The integration of the Federal Travel Regulations into the ETS system was one of the most controversial, yet needed requirements.  Many travelers were either not familiar with the Federal Travel Regulations or chose not to abide by them.  With the introduction of the new systems, travelers were forced to adhere to these regulations.  This caused frustration amid travelers and caused many of them to not like the new system.

Through the travel process, the ETS system has built-in regulatory requirements for each component that requires the traveler to be in compliance with Federal Travel Regulations.  The FTR addresses everything from who must use the ETS system, how and when authorizations should be completed, and within what timeframe a voucher should be completed.

Generally, travelers must have a written or electronic authorization prior to incurring any travel expenses. The most common way of creating an authorization is through the ETS system.  The authorization includes reservations and estimated expenses.  Once completed, the authorization electronically routes to the Travel Agency if reservations have been selected and then within the agency for approval.

During the authorization process, when searching for flights, the ETS system will display the Government City Pair Fares first.  If the traveler does not select one of these fares, the system will “flag” the selection and require an approved justification for not selecting a city pair fare.  The approved justifications appear in a list for the traveler to select from.  If one of the justifications is not appropriate, the traveler should reconsider their flight selection.  The most common justification used by our travelers is “space on a contract flight is not available in time to meet mission requirements, or use of contract service would incur overnight lodging costs which would increase the cost of the trip”.  Some travelers have a carrier preference in which they accumulate air miles and other rewards.  This is not a valid justification for not using a government contract fare.  Furthermore, any additional costs associated with using an unauthorized carrier may be the traveler’s responsibility.  Another common “flag” on authorizations is when a hotel is selected that is not a Fedrooms property or exceeds the per diem rate for the location.  Fedroom properties must be given first priority by a government traveler or a justification is required.  Furthermore, any time a hotel room rate exceeds per diem, the traveler must explain why they were not able to obtain the per diem rate.

When a trip is completed, the FTR states that the traveler must submit their voucher within 5 working days.  The voucher should include a copy of the approved travel authorization and a detailed itemization of all travel expenses incurred.  The FTR specifies what expenses can be claimed on the voucher.  It also specifies what receipts are necessary.  Receipts for any reservations or expenses over $75.00 should be electronically attached to the voucher.  Once the voucher is completed and electronically signed by the traveler, the document routes to the approving official for approval.  The approving official is responsible for ensuring that the voucher was prepared in accordance with the pertinent regulations and agency procedures, the types of expenses claimed are allowable, the amounts claimed are accurate, and that the necessary receipts are attached.  Although, the traveler bears the responsibility to ensure that all travel expenses are prudent and necessary, the approving official must review the validity of the claim and ultimately assumes responsibility.  The FTR mandates that agencies reimburse their travelers within 30 calendar days after a proper travel claim has been submitted.

Once the payment is made to the traveler, it is the travel financial office’s job to implement internal audit controls to ensure that travel payments comply with the Federal Travel Regulations.  Features of the ETS system reduce the risk of improper payments; however, the financial office still has the duty to ensure that the process is compliant with the FTR as well as laws and regulations governing use of federal funds.  The most effective way that we ensure that our payments meet the requirements is through random audits.  During an audit the entire trip is examined.  The mode of transportation is reviewed to make sure that it was the most cost effective way of traveling.  The type of lodging accommodation is reviewed; whether or not it was a Fedroom property. The validity of miscellaneous expenses claimed is reviewed as well as, appropriate receipts verified.

The Federal Travel Regulations is an important part of the E-Travel System.  Travel is an essential part of conducting business within the government and the FTR ensures that taxpayer’s money is not wasted.

By:  Chanda Garrett

The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.

From what I’ve heard from other colleagues who have been in Government service for a while, it used to take a long time for travelers to be reimbursed after traveling.  Obtaining written approvals for travel was also a cumbersome process.  So an advantage to the ETS is the ability to reimburse travelers in a quick, efficient manner.  This also helps travelers to pay their travel card bills in a timely manner.

Another advantage is the portability of the ETS.  Travel documents can be created and approved from remote locations, and one can easily log into the system from various computers.  So if an approver is on travel, he can still approve travel documents while not being in the office.  Also, since hard copies don’t have to be signed by approvers, the approval process can be expedited as well.

Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to the use of ETS.  Government employees are not travel agents, and the ETS seems to force Government employees into the travel agent realm where they are inexperienced. 

Even with the many technological capabilities of the ETS, there is no fool-proof way of enforcing the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) by using the ETS.  I think there is a workaround to fly off-contract, for example, without obtaining the approval to take a non-contract flight.

In my office, we have had a situation where a traveler was able to book duplicate airline reservations without realizing he had done so.  Such technical mistakes can be costly to the airline industry or to the agency, depending on who must bear the cost of accidentally-booked flights.

