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Travel
(February 22, 2007)
Most Frequent Questions Asked Concerning Travel
FOREIGN TRAVEL
How do I get authorization for foreign travel?
Authorization for foreign travel requires the signature of the OPDAT Deputy Director, and, in addition, the signature of the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division. To obtain those signatures, the procedure below will be followed:
- The designated OPDAT personnel will submit a travel authorization
form, accompanied by a cover memorandum to the OPDAT Deputy
Director.
- Make sure the cover memorandum includes the following information:
- name and title of traveler(s),
- social security number(s)
- travel dates,
- purpose of the trip (assessment, meeting, conference, assistance, etc.),
- written justification explaining the commitment satisfied
by the travel, and
- source of funds
- OPDAT
will provide the traveler(s) with a copy of the signed travel
authorization form for any further necessary processing
activity (AUSAs must follow EOUSA procedures requiring a
copy of the travel authorization form be sent to EOUSA,
Resource Management and Planning).
I am going on foreign travel, how do I find out what inoculations I need? Where do I get them?
Call the Department of State Immunization Clinic at (202) 663-1705
to find out what shot(s) you will need. If you are a Federal
Government employee, you are eligible to receive your shot(s)
from this clinic, if you are geographically able to utilize
their services. Otherwise and for all categories of travelers,
medical costs for required inoculations for OPDAT sponsored
foreign travel can be claimed on Standard Form 1164 (Claim For
Reimbursement For Expenditures On Official Business) which is
submitted to the Travel Specialist (OPDAT), c/o International
Training Financial Management (ITFM) Office, Criminal Division,
10th and Pennsylvania Aves., N.W., Washington, DC 20530.
- The clinic is open 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 - 4:00
p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. On Thursday,
the clinic is open 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
- Yellow Fever immunizations are given at 1:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
- The clinic is located at Columbia Plaza, 2401 E Street, Room
201, Washington, DC (use entrance on 23rd Street which is across
from the PMI parking garage inside Columbia Plaza).
- You must have your government ID, and bring to the clinic your
signed travel authorization and a record of immunizations you
have previously received.
What do I do if I need medical attention while abroad?
- Consult
your health care provider before leaving the country to
find out what coverage you will be eligible for while overseas.
In most cases, health care providers will reimburse their
members for necessary medical treatment received while abroad.
If there is a coverage concern, take care of it before departure.
Those relocating overseas may be able to obtain health care
coverage through providers serving Foreign Service Officers
of the Department of State. Check with your State Department
sponsor as soon as possible before departure.
- When
traveling for OPDAT, you are eligible to use the medical
services provided by the post health unit facility in the
U.S. Embassy or region in which you are located. Post health
unit personnel (including physicians, nurse practitioners,
and laboratory technicians) may provide medical assistance
directly, make referrals in the local community, and authorize
emergency care when needed. Bring a sufficient supply of
required medication; carry a copy of your prescriptions,
and know the generic names of the drugs you take.
Do I have
to file any security form(s) or need security briefings prior
to going on foreign travel?
- If
you are a Justice Department employee and possess a Sensitive
Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance, before you depart
on either official or personal (that is non-official)
foreign travel, you must submit a Notification of Foreign
Travel (DOJ-504), which you can get from your District/Section/Office's
Security Programs Manager, accompanied by a copy of your
signed travel authorization, through your Security Programs
Manager to:
Director, Security and Emergency Planning Staff
Attn: Foreign Travel Unit
Room 6525, Main Building
Department of Justice
Washington, DC 20530
- Other
government employees possessing a Sensitive Compartmented
Information (SCI) clearance should check with their respective
Section/Office Security
Programs Manager for guidance prior to foreign travel.
- If
you possess a National Security Information (NSI) clearance
(C, S, or TS), you do not need to submit a Notification
of Foreign Travel form.
- Your
agency's security manager will know if you need a security
briefing prior to commencing your travel. Each traveler
should check with his or her District/Section/Office's Security
Programs Manager or his or her Department-level security
staff.
- If
your security clearance must be certified to the Regional
Security Officer (RSO) at the U.S. Embassy in the country(ies)
to which you will travel in order to facilitate meetings
with U.S. officials or because you need access to classified
information, OPDAT will tell you and your District/Section/Office's
Security Programs Manager will assist you accomplish this
certification. Of behalf of AUSAs, once you alert EOUSA
through your District, EOUSA will inform JMD Security of
your travel dates and destinations. JMD will then send your
security clearance certification to the appropriate U.S.
Embassy(ies).
