Completing a Constructed Travel Worksheet Authorization

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1 03/25/2016 DEFENSE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT OFFICE Completing a Constructed Travel Worksheet Authorization I. Overview of Constructed Travel When triggered on an authorization, the DTS Constructed Travel pre-audit indicates that a constructed travel worksheet (CTW) may be required. A CTW is not required if your trip meets one of the following conditions: 1. You plan to use the transportation mode the AO directed. 2. You requested use of a different transportation mode, and the AO authorized its use as beneficial to the Government. Note: Use of a privately owned conveyance (POC) automobile or motorcycle only is always considered beneficial to the Government if the official driving distance will be 400 or fewer official miles per travel segment*, according to the Defense Table of Official Distance (DTOD). If either of the above conditions applies, you do not need to complete a CTW. Justify the Constructed Travel pre-audit flag by stating whichever condition applies. The AO will authorize the transportation mode and full transportation reimbursement. If neither condition applies, you must complete a CTW, and the AO will most likely limit your transportation reimbursement to the constructed transportation cost. ========== This outline is summarized in the flowchart on the next page. Consult your AO or DTA if you still do not know whether you need to complete a CTW. * A travel segment is any one-way journey: From the PDS to a TDY location From one TDY location to another TDY location From a TDY location to the PDS So in other words: A TDY to 1 location has 2 legs: PDS TDY1 TDY1 PDS A TDY to 2 locations has 3 legs: PDS TDY1 TDY1 TDY2 TDY2 PDS A TDY to 3 locations has 4 legs: PDS TDY1 TDY1 TDY2 TDY2 TDY 3 TDY3 PDS And so on Defense Travel Management Office This instruction has been reviewed by the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee staff in accordance with DoDI , Volume 5, dated 8 October 2015, as PDTATAC Case D

2 Flowchart Summarizing the Constructed Travel Process for Authorizations Notes: 1. The Traveler Instructions section of this document explains how to complete the CTW. 2. The AO Instructions section of this document outlines the considerations the AO will use to determine which transportation mode is advantageous to the Gov t. Defense Travel Management Office 2

3 II. Traveler Instructions When a CTW is required, complete the worksheet, electronically attach it to your authorization using the Substantiating Records screen, and justify the Constructed Travel pre-audit by stating that the CTW is attached. Your AO will use the CTW to decide whether to authorize full reimbursement for your travel expenses or to limit your reimbursement to the constructed transportation cost. Complete the CTW as follows: 1. Enter your Name and all your TDY Locations and Dates of Travel. 2. Calculate the Policy Constructed Transportation Cost. a. Line A: Enter the cost of the AO-directed transportation mode to, from, and between TDY locations only. The chart on the worksheet states the allowable costs. Do not include any other costs, such as in-and-around transportation costs (to include rental car) at any official location. The most common AO-directed transportation mode is commercial air. Use the following steps to obtain the constructed cost for commercial air: i. Use the Travel > Air screen to find flights, using the airports you would have used if you were traveling by commercial air. ii. Select the GSA Contract Airfare tab, which shows full-cost contract flights (aka, YCA fares). Do not select the GSA Contract w/ Limited Availability tab*; it shows _CA fares, which the JTR does not allow you to use in constructed costs. iii. Select the Price radio button to sort the results by cost, lowest cost first. Note that DTS posts the one-way cost; you ll have to double it to obtain the round-trip cost (after all, if you were flying to the TDY location, you d also probably fly home again). iv. Electronically attach to the authorization a copy of the DTS screen showing the total cost, including taxes and fees (except for CTO fees). Notes: 1. *If the GSA Contract Airfare tab does not display any flights, ask your CTO for the cost of the least expensive, unrestricted economy/coach class airfare including tax and fees (except for the CTO fee). 2. If the AO directed you to travel by bus or rail, use the estimated ticket cost, including taxes and fees (except for the CTO fee). 3. If the directed transportation mode is Gov t furnished automobile (e.g., motor pool vehicle), you ll almost always enter the estimated cost of gas and oil, plus any reimbursable expenses allowed by JTR, par G that will apply to your trip. However, JTR, par allows you to seek the POC mileage rate instead, in unusual circumstances. 4. Finally, if the AO directed en-route travel by rental car, enter the cost of the lowest cost rental car that is suitable for the mission, and add on any reimbursable expenses allowed by JTR, par G that will apply to your trip. Defense Travel Management Office 3

