PART I: TERMS AND DEFINITIONS FOR PURPOSES OF TRAVEL
PART II: LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND MANDATES
Travel and Transportation Reform Act (TTRA) of 1998
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2006
OMB Circular A-123, Appendix B
Joint Travel Regulations (JTR)
Department of State Standardized Regulations for Government Civilians in Foreign Areas
Contract Fares - see City Pair Program
PART III: THE CIVILIAN BOARD OF CONTRACT APPEALS
1. Why was the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals established?
2. What happened to the General Services Board of Contract Appeals?
3. What types of cases are heard by the CBCA?
5. Who, and what authority, allow an advance decision from the CBCA?
6. What is the Comptroller General’s authority compared to the CBCA?
7. What is the role of the Administrator of the General Services Administration?
9. What is the purpose of the FTR?
10. Why is it important for agencies to have written travel policies?
11. What specific policies are agencies required to establish for travel?
13. What are the traveler’s responsibilities?
Approving Official Responsibilities
14. When authorizing travel, what factors must the authorizing official consider?
15. What key questions should an approving official consider when authorizing travel?
16. What is the purpose of the travel authorization process?
17. What are the basic types of travel authorizations allowable for travel?
18. What information is required on a travel authorization?
19. What types of conditions or limitations may be stated on a travel authorization?
21. Who and what determine a traveler’s mode of transportation for travel?
22. What travel arrangements require specific authorization or prior approval?
24. Can a traveler use a personal passport for official government travel?
25. Can a traveler be reimbursed for passport and visa fees?
26. Who determines whether or not a traveler is exempt from the fee for an official passport?
27. What other passport and visa fees are reimbursable?
28. How can a traveler obtain health information for the country he/she will be traveling to?
30. Can an official passport be used for personal travel?
31. Can a traveler pick up an official passport from the passport facility?
32. For how long must a passport for official travel be valid?
33. When is host country clearance required?
34. What is host country clearance?
35. What will happen if a traveler does not get host country clearance?
36. Is U.S. embassy clearance also required?
37. Can U.S. embassy clearance for travel be denied?
38. Can the embassy or consulate provide interpreters, stenographers, video equipment, etc.?
39. How do I report a lost or stolen passport?
41. Can an agency pay the transportation expenses of an employee’s dependents during an evacuation?
42. How can an agency track its overseas travelers in the event of civil unrest?
44. For what expenses may a traveler receive a travel advance?
45. What is the maximum amount that an agency may advance?
46. When must a traveler account for an advance?
47. What is general agency policy governing the use of travel advances?
49. For how long may an agency issue a travel advance?
50. What data must an agency capture in its travel advance accounting system?
51. When must an employee account for a travel advance?
52. May travelers be reimbursed for stolen travel advances?
56. What internal policies and procedures must an agency establish governing travel advances?
58. What does last seat availability mean?
59. What is a capacity control fare and how does it differ from a YCA fare?
60. Under what circumstances can non-contract fares be used?
61. Can a contract fare be used for personal travel?
62. Can personal travel be combined with official travel?
63. Does GSA establish all per diem rates?
65. What does the per diem allowance cover?
66. What is a standard CONUS location?
67. When is a traveler eligible for per diem or travel allowances?
68. For purposes of per diem, when does TDY travel begin and end?
69. When is travel time considered hours of work?
70. Is per diem based on a traveler’s PDS or official residence?
71. Is a traveler required to record departure and arrival dates and times on a travel claim?
73. What are the per diem entitlements for travel less than 12 hours?
74. What if the travel is more than 12 hours but less than 24 hours?
75. What if the travel is 24 hours or more?
76. What are the types of reimbursable per diem expense methods?
77. When can a traveler claim actual expense reimbursement instead of the standard per diem rate?
78. Is per diem based on the TDY or lodging location?
81. What additional travel expenses may an agency pay to accommodate a special need?
83. What are the rules for invitational travel reimbursement?
84. Can an employee accept monies from a non-federal source for invitational travel?
PAYING FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES WITH A CONTRACTOR-ISSUED GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CHARGE CARD