In a world where the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) is so critical, it makes me nervous to have so much PII stored with ETS vendors on a server which could be hacked.  The possible compromise of sensitive data is another disadvantage to the mandated use of ETS.

 By K.J. Martin

*NB: The above post is my personal opinion, and does not reflect the opinion of my agency or of the Federal Government.*

According to the GSA; getting a per-diem rate adjusted in a market that may be undervalued, can only be requested by a federal travel manager.   This provides a real problem for states that have markets where federal travelers do not travel too.  A prime example is along the Oregon coast.  One city along the central coast is a tourist destination; however, it doesn’t have a seasonal per-diem rate.  This has become real troublesome for state employees to conduct business and stay in this city because of the lack of properties that will honor the per-diem rate.

A solution to this problem would be if the GSA would listen to State travel managers on where adjustments could be made.  This is one area where the states and GSA could work together.  Maybe as part of the annual research the GSA conducts to adjust rates, a snap shot of state input could be included.   I am not advocating for higher per-diem rates everywhere, but a closer look at those few markets where finding a property honoring per-diem rates is difficult could be warranted.

by Tim Hay

As an example, car rental companies will try to upsell a traveler by offering additional insurances, GPS systems, larger vehicles, sporty or hybrid models.  All of which are not reimbursed by our organization.  Also, a traveler may not realize they are being charged an additional amount for the vehicle being offered if it happens to be a larger vehicle.

What we’ve done to alleviate all the backend hassles of trying to recoup extra dollars spent on miscellaneous fees, is put together a training manual on how to travel effortlessly.

This material includes a car rental section which gives step by step instructions for travelers to understand all the miscellaneous offerings that are not reimbursed by the organization.  Here’s a brief summary:

• Step 1 – Always sign up with the preferred vendors rental program.  By doing this, it ensures that negotiated rates are always purchased and the necessary insurance coverage is included within the quoted rate.  And most importantly, the ability to bypass the rental counter to avoid the additional offerings.

• Step 2 – Book the vehicle through preferred method of on-line booking or through TMC.  This again, ensures proper rates and necessary coverage, as well as reporting capabilities for travel management.

• Step 3 – Make sure you check the vehicle for damage prior to taking off the lot.  This alleviates the many damage claims that are received because travelers often forget to do this.  This is a rampant problem with international bookings and becomes a lengthy hassle to resolve.

• Step 4 – Upon return of the vehicle review your receipt prior to leaving for your flight home.  This helps the traveler reconcile correct charges when filing an expense report.  There are times when a vendor will accidentally charge for excess mileage, gas or fees that should not have been applied.  Taking care of this prior to leaving ensures there will be no hassles when the expense reporting department receives the bill.

By following these four simple steps, our travelers can ensure a smooth, successful trip and not have to worry about reconciling items that they did not ask for, or expect.   This has helped to cut down on the many receipts that have been received with extra charges for travelers that are not aware of vendor upselling techniques.

by Stefanie Tretola

Now, thanks to technology and E-Gov Travel, the traveler needs only to update the trip expenses on an electronic version of the travel voucher, electronically attach receipts, and then electronically sign the document initiating his/her claim for reimbursement.  The travel voucher is automatically routed to the appropriate approving officials for review and approval by electronic signatures.  The travel administrative office receives the completed and approved travel voucher through the travel system.  The payment data for the travel voucher interfaces into the financial accounting system directing the payment to the traveler’s bank account and/or the traveler’s individually billed travel card account by an electronic funds transfer.  In two or three days the traveler and the travel card vendor receive their payments.

With the built in audit features of the E-Gov System, on-line booking, and the use of various travel programs, the agency can be reasonably assured that travel arrangements are made and expenses claimed in compliance with the Federal Travel Regulations and established travel programs.  In lieu of the time consuming hundred percent prepayment review of each submitted travel voucher, the travel office performs an audit of a random sample of the paid vouchers processed during the month to ensure the integrity of the travel system and accounting processes.  Streamlining the payment process benefits the agency and the Government traveler.  The agency adheres to the regulatory requirements for travel management and for accounting of federal funds while reducing the cost of voucher processing.  The Government traveler receives reimbursement in a timely manner.

By Regina Potter

The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government ormy agency.

We can issue reimbursements in four ways: electronic funds transfer (EFT), individually billed accounts (IBA), centrally billed accounts (CBA) and checks.  We also receive funds from travelers when they have been overpaid.  The flexibility is necessary to accommodate different travel situations.

The following scenarios show travelers going on the same trip.  All of the travelers need a flight on Tuesday from Washington, DC to Atlanta, GA for a three day conference.  Each traveler will take a taxi to and from the airport, stay in the same Atlanta hotel and eat the same meals, but their method of reimbursement will be different.