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How do
I get a passport and visa?
To obtain an official passport:
- If
time permits an AUSA should use the procedures specified
in the attachment to this document which was provided by
EOUSA. Travelers from within the Criminal Division should
contact Tricia Maness, Criminal Division, Office of Administration,
1400 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530; (202) 514-9803.
All other travelers should contact their Section/Division/Agency
Administration Offices. If time does not allow a traveler
to follow these established channels, contact the OPDAT
Travel Coordinator at (202) 305-4295 and identify your need
for an official passport.
- Fill
out Form DP-82 (if you have had a passport issued within
the last 12 years) or Form DSP-11 ( if you have never had
a passport) and attach two identical passport-size photos
of the traveler. You can obtain these forms from the OPDAT
Travel Coordinator if your District/Section/Office does
not have them on hand.
- Return
all forms and related materials to the appropriate supporting
Office of Administration point of contact. When dealing
with OPDAT, OPDAT will provide a letter requesting the official
passport on its letterhead. The letter must include:
- name
and title of traveler,
- social
security number of traveler,
- date
of departure from the U.S.,
- proposed date of return to the U.S.,
- purpose of the trip,
and
- country(ies) to be visited.
- Processing
time normally takes at least 20 days. If OPDAT requires
a faster turnaround, expedited service can be requested
as an exception to policy with an explanation of the reason(s)
therefor to be included in its letter.
- OPDAT
will send this package to: Ms. Battie Stewart, Chief ; U.S.
Official Passport Services; 1111 19th Street, NW, Suite
200; Washington, DC 20522-1705.
- If
OPDAT cannot secure an official/diplomatic passport in time
or you are not eligible for one (i.e., a non-government
traveler), you may be able to use a tourist (blue) passport.
This passport, however, confers no official status on you
as a traveler, and host country authorities are not bound
by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to extend
any of the courtesies they would extend to an official/diplomatic
passport bearer.
To obtain a visa (if required):
- Some
countries require entry visas for bearers of official/diplomatic
passports. OPDAT will contact each embassy or consulate
of the country(ies) to be visited and secure a visa application.
Some applications require at least two identical passport-size
photos. Fees are usually waived for official/diplomatic
passports, but not when a tourist passport is submitted.
A letter from the Department of State, as sponsor of the
official trip, must accompany the visa request, stating
that the bearer be granted entry and that a visa be affixed.
It normally takes 2 - 5 business days to process visas,
depending on the embassy. You must coordinate the accomplishment
of this requirement with your OPDAT point of contact who
will need your passport in most cases to obtain a visa.
- Under
no circumstances, should you attempt entry into a foreign
country using an official/diplomatic passport without the
appropriate, required visa.
How do
I obtain "country clearance"?
You will need Department of State country clearance from the
U.S. Embassy(ies) in the country(ies) to which you will travel
to accomplish your official business. OPDAT will arrange in
advance for your country clearance. You need do nothing to accomplish
this task, other than to provide your OPDAT point of contact
as soon as possible with your passport number, passport expiration
date, date of birth, title, and travel itinerary (if you have
made travel arrangements yourself).
When may I use a foreign air carrier?
- You
may use a foreign air carrier:
- when
a U.S. air carrier is not available on your scheduled
dates of travel and your dates of travel cannot be changed;
-
where an origin or interchange point is not served by
a U.S. air carrier, and then only in order to get to
the nearest interchange point serviced by a U.S. air
carrier; or
- when
a U.S. air carrier involuntarily reroutes your travel
via a foreign carrier.
- If
you know that your travel will require use of a foreign
air carrier, you must receive authorization prior to travel.
To do so, submit an explanation justifying the use of a
foreign air carrier to your OPDAT point of contact so it
can be included in its request for authorization of your
foreign travel.
- If
your use of a foreign carrier is unanticipated (emergency
or involuntary), then attach an explanation justifying use
to your travel voucher when you return from travel.
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FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC TRAVEL
What do I do if I can't get a room within the per diem rate?
-
If your or the Department of Justice's Travel Management
Service cannot locate a hotel room at the Government rate,
you must request actual subsistence for lodging before
your travel begins.
-
The OPDAT Deputy Director can authorize up to 300% of
the maximum per diem rate for lodging.
- If
the 300% of the Government rate does not cover your hotel
expenses, then you are responsible for the difference.
How do
I get a travel advance and when do I receive reimbursement for
my travel expenses?
