WEBVTT

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This video covers the most common

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reasons why an individual reservist's

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travel authorization or voucher may be

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returned in the Defense Travel System

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or DTS . To decrease processing time ,

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vouchers will be reviewed once from top

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to bottom and then returned with an

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explanation of the corrections that are

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needed . If there are any corrections

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that weren't made after re-signing and

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submitting your voucher , they will be

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completed for you and your voucher will

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be approved . In this video , we will

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walk through those common mistakes and

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give you tips to help you submit a

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complete and correct authorization or

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voucher . If you follow these tips ,

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you will avoid delays and get

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reimbursed faster . We'll begin with

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common return reasons for travel

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authorizations . Try troubleshooting

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these issues on your own to avoid

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delayed reimbursement . First , your

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authorization could be returned if you

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did not attach all substantiating

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documents that are relevant to your

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trip . Make sure you include your

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AF Form 40A with a colorized UTAPs

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calendar showing the days marked as

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paid in black . You will also need your

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AF Form 938 orders with any amendments

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or modifications to these orders . Your

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constructed travel worksheet , which is

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mandatory if you are driving more than

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400 miles one way , a fund site

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authorization letter for non-REO funded

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travel , and any receipts .

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Be sure you include the correct expense

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type when entering your expenses . A

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common mistake is selecting the private

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vehicle option in DTS instead of the

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government authorized privately owned

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vehicle or POV option . Be sure to

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select POV so that DTS applies the

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correct mileage rules . If you claim an

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unauthorized reimbursement , your

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authorization will be returned . For

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example , rental cars are never

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authorized for IDT . Keep in mind that

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rental cars are only authorized on

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travel days , not duty dates . This is

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one of the most common mistakes that

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causes delays in processing .

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If the location or travel dates do not

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exactly match the location and travel

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dates authorized in your orders , the

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voucher will not be approved . Even

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minor differences can cause rejections .

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For instance , if your order is

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authorized travel to Travis Air Force

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Base , California , but you enter

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Fairfield , California , your voucher

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will be denied . Similarly , if your

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order spans July 1st through the 15th

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but your DTS entry shows July 2nd

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through the 16th , your voucher will be

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returned without review .

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For IDT outside normal commuting

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distance , be sure to enter meals in

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the per diem screen by adjusting the

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daily meals and incidental expense or

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MNIE rate . The traveler will set the

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per diem in DTS to special meal rate ,

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enter 0 , then check the box titled in

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place . The in place box is key because

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without it checked , the system will

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default the traveler's first and last

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travel days to 75% MNIE rate .

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For annual training at a base with both

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lodging and dining facilities , per

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diem must be set to 0 . If your orders

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combine AT with IDT , IDT days must

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show 0 for MNIE . Displaced AT travel

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days qualify for MNIE .

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IDT lodging can be claimed on the same

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voucher . If you have multiple travel

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days , you might not always receive the

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75% MNIE rate .

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If you use the incorrect routing list ,

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your authorization will be returned .

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For convenience , each type of travel

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category now connects directly to

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routing list D F X A F R A R P

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C R I O R P A . Use this routing list

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whether you are submitting IDT lodging ,

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IDT travel , cross LOA or AT and

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RPA accounts .

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If you use the incorrect line of

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accounting , your authorization will be

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returned . To ensure lines of

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accounting or LOAs are correct , be

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sure to check that . The two digit

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fiscal year prefix matches your travel

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year . The LOA matches your order type ,

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AT , RPA , or MPA in your rank category .

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For example , with an annual tour LOA ,

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the 25 is the fiscal year , AT is the

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order's type , and OFF or ENLSO's

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officer versus enlisted . DTS will not

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automatically flag an expired or

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incorrect LOA . It is your

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responsibility to verify .

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Now , let's move on to the common

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reasons why a travel voucher may be

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returned . First , your voucher could

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be returned if you are missing required

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forms and supporting documentation . To

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avoid a return , make sure you have

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these items when submitting your

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voucher . Make sure that your voucher

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includes your AF Form 40A with the

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required 3 signatures or an unsigned

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40A with a colorized UTAPS calendar

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showing the days marked as paid in

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black . A copy of your AF Form 938

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orders . Also include all required

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receipts . These are IDT

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travel , all claimed expenses except

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tolls , other travel , airfare ,

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lodging , rental car , and any expenses

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over $75 . Constructed travel worksheet

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if you drove more than 400 miles one

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way instead of flying . If you already

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uploaded a constructed travel worksheet

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with your authorization , you do not

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need to upload another . Receipts must

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be legible , itemized , and retained as

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a PDF and DTS .

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Enter lodging costs by night exactly as

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on receipts . Do not average nightly

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rates . For non-foreign locations ,

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enter lodging costs only , no tax on

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the per diem page . Lodging taxes

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should be entered under expenses . For

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foreign locations , combine lodging and

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taxes in one per diem entry . Remember

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to include a colorized UTAP's calendar

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showing paid days . Paid days will be

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colored black . Also include unsigned

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40A's or assigned 40A .

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Your voucher may be returned if the

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lodging expense claim is not limited to

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the appropriate rate . Your lodging

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reimbursement is always limited to

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either the DOD rate , the DOD preferred

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rate , or the maximum locality rate if

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a non-availability statement is

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provided . IRS should be familiar with

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the DOD's integrated lodging Program or

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ILP when traveling . The ILP policy

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applies to all types of vouchers that

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contain lodging expense claims . If you

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are serving your orders at an ILP

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location , you are required to use DOD

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lodging , privatized lodging , or DOD

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preferred commercial lodging before

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other lodging options . Your

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reimbursement will be limited to the

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government rate if you don't stay at an

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ILP option and do not have proof of

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non-availability .

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Rental cars are never authorized for

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use at an IDT location . If your

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rental period includes both AT and IDT

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you must prorate the cost and only

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claim the portion associated with AT .

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Rental cars used for IDT outside the

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normal commuting distance are only

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authorized on travel days , not on duty

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dates . This is a frequent error that

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causes unnecessary rework and delays in

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voucher approval .

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Finally , your voucher may be returned

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if you are either missing receipts or

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the receipts you attached are not

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itemized or legible . Receipts should

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show a $0 balance or show that the

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balance due was paid .

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Now , let's talk about some best

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practices . These tips will help you

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avoid common mistakes and submit your

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authorizations and vouchers with ease .

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Keep a checklist of documents and steps

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for submitting authorizations and

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vouchers . Save your receipts and

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orders in clearly labeled folders .

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Review past approved vouchers for

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reference . Compare your orders and DTS

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entries side by side . Two of the most

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frequently made mistakes are location

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and date mismatches and failing to

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prorate rental cars . These mistakes

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are responsible for a significant

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number of reimbursement delays . Be

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sure to double-check these before

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submitting . Remember these items as

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you fill out your travel authorization

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and voucher . Before you travel , your

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authorization must be approved . You

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are required to file a travel voucher

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within 5 days of completing your orders .

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It is your responsibility to ensure

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your authorization and voucher are

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correct so they can be processed on

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time . And you can check the status of

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your authorizations and vouchers and

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DTS at any time .

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For more information , view HQ Real's

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other videos on submitting DTS travel

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authorizations and vouchers . For

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assistance , contact the HQ Real Travel

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reimbursement office , your unit RO

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representative or the DTS help desk .

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You can also visit HQ Rio's DTS

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resources , RioPay , and Buzz web pages ,

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as well as the Defense Travel

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Management Office's training library .

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Links to these resources are in this

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video's description .