Defense Travel System Helpful Hints George Greiling 2009 GSA Expo June 10 & 11, 2009

Agenda Travel Regulations Travel Agent Fees Premium Class Travel Lodging, Meals and Incidental Expenses Rental Car Miscellaneous Reimbursable Expenses Foreign Currency Receipts Government Travel Charge Card 2

Travel Regulations Defense Transportation Regulation Part I (DOD 4500.9-R) – for all travelers Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) – for civilians Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR) – for uniformed members JTR/JTFR Appendix A Definitions and acronyms Appendix G Miscellaneous reimbursable expenses Appendix H Trip purposes and premium class travel Appendix O Simplified entitlements for DTS use but other provisions of the regulations still apply Appendix P GSA City Pair Program

Know your local business rules Travel Agent Fees Fees may be entered as an expense when it has already been automatically entered in document Some contracts are centrally funded and individual fees are not charged Individual fees are billed to the same form of payment as the air or rail ticket Some travel agents return fee data electronically and DTS AUTOMATICALLY inputs the expense in air/rail reservation screen DO NOT duplicate as an expense item (unless a second fee was charged for ticket changes) Know your local business rules

Premium Class Travel High area of interest from Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) ALL first and business class air travel requires outside DTS approval IAW the JFTR/JTR Must have prior authorization Approval MUST be reported in a DTMO Premium Class reporting tool Upgrades purchased with traveler’s funds or frequent flyer miles do not have to be approved or reported

Lodging CONUS & non-foreign OCONUS claim for hotel taxes Ask for government tax exemption Claim as a non-mileage expense Enter as one total cost for the trip or one daily cost Foreign OCONUS Taxes are part of the Per Diem rate – do NOT claim as a separate expense Enter with room cost on Per Entitlements screen Rate is based on location of TDY mission – NOT where you slept or airport used

Meals & Incidental Expenses Adjust arrival date for any overnight flights Must be adjusted for special duty conditions (e.g., leave, meals provided, field conditions) Claim proportional meal rate on any day one or two meals are provided (via a conference registration fee, etc) For overseas locations, AO has the authority to determine if the $3.50 incidental expense (IE) rate is sufficient rather than the locality IE rate Must be done before the authorization is approved If the AO does not act, the locality rate applies

Rental Car GPS is NOT reimbursable Book through CTO (mandatory) Use approved vendors, using the government rate Rental car cost can be entered as a single cost item Claimed on the Travel tab>Rental Car if reserved through DTS Claimed as a non-mileage expense if NOT reserved through DTS Gas normally claimed as a reimbursable expense Watch for prepaid gas on the receipt and traveler claiming as a reimbursable expense GPS is NOT reimbursable

Rental Car (continued) Government rate includes insurance Extra insurance in CONUS & non-foreign OCONUS is NOT reimbursable Base rate is in even dollars for US locations $5 per day Government Administrative Rate Supplement (GARS)

Airport Transportation Travelers are authorized a round trip from home to airport/train terminal Parking not to exceed round trip cab fare Mileage and tolls for 2 round trips if someone (e.g., spouse) transports traveler and traveler incurs the cost Mileage based on the odometer No long term airport parking Cab or shuttle fare If riding with another traveler, no reimbursement authorized Driver can claim extra mileage to pickup passengers

Use of Privately Owned Vehicle If more advantageous to the government, use can be authorized by AO Authorized mileage IAW the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD) Mileage rate adjusted by General Services Administration (GSA) Service members may claim actual gas expense in lieu of mileage rate (if AO authorizes before travel begins) BUT NOT BOTH Can claim tolls and parking

Miscellaneous Reimbursable Expenses Allowable Miscellaneous Expenses Official phone calls and use of internet Laundry – CONUS only, while on the trip Trips of at least 7 nights for military (up to an average of $2/day) Trips of at least 4 nights for civilians ATM fees for use of government travel charge cards Also for a personal card for uniformed members only exempt from travel card use Baggage tips for handling government property Baggage tips for personal luggage – military only TDY parking (break it out if included on hotel bill)

Miscellaneous Reimbursable Expenses (continued) Watch for: Curbside baggage fees - NOT reimbursable Airline baggage fees Must be consistent with local business rules for excess baggage Double claim for travel agent fee May have been automatically entered in document Do not duplicate as an expense

Foreign Currency For cash transactions, use currency exchange rate paid at bank, hotel, airport, etc. For travel charge card charges, use bank charge card data to determine exchange rate Use link in DTS Use CitiDirect International currency transaction fees for official transactions on government charge cards are reimbursable

Receipts Air travel Receipts must be submitted with voucher Must show services provided and associated costs Must be electronically attached to the DTS voucher Remember to: Consolidate smaller receipts on one page Create multiple page scanned or faxed documents Fax each document separately Make sure they are readable Air travel Airline boarding passes are NOT sufficient Travel agent receipt (not itinerary or invoice) is OK Can obtain an airline receipt at airport check-in kiosk

Receipts (continued) Lodging Required for ALL lodging Individual expenses $75 or more (includes airline and rail tickets on both IBA AND CBA) Hotel receipts cannot be imported Electronic receipts do not include sufficient level of detail Receipts include charges that are paid in different parts of DTS Charges that are NOT reimbursable expenses: Movies Spa services Room service

Lodging Receipt - Example Item/Service Cost Room $145.00 Taxes $27.50 Room service $27.56 Parking $15.00 Spa $75.00 Movie $11.95 Internet $9.99 Business Center $4.50 Per Diem Entitlement Screen Non-mileage expense Not reimbursable – get M&IE Not reimbursable Non-mileage expense if authorized* *See Appendix G for miscellaneous reimbursable expenses

Government Travel Charge Card Split Disbursement DTS has ability to add money to your individually billed account (IBA) payment to cover: ATM advances Meals Balance of travel allowance is paid to the traveler’s bank account ADDITIONAL OPTIONS > PAYMENT TOTALS

Still Have Questions? Contact your Military Advisory Panel (MAP) or Civilian Advisory Panel (CAP) member with specifics http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/perdiem/phdir.html