There are two ways to get a travel advance:
- If
you have a Government Travel Card, you can use an Automated
Teller Machine (ATM) to receive a cash advance. (Additional
amounts may be authorized with justification,)
- The cost for using the ATM will be reimbursed when you voucher.
- If
you do not have a Government Travel Card, you can receive
80% of your estimated travel expenses, excluding your transportation
cost, from the Justice Management Division (JMD) Imprest
Office, by following the procedure below:
- Discuss
your need for an advance payment with your OPDAT point
of contact so that an advanced payment can be authorized
as a part of the process of having your travel authorized
by the Deputy Director, OPDAT, and by the Principal
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division
as described above.
- Take
a copy of the signed travel authorization to the Imprest
Office, Room 4005, Bicentennial Building, 600 E Street,
NW, which is open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- The
Imprest Office will issue cash up to $500 and will issue
a check for any amount over $500, not to exceed $2,500.
Processing travel vouchers:
-
The Department requires that you settle your accounts
for travel through your voucher within five days of
your return upon completion of your travel. Travel vouchers
and attachments, in an original and one copy, for OPDAT-sponsored
travel, should be submitted to the Travel Specialist
(OPDAT), c/o International Training Financial Management
(ITFM) Office, Criminal Division, 10th and Pennsylvania
Aves., N.W., Washington, DC 20530.
- A
sample travel voucher along with an explanation of the
data required in each section of the form are enclosed
in this guidance package.
- You
will be required to calculate the U.S. dollar equivalent
for charges in any foreign currency which accrued during
your official travel. The exchange rate for such charges
must be listed with each applicable receipt. All receipts
should be taped to a plain piece of bond paper and sent
as attachments to your voucher.
- Only
a "proper voucher" starts the clock for "Prompt Payment
Act" purposes. A travel voucher is proper, if it has:
-
hotel or other receipts for all lodging claims;
- airfare
receipts for all airfare claimed;
- rental
car contract/receipt for rental car expenses claimed;
- receipts
for all other expenses in excess of $75 claimed;
- exchange
rates for foreign currency transactions claimed; the original
signed travel authorization, which includes authorization
for all cities where per diem is claimed, and for all other
special expenses claimed; e.g., airport exit fees, business
class/premium class travel, conference fees, rental cars,
taxis, excess baggage, etc.
Do I need
a receipt for expenses under $75.00?
-
Receipts are required for all allowable expenditures
in excess of $75.00. When receipts are not available
for expenditures under $75.00, the expenditures should
be explained on the travel voucher.
- Receipts
are required for the following expenditures regardless
of amount:
- excess baggage;
- baggage, transfer, and checking charges;
- hotel charges;
- airline tickets;
- rental cars;
- and ATM
advances
Can I
be reimbursed for tips?
-
You can be reimbursed for tips up to 15% of taxi fare
when on official travel.
- Your
tips to skycaps, bellhops, maids, and waiters/waitresses
are considered part of the Meals and Incidental Expenses
(M&IE) allotment and therefore are not reimbursable.
-
If you have excess baggage because an extended stay
or because of official documents you need for your travel
or obtain during travel, you may claim the tips incurred
for handling this excess baggage.
- Note: This excess baggage expense needs to
be authorized and approved prior to commencing travel
if possible (i.e., listed on the travel authorization).
How do
I get a Government Travel Card?
The card is available to federal employees. Fill out a Travel
Card application and agreement form, which you can get from
your servicing Office of Administration point of contact. In
the Criminal Division, contact Jiesa Hicks, c/o International
Training Financial Management (ITFM) Office, Criminal Division,
10th and Pennsylvania Aves., N.W., Washington, DC 20530; (202)
353-9219. Your Office of Administration point of contact will
forward the application to the servicing issuer. The servicing
issuer will mail you your new card approximately one week after
receiving your application. AUSAs must follow the procedures established by
EOUSA or their individual USAO.
Can I combine personal and official travel?
A traveler may elect to combine leave and personal travel with
official travel. Regulations require that all costs in excess
of the authorized itinerary resulting from personal preference
be borne by the traveler, not the Government. A traveler who,
for his or her convenience, travels by an indirect route or
interrupts travel by direct route, must show on his or her voucher
the actual expenses incurred, and claim the lesser of either
the amount that would have been incurred had there been no deviation
from the travel due to official necessity, or the actual expenses
incurred. Travelers who deviate from the authorized itinerary
or official necessity travel are not entitled to use Government
contract airfares.
Can I take leave in my destination city after my official
duties or in another location and return to my destination city
and still use the government contracted airfare for my return
flight(s)?