85. What are some best practices for managing cardholders?
86. What are some best practices for A/OPC program management?
90. What expenses are exempt from mandatory use of the government travel charge card?
96. What is considered misuse/abuse and fraudulent use of a government travel charge card?
97. What actions by the cardholder could be considered misuse or abuse?
98. What are the consequences for misuse of a government travel charge card?
99. What are some helpful hints for cardholders regarding travel card use?
105. What is the maximum amount a traveler can be reimbursed for parking a car at the airport?
109. If a traveler shares a room with a co-worker, how is the lodging reimbursement calculated?
110. Can a traveler separate lodging taxes for foreign travel?
116. Can a traveler be reimbursed for flight insurance?
119. When can an agency authorize a rest period?
121. When can a traveler upgrade an airline ticket above coach-class accommodations?
122. What are the classes of accommodations for air travel?
123. When may a traveler fly first class?
124. When may an agency authorize/approve business-class accommodations?
127. What other exceptions are acceptable to travel in first-class or business-class accommodations?
128. Can other-than-coach-class accommodations be authorized for travel on a foreign carrier?
129. Can blanket authorization be used for other-than-coach class accommodations?
130. What does “U.S. flag air carrier” mean?
131. What is a code-share agreement?
132. What information is required from a traveler when a foreign carrier is used?
139. What must the certification for using a foreign air carrier include?
141. When can a traveler use Open Skies?
142. What are the exceptions for Open Skies?
143. What’s an extra-fare train?
144. When can a traveler use an extra-fare train?
145. When can a traveler use train accommodations above coach class?
151. What does the mileage rate cover?
153. Can a traveler be reimbursed for insurance while renting a car for official travel?
157. What is the government administrative rate supplement?
158. Is a traveler required to rent a vehicle through the DTMO rental program?
163. When should per diem be adjusted for meals?
164. What are the exceptions for not deducting a furnished meal?
MISCELLANEOUS & INCIDENTAL EXPENSES
166. What baggage fees are reimbursable?
167. Is curbside baggage check-in a reimbursable expense?
170. When can an agency disallow payment of a claimed item?
171. What will the agency do when it disallows an expense?
172. What must a traveler do to challenge a disallowed expense?
173. Who is considered to be “family” with respect to emergency travel?
174. When an illness or injury occurs on TDY, what expenses Are allowed?
PART VI: WHEN YOU RETURN FROM TRAVEL
175. When is a traveler required to submit a travel claim?
176. What must a traveler provide with a travel claim?
177. What can a traveler do if a receipt is lost or misplaced?
178. When are receipts required?
179. How long should receipts be retained?
182. How are “constructive costs” calculated?
184. What is “split pay” or “split disbursement” and how can an exemption be obtained?
185. What authority requires the use of split disbursement, which is not required by the FTR?
186. What happens if a traveler is late paying the charges on his/her IBA?
188. What is the maximum amount an agency may collect from an employee’s disposable pay?
189. What can an IBA cardholder do if he/she notices an erroneous charge?
190. Is an agency required to reimburse a traveler who refuses reimbursement?
191. What are the definitions of a conference, meeting, and training?
192. What cost-saving tools are available to government conference planners?
193. Can an agency provide a conference “memory” book to conference attendees?
194. Can an agency hosting a conference provide meals to non-federal employees?
196. What is the definition of light refreshments?
198. Why is budgeting important to conference planning?
199. How can an agency mitigate the risk of inappropriate spending practices for conferences?
PART VIII: MEMBERSHIPS IN TRAVEL REWARDS PROGRAMS
203. Can a traveler be reimbursed for an airline ticket obtained using frequent-flyer miles?
206. Should a relocating employee follow the FTR, GSA guidance, or agency policy?
207. Has GSA issued a policy guide for relocation?
210. What other resources does GSA provide to assist employees with relocations?
211. Are the relocation resource centers endorsed by GSA?
212. What are the guiding principles for federal relocation managers?
213. Who is eligible for relocation allowances?
214. Are any individuals not eligible for relocation allowances?
215. What are the types of relocations?
216. What types of employees can be relocated?
217. Are all types of relocation expenses reimbursable?
219. What is a transferee or transferred employee?
220. What are the types of transfers?
221. What are the types of separation relocations?
222. What determines an employee’s entitlements and allowances for relocation?
223. What are the mandatory and discretionary benefits?
224. What are the mandatory elements under the FTR for most relocations?
225. What is a service agreement?
226. What is a duplicate reimbursement disclosure statement?
227. When is a service agreement required?
228. When is a service agreement not needed or required?
229. How long is a service agreement?
231. Can an employee be penalized for violating a service agreement?
232. When is a decision beyond the employee’s control for an employee to break a service agreement?
233. What happens if an employee fails to sign a service agreement?
234. Can a service agreement be voided by a subsequent service agreement?
238. Can an employee rely on the shipper’s estimate?
240. Can an agency revoke relocation allowances verbally?
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