Army National Guard: Inefficient, Error-Prone Process Results in Travel Reimbursement Problems for Mobilized Soldiers

DOD responded to the recommendation by revising the Army's policy guidance for mobilized personnel (Personnel Policy Guidance) and issuing instructions requiring the Army Guard's order-writing system (Automated Fund Control Order System-AFCOS) to add a statement to the standard format for mobilization orders for Army Guard soldiers. The statement is, "Meals and lodging will be provided at no cost to the soldier." The inclusion of this statement on the orders should help prevent future charges to mobilized Army Guard soldiers for meals in government dining facilities.

In response to our recommendation, the Army revised its Personnel Policy Guidance (PPG) by specifying use of a standard SNA form (Government Quarters and/or Mess, DD Form 1351-5) and requiring standard data, such as the date(s) meals and lodging are not available, that must be included on the SNA form. Compliance with the standardized SNA form and content should help travel computation office reviewers determine the validity of SNAs more consistently.

DOD revised and re-issued the Army's Personnel Policy Guidance which now includes 5 separate situational examples to facilitate decisions regarding issuance of Statements of Non-availability to mobilized soldiers for their living quarters and meals.

In response to our recommendation, DOD updated its FMR to be consistent with TTRA and federal travel regulations by requiring payment of applicable interest and fees at the time the voucher is processed instead of requiring the traveler to submit a request for late payment interest and fees before these amounts are paid.

In response to our recommendation, the Army National Guard Financial Services Center, previously designated as the ombudsman for pay issues, has been given additional responsibility for resolving travel reimbursement problems encountered by Army Guard soldiers. Soldiers can contact the ombudsman directly via email or toll-free hotline and the ombudsman will coordinate actions necessary to resolve travel reimbursement issues. The ombudsman's phone number and email address have been published on a wide variety of media, including soldiers' leave and earning statements and travel-specific guidance contained in the Army National Guard Citizen Soldier's Guide to Mobilization Finance.

In response to our recommendation, the Army has begun to use Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) weekly reports that have been modified to more accurately reflect the reasons travel vouchers are rejected. These reports identify the total number of vouchers with errors, the specific errors that caused voucher rejections, and the number of vouchers rejected for each type of error. Through a combination of process changes and increased training, the return of incomplete travel reimbursement claims to soldiers, including Army National Guard troops, has dropped from about 20% to the 12% range. The availability of weekly DFAS reports on rejected travel vouchers is a tool that should help the Army further improve the quality of the travel reimbursement program over time.

DOD responded to the recommendation by developing resources and taking measures to provide more effective unit-level reviews of travel vouchers. For example, the Army published a detailed travel voucher review checklist that was incorporated into the Army National Guard Unit Level Pay Procedures Manual and the Army Mobilization Finance Standing Operating Procedures. The checklist was also distributed to travel voucher reviewers at the various demobilization stations. Additionally, the reviewer's responsibilities were incorporated into the ongoing distance learning classes designated for mobilizing unit commanders who have primary responsibility for ensuring their soldiers' travel vouchers are properly documented and authorized. With these enhancements in place, the Army, in conjunction with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, continues to monitor performance related to timely travel voucher processing.

Acting on our recommendation, DFAS has begun analyzing supplemental vouchers, and has revised the weekly travel report it prepares and provides to Army customers to include this analysis. Historical supplemental voucher data was analyzed by DFAS for the period June 1, 2004 through January 31, 2005. Based on a statistical sample of these supplemental vouchers, DFAS reported that 70% of the claims were a result of traveler error while 30% were errors on the part of DFAS voucher examiners. The most common traveler errors were missing documentation (statements of non-availability (SNA), receipts, and/or orders) and incorrectly filled-out itineraries. The most common CTO errors were incorrect meals reimbursement due to misinterpreting/missing SNAs and incorrect daily lodging calculations. By monitoring and analyzing this supplemental voucher data on a continuous basis, DFAS will be able to identify recurring problems, and work with Army management to develop solutions for improving the quality of the travel reimbursement program over time.