4 b. Line B Enter your standard CTO transaction fee, if any. If you are unsure what your CTO charges, consult your DTA or AO. c. The Total constructed cost (sum of Lines A and B) will be completed for you. 3. The Additional Comments text field is optional unless required by local policy. You may enter additional considerations per JTR, par B that are not part of the constructed transportation cost, but may help the AO decide whether the use of the requested transportation mode is to the Government's advantage. Please note that although you may enter cost information in this field, you may not include those costs in Lines A or B. The most common additional considerations are: a. If POC use will allow you to avoid renting a vehicle that would have been authorized at the TDY location, enter the total estimated cost savings to the Government. b. If you will transport other official Government travelers in your POC, enter each passenger s name and constructed transportation costs. 4. When the CTW is complete: a. Select Save at the bottom of the completed worksheet to save the file to your computer. b. Follow the usual DTS process for electronically attaching the document to your authorization. c. Mark the document as a constructed travel worksheet by checking the CTW checkbox on the Substantiating Records screen. d. (optional) Include the reason you are requesting this transportation mode in the justification for the Constructed Travel pre-audit. Defense Travel Management Office 4

5 III. AO Instructions After you submit the document as APPROVED, the Cost Comparison screen opens. This screen allows you to limit the traveler s transportation reimbursement to the constructed cost or to allow full reimbursement for travel. When the Cost Comparison screen opens: 1. Open the CTW from the DTS Substantiating Records screen. 2. Enter the amount on Line A of the CTW into the Transportation Expenses block. 3. Enter the amount on Line B of the CTW into the Expense Cost Factors block. DTS automatically calculates the Total Allowed Cost. 4. Compare the Preferred Trip Total to the Total Allowed Cost. Although the relative costs are a primary consideration, you may also want to consider other factors such as: a. Will authorizing the traveler s requested transportation mode incur additional per diem? b. Will there be costs for transporting equipment? c. Will multiple travelers be able to share transportation costs? d. What is the effect of travel on productive time? e. What is the potential for weather delays? Approving with limited reimbursement: If the traveler s requested transportation mode is not to the Government s advantage, you may still authorize its use, but limit the traveler s reimbursement to the constructed cost. To do so, check the Approve as Limited box, then select Approve and Continue to conclude the authorization process. Exception: Per JTR, par A1, you may only authorize rental car use that is to the Government s advantage. If en route rental car use is not to the Government s advantage, you may not authorize the request with limited reimbursement. Instead: 1. Select Cancel to return to the Digital Signature screen. 2. On the Digital Signature screen: a. Change the Submit this document as: selection to RETURNED. b. Use the Additional Remarks text box to inform the traveler they must select a different transportation mode. c. Select Submit Competed Document to return the document to the traveler. Defense Travel Management Office 5

6 Approving with no limited reimbursement: If the traveler s requested transportation mode is to the Government s advantage, do not check the Approve as Limited checkbox. Select Approve and Continue to conclude the authorization process. Caution: When POC use is not to the Government s advantage, you must limit the traveler s en-route transportation reimbursement to mileage only i. Current regulations specifically exclude reimbursing for enroute transportation expenses ii in this scenario. i Found on the Mileage Expenses screen as Expense Type Pvt Auto-TDY/TAD or Pvt Motorcycle-TDY/TAD. ii Although others are possible, the most commonly claimed en-route transportation expenses are parking and tolls. Both are found on the Non-Mileage Expenses screen. Expense Types are Parking-TDY/TAD and Tolls (highway bridge etc). Defense Travel Management Office 6