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HHA TRANSMITTAL 2000.02
HHS Travel Manual
Issue Date: 12/15/2000



Material transmitted

Table of Contents

Chapter 1-00 Plan of the Manual

Chapter 1-10 HHS Travel Policies

Chapter 1-20 Travel Planning

Chapter 3-30 Travel Reservations, Frequent Flyer Programs, OPDIV Travel Programs

Chapter 4-10 Transportation Expenses

Chapter 4-20 Miscellaneous Expenses

Chapter 9-00 Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998

Material superseded

Table of Contents (all pages: 2000.01)

Chapter 1-00 (all pages: 88.01)

Chapter 1-10 (all pages: 88.01)

Chapter 1-20 (all pages: 88.01)

Chapter 4-00 (all pages: 88.01)

Chapter 4-10 (all pages: 88.01)

Chapter 4-20 (all pages: 88.01)

Chapter 9-00 (all pages: 2000.01)

Labor-Management Responsibilities

Recognized unions with national consultation rights have had the opportunity to review and comment on the material contained in this transmittal.

Prior to implementation, Operating Divisions are responsible for providing their recognized bargaining units with a copy of this transmittal and giving them an opportunity to fully exercise their representational rights.

Operating and Staff Divisions are responsible for notifying their employees of any negotiated changes to the material contained in this transmittal and the implementation date.