DFAS is tracking all incoming calls and the reasons for the calls to document the types and frequency of travel-related problems reported to the toll-free number. This data is summarized in a monthly report. In addition each caller is provided with a voluntary customer survey to complete after their call to DFAS is finalized. The monthly reports and survey results should help DFAS monitor customer service and help target areas where training or improved guidance may be warranted.

To address this recommendation, DOD expanded its requirement for a financial briefing, provided to soldiers during mobilization and demobilization processing, to include specific training on travel entitlements and submission of travel claims. Demobilization stations are also now required to assist soldiers in completing their travel claims. To supplement this training and additional assistance, the Army National Guard and Army Reserve distribute soldier pay handbooks, travel entitlement flyers, and travel claim submission and review checklists to soldiers at mobilization/demobilization stations.

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service reviewed the travel-related issues for the soldiers with problems identified in our report and performed additional work that included a complete review of travel issues for all 1,235 soldiers in the 10 case study units. Travel claims by soldiers were reviewed and resolved on a case by case basis by paying per diem, reversing invalid debts or collecting valid debts for improper per diem payments.

In response to our recommendation, DFAS reiterated current policies associated with TTRA by reissuing Travel Technical Message 04-10, Subject: Procedures for Paying Interest on Travel Vouchers, to all Army activities, including the National Guard, which requires travel offices to use the WINIATS liaison screen to track the appropriate dates used to identify travel vouchers paid late. In addition, specific instructions to activate the liaison screen and to input required dates are now incorporated in the revised WINIATS User Guide which is included with WINIATS software updates sent to travel computation offices. Proper implementation of this guidance will help provide the data needed for management oversight and compliance with TTRA.

DFAS developed a WINIATS web-based training module for the National Guard Bureau (NGB) website and other training material that included charts on the use of the WINIATS Liaison Screen for capturing the dates relevant to travel voucher processing. In addition, NGB contracted for a training class on WINIATS to provide training for all USPFOs that serve Army Guard travel voucher processing needs and held National Conferences in March and June 2006 during which Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) staff presented WINIATS training. A DFAS official informed us that future updated releases of WINIATS software will include instructions on how to enter data on the WINIATS Liaison Screen. This training should help improve the travel voucher processing skills of USPFO travel voucher technicians and, in turn, help DOD comply with TTRA requirements.

In response to our recommendation, WINIATS software version 6.0.4 was released to all travel offices in April 2005 that included edit check procedures for the key travel date fields that are manually entered--the period of travel, the dates the traveler and reviewer signed the voucher, and the date the travel computation office received the voucher. For example, WINIATS edits on date fields to ensure that future dates are not input in the system. In addition, all date fields must be completed or WINIATS will not allow the travel voucher examiner to complete the review of the claim. As designed, this edit function should help improve the availability and reliability of travel dates that are manually entered into WINIATS.

The Army, in conjunction with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), has developed metrics to monitor performance related to timely travel voucher processing and compliance with TTRA. These metrics include the number of travel vouchers processed by the DFAS Contingency Travel Operations Office during the month, the number of these vouchers that were not paid within 30 days of proper voucher submission, as required, and the dollar value of TTRA payments applicable to these vouchers.

At the Army's request, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service reviewed 126,220 potential travel vouchers that may have been due interest. Of these vouchers, DFAS identified 19,189 vouchers for which soldiers were entitled to receive TTRA payments. DFAS collectively paid these soldiers $84,515 or an average of $4.40 per voucher.

Where applicable, DFAS has processed and paid interest on most of the specific claims identified by GAO. Additionally, DFAS completed a 100% review of over 120,000 potential claims that may have been due interest. Of those claims, over 19,000 were entitled to receive interest due to late payment, and were paid interest totaling about $85,000.

In response to our recommendation, DFAS developed enhancements to the WINIATS' liaison screen that requires travel voucher technicians to enter specific information about each claim that, in turn, allows the WINIATS system to properly compute interest if the processing time frame requires it to be paid. Continued use of this system enhancement of WINIATS should help ensure compliance with TTRA.