Yes, but be sure to be cognizant of the previous and following
examples and rules which apply to combining personal and official
travel.
Can you give me examples where personal and official travel
are combined?
For example, if a traveler is authorized to travel from Washington,
DC, to Moscow, Russia, and return, and because the contract
itinerary requires a connection in Paris, chooses to stop in
Paris on the return leg for two days of leave, the traveler
may use Government contract airfares from Washington to Paris
to Moscow and from Moscow to Paris, but not from Paris to Washington.
A non-contract fare must be used from Paris to Washington. In
this example, the traveler has not deviated from the authorized
itinerary in traveling from Washington to Moscow and from Moscow
to Paris, but in stopping for more than four hours (the airline
rule for through fares is that a connection must be made within
four hours), the traveler is no longer following the official
travel authorized.
In the previous example, if the traveler desired to return from
Moscow via Tel Aviv, Israel, he or she would not be entitled
to the contract fare from Moscow to Tel Aviv or from Tel Aviv
to Washington. In this case the employee is deviating from the
authorized itinerary in traveling from Moscow to Tel Aviv rather
than to Paris on a government contract flight for the return
trip to Washington.
How do I make arrangements if I want to combine personal
and official travel?
To properly arrange for a combination of personal and official
travel, the traveler should request that a ticket be issued
for the official travel only and then immediately or at a later
time exchange that ticket for a ticket that combines the personal
travel segments at non-contract fares. The non-contract segments
of travel may not be charged to the Government travel card,
but the contract fare segments will be. The ticket will show
the round trip contract fare of the original ticket, which is
the maximum amount the traveler will be reimbursed.
When vouchering for airfare the traveler must limit the claim
to the round trip official travel authorized or the actual airfare
paid, whichever is less.
May I fly other than coach class?
Not as a general rule. There are limited circumstances when
you may travel business class/premium class. Exceptions may
be granted, in advance, upon the traveler's request, only by
the Deputy Director, OPDAT and are based on the following guidelines:
- when
you have a disability or physical impairment;
- when no other coach accommodations are reasonably available
and you cannot change your time of travel;
- when
flight time (wheels up to wheels down including any regular
ground time for connections) is longer than 14 hours; or
- when
an upgrade from coach is provided at no cost to the Government
and the upgrade is not offered due to the employee's position
with the Department (note: you also may use accumulated
government frequent flyer miles to upgrade your ticket).
If my
flight time is longer than 14 hours and I fly business class/premium
class, can I also have a layover stop?
Those traveling for OPDAT who fly business class/premium class,
because of an extended flight time of more than 14 hours, are
not entitled to an appropriate layover to break total flight
time into increments.
If I need to make personal call(s) while on official travel
(overseas and/or domestic), can I get reimbursed?
Yes. You are allowed to make limited personal calls while on
official travel. Generally, you will be reimbursed for calls
made as follows, but see the attached guidance memo for
more specific exceptions and details and be sure to itemize
your personal calls by purpose and cost in your travel voucher:
- $5.00
per day for domestic calls;
- $7.50
per day for calls from Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam,
and Virgin Islands; and
- $10.00
per day for calls made from overseas.
- Note:
You can accumulate these daily amounts to offset the expense
of one or more expensive, personal calls made on a less
frequent than daily basis while on official travel. You
must present evidence of having made the calls for which
you claim reimbursement.
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I am always
reimbursed by OPDAT for my business calls while on OPDAT travel;
is that correct?
No. When traveling for OPDAT, you are reimbursed for any official
call relating to OPDAT business and for all other official calls
totaling $200 or less during the entirety of your trip. If you
make a business call relating to your or your office's business,
you can claim for reimbursement for such a call when you submit
your travel voucher for your OPDAT sponsored travel, but you
are limited to a $200 maximum reimbursement for such calls.
All official calls must be itemized by purpose and cost when
you submit your travel voucher. Keep in mind that OPDAT
travel is financed by non-DOJ, foreign assistance funds.
If I am gone for less than 12 hours, do I get a per diem?
No. You do not receive a per diem for official travel lasting
12 hours or less.
If I travel within a 50-mile radius and no lodging is involved,
do I get a per diem?
No. When lodging is not necessary as part of travel, you do
not receive a per diem for travel that is 50 miles or less from
your official work station or from the residence from which
you commute daily to your official work station, but you can
be reimbursed for mileage. This 50-mile radius rule does not
apply to employees who are traveling away from a central base
while overseas in a temporary duty status.
Can I be required to travel (fly) on a weekend?
