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Take possession of all disbursing spaces, keys,
and property, and seal the safe(s).
Appoint a board of at least three disinterested but
qualified officers to inventory the vouchers, funds, and
property on hand.
Appoint a suitable person to act as custodian of
the vouchers, funds, and property; or take charge of the
vouchers, funds, and property involved and perform the
duties of the DO.
Notify DFAS-CL by message of all actions taken
a n d p r o v i d e a n i n f o r m a t i o n c o p y t o
DFAS-Headquarters and the applicable FIPC receiving
the financial reports.
The CO can authorize a deputy to continue to
disburse the accounts under the name of the absent DO
for a period of time up through the last day of the second
month following the month of absence. During this
period, the deputy—not the DO—will be responsible
for all acts performed under this authority. Whether it
is a deputy or another accountable person appointed by
the CO to act for the absent DO, the acting accountable
DO is also responsible for rendering the reports and
returns in the same manner that was required of the
person he or she was appointed to replace. The returns
of an acting accountable DO must not be merged either
with those of the relieved DO or with those submitted
by the regular relief after the regular relief assumes
duties.
Sometimes, a deputy will be located at a different
activity. A common example is when a deputy is
assigned to a branch located on an activity different
from that of his or her DO. The CO of the activity where
the deputy is assigned must immediately notify the
accountable DO of the deputy’s absence in cases of
emergency. Such cases include death, incapacity,
unauthorized absence, or arrest. If practical, the
accountable DO, in the presence of a competent
witness, should inventory the vouchers, funds, and
property involved.
If that is not practical, the
accountable DO should request the appointment of a
board to take the inventory and a suitable person to take
custody until he or she can perform the inventory. The
request should be made to the CO of the activity at
which the branch is located.
DISPOSITION OF RETAINED DISBURSING
RECORDS UPON DETACHMENT
OF A DISBURSING OFFICER
When a DO detaches, copies of returns and
vouchers, books, records, and any other associated
papers (located ashore or afloat) should be retained as
government property. They should be readily
accessible to the acting or incoming DO or a duly
authorized settlement officer.
As a senior DK, you may encounter some of the
responsibilities for these records. Therefore, you need
to know the specific procedures to follow for the storage
and disposition of retained disbursing records when a
DO is detached from disbursing duty.
General Storage and Disposition Requirements
Generally, unclassified records will require no
special security precautions and can be stored in regular
open files or cabinets.
Retained records should be
destroyed when they are 1 year old. When a DO is
relieved by another DO, the retained records should be
left in the custody of the relieving officer for settlement
action.
Procedures for Ashore Units
At an ashore activity, retained records less than 1
year old will be transferred to the relieving DO as a part
of the relief process. When the records are 1 year old,
the relieving DO will destroy them. When a disbursing
office is being deactivated, the retained records should
be packaged and mailed to the office designated to settle
the accounts. When the records are 1 year old, the
designated settlement office will destroy them.
Procedures for Afloat Units
Since afloat units have very limited storage space,
their procedures are different. When a DO afloat is
relieved of duty by another DO, the relieving officer
will retain the relieved officer’s retained records for a
period of 90 days from the date of relief. After the
90-day period, the retained records of the relieved
officer will be packaged and forwarded to the
appropriate FIPC. The FIPC will retain the records
until the expiration of the 1-year retention period.
If the afloat unit is deployed, the retained records
will not be forwarded until it returns to its home port
and the 90-day retention period is met. If the DO is
detached without relief because of deactivation of the
office or decommissioning of the ship, the retained
records will be forwarded to the appropriate FIPC. The
FIPC will destroy them when they are 1 year old. The
DODFMR, Volume 5, chapter 19, gives the required
groupings for the storage of records of afloat units.
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