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CHAPTER 3
TRAVEL ALLOWANCES
The processing of travel claims is perhaps the most
complex area of disbursing you will encounter. This is
because it will require you to deal with so many
variables, such as the time of day, method of travel, type
of orders, and location. As a senior DK, you must have
extensive knowledge about how you should handle
these complexities. First, you must have an intimate
knowledge of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations
(JFTR), Volume 1, and Navy Travel Instructions (NTI).
You must also have a thorough understanding of the
applicable accounting procedures, appropriations,
decisions of the Comptroller General of the United
States, and local rules and regulations. Since settlement
within 10 working days of receipt of a travel claim is
required, promptness and accuracy in paying claims are
ongoing pressures. This chapter is intended to give you
an overview of some areas you must understand to
handle these pressures and responsibilities successfully.
This chapter will not cover the fundamentals of
travel claims or provide you with introductory
information on this subject. For fundamental
information, we recommend you review Disbursing
Clerk 3 & 2, NAVEDTRA 12658, which introduces and
explains several travel claim topics, It covers topics
such as general permanent change of station (PCS)
allowances, temporary lodging expenses, temporary
duty advances, and travel allowances. The information
you will read about in this chapter will go beyond the
basics. In this chapter, you will read about the
following topics:
Activities responsible for the administration of
travel
Dislocation Allowance (DLA)
Active duty for training travel
Special travel categories
Travel expenses not payable by the government
Control of waste, fraud, and abuse in travel
claims
ADMINISTRATION OF TRAVEL
As a senior DK working in a travel section, you will
have a dual responsibility in the administration of
travel. You will be responsible to the disbursing officer
(DO) to make certain proper payments are made and to
the Navy to ensure the economical use of its available
funds is being carried out. When the money is not
available, needed travel cannot be performed. The
administration of travel is mainly concerned with
obtaining money resources to fulfill the Navy’s needs
and managing those resources once they are obtained.
DKs can provide valuable advice in the use of this
funding to help the Navy maximize benefits derived
from it.
As we examine the offices involved in the
administration of travel, two points must be
remembered. First, the duties of the offices are separate
and unique. Second, the overall responsibilities are
mutually shared. This may sound confusing, but look
at it this way. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is
responsible for fulfilling the assigned mission of the
Navy. This mission brings the various offices together
for a common purpose. At the same time, these offices
require individual accountability. Keep these points in
mind as we look at the various offices concerned with
Navy travel.
BUREAU OF NAVAL PERSONNEL
In the Navy’s mission, the Bureau of Naval
Personnel (BUPERS) is responsible for meeting the
quantitative and qualitative manpower requirements of
the Navy. This means BUPERS must assign the
required number of personnel to do Navy jobs on a
timely basis, regardless of location. To accomplish this
part of the Navy’s mission, CNO has designated
BUPERS (PERS 332) as the manager of
Navy-sponsored passenger transportation. As such,
BUPERS is responsible for administering the Navy’s
program for the worldwide movement of
Navy-sponsored passengers.
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