Traveler 1 will start to work at his government agency on Monday.  Since he needs to fly out on Tuesday morning, his agency does not have time to get him an individual government credit card (IBA).  Therefore they charged his airfare and hotel to their CBA.  Traveler 1 will pay for all of his meals and taxi cab expenses.  When Traveler 1 vouchers for his trip, we will reimburse the agency’s CBA and the traveler’s bank account.  Both reimbursements will be made by EFT.

Traveler 2 is a government employee who has been issued a government credit card.  Therefore, his airfare and hotel will be charged to his IBA.  He will pay for some of his meals in cash and charge the rest of his meals and taxi cab to his government credit card.  When Traveler 2 vouchers for his trip, we will reimburse his IBA for his airfare and hotel.  The reimbursement for his meals and taxi cab expenses will be based on how he enters them into the E-Gov Travel System.  For instance, he can have the travel system reimburse him for all of the meals and taxi expenses and then he would be responsible for paying the IBA for the meals and taxi.  He could also change the method of reimbursement on his voucher to have us pay for the specific meals he charged to his IBA and then submit the balance to his bank account.  Both reimbursements will be made by EFT.

Traveler 3 is a government employee.  Due to his personal credit history, he is not eligible to receive an individual government credit card.  His airfare and hotel are charged to the CBA so he doesn’t have any out of pocket expense, but he still needs cash for meals and the taxi to and from the airport.  Traveler 3 can request his agency give him an advance for 80% of the meals and incidental (M&IE) per diem and estimated taxi expenses he has on his authorization.  His agency will send an email to our Travel office requesting we add the advance to Traveler 3′s authorization.  Five days before Traveler 3′s trip, the requested advance will be deposited by EFT into his bank account.  When Traveler 3 returns from his trip and vouchers, he will be reimbursed by EFT for the amount of his M&IE and actual taxi expenses less the amount of the advance he had already received to cover the expenses.

Traveler 4 is not a government employee.  He lives in a foreign country and is in the United States giving speeches.  He does not have a bank account in the United States.  Since his last speech was in Washington, the government agency agreed to pay for his flight from Washington, DC to Georgia to give a presentation at the conference.  The agency will charge the airfare and hotel to their CBA.  Traveler 4 will be responsible for paying his expenses on the trip and will be reimbursed after he signs a paper voucher.  Since his foreign bank is not affiliated with a bank in the United States, we will reimburse him by check for his meals and taxi.  The CBA method of reimbursement will be by EFT and the check will be mailed.

Sometimes travelers forget to update their travel voucher to the amount they actually incur.  This can result in an underpayment or overpayment.  If the traveler needs to be reimbursed for an additional expense after he has voucher, then he can create a supplemental voucher.  Travel will reimburse the additional expense amount according to the method selected in the voucher.  If the traveler over estimated an expense and forgot to update the amount on the voucher, then he can send a check to his agency for the amount of the overpayment.

Why the flexibility in payment methods . . .  because we need them.

By: Dean Ann Cox

“The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.”

By: Stacey Clark

Hotels have contracted with the government per diem rates, different types of properties, special amenities and charge cards, special negotiation rates and specialized lodging programs.

The travelers have access to great hotels, meeting their needs and beyond. In addition to the great hotel services and amenities the travelers are provided with a convenient payment charge card and/or direct billing to their federal agency. This helps eliminate out of pocket payment.  This is a great advantage as many other public or private companies fail to provide these services to its employees.  For example, I worked for a public company and we were encouraged to pay for our own hotel expenses with a 2-3 month reimbursement time period.  This indeed, was a burden to many employees and caused many inconveniences.

One of the many incentives the government has established with hotels is the Emergency Lodging Services Program agreement, in which employees will be accommodated for protection in case of an emergency and/or disaster.  This program helped over 750,000 federal employees during the catastrophic Katrina event.

The government traveler can easily book hotels, receive special amenities, and incentives.

I’ve struggled in the past with hotel accommodations working for certain companies, and certainly the special accommodations were not offered. Therefore, in my case, it seems the government provides effective and reliable accommodations to its employees with many incentives.

by Ana Ferrara

What most travelers don’t know is that there are both authorizations and vouchers in the financial system.  The authorizations and vouchers from GovTrip go through an interface that pull them into the financial system, which is used to process travel reimbursements.  Just as there must first be an authorization in GovTrip, there must also be one in the financial system before a voucher can be created and the traveler reimbursed.  All of the information that was entered into GovTrip, such as the expenses and accounting classification, is transferred to the financial system.  This allows for a smooth and seamless processing of the traveler’s reimbursement, most of which is totally transparent to them.

By Mark Hartshorn

These comments and opinions are my own and do not reflect the official views of the U.S. Government