Yes. If your schedule demands that you be available to start
your duties early Monday morning, OPDAT can direct you to travel
on Saturday or Sunday to arrive at your destination in time
to do so.
If I must travel outside of my regular working hours, will
I receive compensatory time off?
The Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004, Public Law 108-411,
October 30, 2004, establishes a new form of compensatory time
off for time spent by an employee in a travel status away from
the employee's official duty station when such time is not otherwise
compensable.
Financial Management and Policies Bulletin 05-10, dated February
9, 2005, establishes the interim entitlement rules for all Department
of Justice employees as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5541(2) (employees
for this entitlement do not include Federal Wage System employees). Note that the President signed Public Law 106-553 in 2007, which amends the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004, to extend eligibility for compensatory time off for travel to attorneys. Therefore, the existing prohibition regarding premium pay for Department attorneys does not apply to compensatory time off for travel. Compensatory time off for travel is not applicable to members of the Senior Executive Service. Law enforcement personnel who receive law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) are not specifically excluded from the definition of "employee" in 5 U.S.C. 5541(2). Therefore, law enforcement personnel who are employed by an Executive agency as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105 are eligible to earn the new compensatory time off for travel. However, hours that entitle law enforcement personnel to annual premium pay, such as availability pay, cannot be counted as creditable compensatory time off for travel.
If you are an eligible DOJ employee, requests to accrue compensatory
time off for travel must be made within 15 calendar days
from the time you return from travel status and approved
by your regular supervisor in writing within 30 calendar days
from the time you return to home station from travel status.
A copy of the approved travel authorization and the travel
itinerary must be attached to the request. In a cover memo,
detail your travel time in whole, half or quarter hour increments;
provide your commute time to work from home; and state if you
ate any meals while on the ground during your claimed travel
time. Subject to supervisory approval, actual travel time and
"usual waiting time" are the only amounts of time that are creditable.
Bona fide meal periods and time used for the employee's own
purposes are not creditable. Credit will be granted in terms
of one quarter hour increments (15 minutes).
How do I obtain needed supplies while at my temporary duty
site? Are there limits? Do I need an estimate on these expenses?
- OPDAT
makes it a practice to arrange for administrative and
logistical support in advance of the traveler's arrival,
particularly in overseas locations. Your OPDAT point
of contact will explain how these systems function in
your case.
-
If you must play an active role in obtaining supplies,
etc., while on travel in the U.S. or overseas, identify
the supplies needed and a local vendor who can provide
them.
-
Relay the request, vendor information, and a short justification
to your OPDAT point of contact.
-
Note:
If
the price of the total order is over $2500, identify three
vendors who can fill the order. Don't divide the order
to lower the dollar amounts to avoid this requirement
of obtaining competition.
- If you are authorized to use travel funds in your possession
to make official purchases of needed supplies, you must
retain receipts and have a record of the justification for
the purchases for use when you request reimbursement.
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Are there things I should know about my personal safety when
traveling or doing business for the government, particularly
overseas?
Yes, there are. Leaving a place you may know well to go to a
place you may not know well is usually an inherent part of traveling.
Before you depart on overseas travel, if you wish to read the
advisories to travelers provided by the Department of State,
visit the U.S. Consular Service's website at http:/travel.state.gov/.
Whenever you travel for the government, you should take greater
responsibility for your own security. While traveling, be cautious
and use common sense at all times. You should also remember
that you represent your government and your department 24 hours
a day while on official business and that you should conduct
yourself accordingly. Adhering to these important principles
should cause you to be more aware of your surroundings and to
avoid unsavory people and unsafe situations. If an unusual occurrence
does take place, even if no physical harm is involved, report
it as soon as possible, when overseas, to the Regional Security
Officer at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate and, in all
cases, to OPDAT Headquarters.
If I have an accident in a rental car while on official travel,
who is responsible for the cost of the accident?
The Government is generally responsible for the cost of the
accident. But since rental cars used for official business may
not be insured through a binding contract between the rental
car agency and the Government, you may be required to take out
additional insurance at the time you initiate the lease, and
will be reimbursed if you do.
Refer to the OAG Official Traveler guide or the Department's
Travel Management Service for a list of the car rental agencies
with whom the Government has a binding contract.
If I get a ticket while using a rental car on official travel,
who is responsible for the cost of the ticket?
You are. Travelers, even government employees, operating any
vehicle for an official purpose are subject to citations issued
for all parking ordinance and traffic violations. Payment of
parking fines and/or moving violation fines are the personal
responsibility of the vehicle operator.
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