As an Agency/Organization Program Coordinator (A/OPC) over travel charge cards and a holder of an individually billed travel (IBT) card, it is amazing to realize how many government travelers do not understand the proper usage and responsibility of holding a government issued IBT. Although the information is available to them when they first applied for the charge card, they still have preconceived notions on what they should be responsible for and what they think the agency’s responsibility is.
The first problem that I run into a lot is the notion that the etravel government system used to record the travel expenses should automatically know what the charge card was used for and, therefore, the payment to the account should be correct. The etravel system is a computer system owned by an offsite vendor. It can only retrieve information if it is input by an individual. This company is not electronically connected to the bank where the charge card was issued. So the etravel system has no way of knowing when and where the card was used. It is the travelers’ responsibility upon return of their trip to enter into the etravel system those expenses where the charge card was used and to allocate that amount to be paid directly to the charge card company via split disbursement.
Another problem that occurs frequently is reservations made with the etravel system. If changes are made to the flight before the ticket is issued, then the Travel Management Center (TMC) can refresh the reservation to reflect the new cost of the ticket. However, the big problem occurs when changes are made to reservations after the ticket has been issued. Cardholders think that after a ticket has been issued and they make changes to the reservations either at the airport or over the phone that the difference in amounts should automatically be updated in the etravel system. Once a ticket is issued, the reservation is no longer pending and any changes made need to be manually updated in the etravel system at the time the voucher is created. It is the travelers’ responsibility to review the airline costs and make the necessary changes in the etravel system before signing the voucher. The traveler is the only one who would know if a refund is expected or a new fee has been charged due to a change.
The next biggest issue is cardholders feel no urgency to pay the card. They believe since it is a government card, the government should be responsible for reconciling the card and paying it. Language in training documentation and internal policy states it is the cardholders’ responsibility to reconcile their statement and to pay the full balance by the due date. The cardholder sometimes does not grasp that even though this is a government issued IBT, it is treated like a personal charge card. All liability falls on the cardholder and will affect their personal credit score, not the government. The only difference on the government IBT is the restrictions placed on the account by the A/OPC of where the card can be used and what credit limit to place on the account.
Since split disbursement has been mandated, the delinquency rate has decreased. As long as the cardholders reconcile their charge card statements directly with the etravel system when they voucher timely, they should never be delinquent. The cardholder has to take responsibility of his charge card to ensure that it is being paid correctly. The A/OPC can only provide the guidance needed, but the cardholder must do the work.
The cardholders have the ability to register with the bank to obtain online statements. As an A/OPC, we encourage every cardholder to register. That way, when they are vouchering for a trip that was recently completed, they can look directly at what was charged on their account and voucher with the correct expenses and totals. By logging on to their online statement they can see all charges made to the card, even the unbilled items that are on an interim statement.
Lastly, OMB has mandated a refresher training for all cardholders and approving officials. This training is designed to remind the cardholders of the rules of usage that they agreed to when they applied for the card. It is performed at least every three years so the cardholders stating they did not know the rules is just not true. I still live with the hope that someday all cardholders will finally take responsibility of their accounts. That they will never be delinquent and that all cards are paid on time. Well, at least it is a nice dream.
By: Linda Ruppel
The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.