Background

• Chapter 1-00, Plan of the Manual, is updated. It specifies an Internet Website for an electronic version of the HHS Travel Manual, as we update chapters from the hard copy 1988 version.
• Chapter 1-10, HHS Travel Policies, is new. It defines the relationship of the HHS Travel Manual to the Federal Travel Regulation and explains the focus of the HHS Travel Manual as being financial management policies for HHS civilian employees. It also provides a copy of HHS Delegations of Travel Authority memoranda, issued in 1996, as an exhibit for easy reference.
• Chapter 1-20, Travel Planning, is renumbered from 1-10 and contains updated material. It references the provisions of Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) Amendment 89, Conference Planning, which were effective governmentwide for travel on or after January 14, 2000, and provides supplemental HHS policies that will go into effect, at the Department level, with the issuance of this revised chapter. It replaces the previous Chapter 1-20, Classes of Travel - Required Documents, which is deleted.
• Chapter 3-30, Travel Reservations, Frequent Flyer Programs, OPDIV Travel Programs is new.
• Section 3-30-10, Mandatory Use of Government Travel Management Services for Reservations, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-50, Arranging for Travel Services, that requires employees to use Government-provided travel management services to arrange for common carrier transportation, lodging, and rental car, when these services are provided by the agency. Provides two HHS policy exceptions that will go into effect, at the Department level, with the issuance of this revised chapter.
• Section 3-30-20, Frequent Traveler Programs and Promotional Materials, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-53, Using Promotional Materials and Frequent Traveler Programs. There are no major changes to the previous HHS Travel Manual policy that was stated in superseded Section 4-20-30, Use of Frequent Flyer and Other Similar Airline Promotions, HHS Transmittal 88.01, dated May 31, 1988.
• Section 3-30-30, OPDIV Travel Management Programs, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-73, Travel Programs, and other FTR provisions that require agencies to have travel management services/systems in place by January 1, 2001 and to use Government-issued travel cards or centrally-billed charge accounts to procure travel services to the maximum extent possible.
• Chapter 4-10, Transportation Expenses, replaces and updates Chapters 4-00, Passenger Travel and Allowances - General Information and 4-10, Transportation Requests.
• Section 4-10-20, Transportation Method, Travel Routing, and Tips, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-10, Subpart A, General – Transportation Expenses. It sets HHS policy on a limitation for transportation tips of 15 percent of the service cost; for free services, the maximum is $2 which will go into effect, at the Department level, with the issuance of this revised chapter.
• Section 4-10-30, Procuring Common Carrier Transportation, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-10, Subpart A, General – Transportation Expenses, Part 301-51, Subpart B, Paying for Common Carrier Transportation, and Part 301-72, Agency Responsibilities Related to Common Carrier Transportation.
• Section 4-10-40, Mandatory Use of Contract Fares and When Cannot Use, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-10, Subpart B, Use of Contract City-Pair Fares.
• Section 4-10-50, Coach Class and When Higher Class Accommodation Upgrades Allowed, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-10, Subpart B, Airline, Train, and Ship Accommodations.
• Section 4-10-60, Fly America Act and U.S. Flag Ship Requirements, references Federal Travel Regulation Amendment 74, Use of Commercial Transportation, Fly America Act and Part 301-10, Subpart B, Airline, Train, and Ship Accommodations.
• Section 4-10-70, Compensation from Airline for Denial of Seat Versus Voluntarily Vacating Seat, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-10, Subpart B, Common Carrier Transportation.
• Section 4-10-80, Use of Privately Owned Vehicles, Rental Cars, and Other Special Conveyances, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-10, Subpart D, Privately Owned Vehicles and Subpart E, Special Conveyances.
• Section 4-10-90, Internal Controls Over the Authorization and Payment of Transportation Expenses, references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-70, Subpart B, Internal Policy and Procedure Requirements Relating to Transportation and Part 301-72, Agency Responsibilities Related to Common Carrier Transportation.
• Chapter 4-20, Miscellaneous Expenses, replaces and updates Chapter 4-20, Allowances Other Than Per Diem. It references Federal Travel Regulation Part 301-12, Miscellaneous Expenses and Federal Travel Regulation Amendment 75, General and Temporary Duty Travel Allowances.
• Hotel taxes became a separate miscellaneous expense item effective 1/1/99 for continental U.S. and 1/1/00 for non-foreign duty areas. Previously, they were included in lodging per diem rates issued by GSA and DOD, respectively. Note: for foreign travel, they are still included in per diem rates issued by the State Department and are not a miscellaneous expense item.
• HHS policy for telephone calls for personal reasons is amended for domestic travel (remains the same for foreign travel). The two night minimum requirement is retained and reimbursement remains on a daily basis. The domestic allowance is for an authorized average one call per day; reimbursement is limited to actual expenses not to exceed an amount equal to $5 times the number of consecutive days on the trip. There is no restriction as to the location or person the employee is calling for personal reasons.
• HHS policy for laundry is new, based upon Federal Travel Regulation Amendment 75, 1999 Maximum Per Diem Rates for CONUS. This Amendment took laundry reimbursement out of the "$2 incidentals" part of the per diem rates for travel in continental U.S. only and made it a miscellaneous expense (subject to a four-night minimum requirement), effective 1/1/99. The HHS allowance is $5 times the number of consecutive nights on the trip for the first 30 days at a temporary duty travel location. The allowance is reduced for long-term temporary duty travel assignments. Under unusual circumstances, a higher allowance may be authorized if justified as officially necessary. For travel outside of the continental U.S., laundry remains part of the per diem rates issued by the State Department and DOD and is not a miscellaneous expense item.
• Chapter 9-00, Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998, updates Sections 9-00-10, Mandatory Travel Card Use, and 9-00-20, Late Payment Penalties for Travel Vouchers, to incorporate the provisions of Federal Travel Regulation Amendment 92, which became effective April 21, 2000 and applies to travel performed on or after May 1, 2000.
• GSA determined that most relocation expenses (excluding en route travel and househunting expenses) are not technically "travel" expenses. Therefore, these relocation expenses are exempt from mandatory use of the Government contractor-issued travel charge card and also from the related requirement for agencies to reimburse employees for proper travel vouchers within 30 calendar days of submission to the approving office (or else to pay interest).
• En route travel and househunting expenses are still covered under the mandatory travel card use and voucher payment provisions.
• GSA pushed back the date by which agencies must notify employees "within seven working days" of any error that would prevent payment of their vouchers within 30 calendar days of submission from: February 29, 2000 to: May 1, 2002. Currently, the requirement is for agencies to notify employees of any error "as soon as practicable after they submit a travel claim."

Section 9-00-60, Payment Audits of Transportation Bills, is new. This is the last GSA regulation to go into effect (October 1, 2000) implementing the Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998. It requires agencies to audit all transportation bills before payment is made, unless they obtain approval of a waiver request from GSA Transportation Audit Division.

Filing Instructions

Remove superseded material and replace with the new material. Post receipt of this transmittal to the HHS Checklist of Transmittals and file this transmittal in sequential order after the checklist.

/S/

George Strader
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Finance