The travel process starts with an authorization that is booked in our E-Gov Travel Service. Travelers are required to have an authorization from an approving official for a TDY trip. An authorization is entered into the ETS system prior to the trip being taken. There are many individuals that are involved in this process. In order for the travel document to be completed properly, these individuals must work together. The traveler, document preparer, examiners, and approving officials must all perform their roles in the authorization process.
When the authorization is created, reservations are made for the traveler. Airfare, lodging, and rental car reservations are made by either the traveler or document preparer. In addition, any other expenses such as hotel taxes, parking, or taxi expenses are entered. These are estimated expenses and will be adjusted to actual amounts on the voucher. The proper accounting is also selected for the trip. If the traveler or document preparer is unsure of what accounting to use, they should get in touch with their agency’s budget person.
Once all the expenses have been entered into the document, it must be electronically signed to start the routing process for approval. The traveler or document preparer may sign the document to start the routing. The document will route to the individuals in their agency who have been assigned to the routing list. Each individual will receive an email notification stating that there is a document awaiting their attention. When each individual has performed their duty in the routing list, the document is approved and interfaced to our accounting system.
By: John Duncan
Disclaimer: The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.