can only be reimbursed up to the dollar amount authorized before the trip. If the eventual per-mile reimbursement totaled $400, for example, but the City Pair maximum was $350, then the traveler is out $50. There's no credit for "saving" the government money by not having to rent a vehicle, park at the airport or pay for taxis, the officials said.

Major Brogan said travelers' overall approach to government travel should be to find the lowest cost for acceptable services and accommodations and following the travel regulations. Misapplying one or two rules can lead to significant financial liability if an audit is triggered.

"Let's say a person traveled 20 times in the past two years," the major said. "Whether on purpose or not, if the allowed expenses weren't handled correctly, they could find that they've accrued thousands of dollars of debt from all those trips."

Help with government travel
· Contact your organization's travel Authorizing Official or Organizational Defense Travel Administrator for questions and information. 

· The 72nd Comptroller Squadron's Defense Travel System section can help any base unit with questions about DTS rules and Joint Travel Regulations. Call 734-8520 or email 72cpts.dts.ldta@us.af.mil. The office is in Bldg. 1, Door 8. 

· The DOD's travel website is www.defensetravel.dod.mil. Travel regulations change regularly. Users can sign up for the Defense Travel Dispatch and an RSS feed on regulation changes.

· DTS SharePoint Site: https://org.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/1213/DTS/Forms/AllItems.aspx 

· Claiming unjustifiable "savings" to the government. Travelers can use their personal vehicles for an official trip even when not directed by the government, but they can only be reimbursed up to the dollar amount authorized before the trip. If the eventual per-mile reimbursement totaled $400, for example, but the City Pair maximum was $350, then the traveler is out $50. There's no credit for "saving" the government money by not having to rent a vehicle, park at the airport or pay for taxis, the officials said.