Allowances for Travel From a Military Member's Permanent Station to a Carrier Terminal

The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force requested a decision concerning whether Volume 1 of the Joint Travel Regulations (1 JTR) may be amended to authorize a monetary allowance computed on a mileage basis and reimbursement for parking fees for members of the uniformed services and their dependents when performing authorized travel using privately owned vehicles to travel to a common carrier terminal which is neither within nor adjacent to the boundaries of their permanent duty station. The regulations now permit payment of a monetary allowance based on round-trip mileage between a member's residence or official station and the common carrier terminal. Parking fees incurred at the terminal when the member is driven in his automobile to or from the airport by a friend or relative who is not traveling on official business is also allowable. Subject to the constructive cost limitation based upon common carrier or taxi costs, one allowance computed on round-trip mileage at the beginning and one at the end of a temporary duty trip plus applicable parking fees is allowed. The effect of the proposed revision would be to authorize a monetary allowance on a mileage basis and reimbursement for parking fees for members and their dependents in a travel status who travel to a common carrier terminal not within or adjacent to their permanent duty station on the same basis as current regulations authorize when the carrier terminal is within the boundaries of or adjacent to the permanent station. In a prior decision, GAO authorized the payment of mileage and the reimbursement of parking fees to a civilian employee of the Government who used a privately owned conveyance for transportation to the airport in connection with temporary duty away from his permanent station. This entitlement was limited to the extent that it could not exceed the normal taxi fares. Subsequently, various decisions relating to entitlements of members of the uniformed services in connection with travel by privately owned conveyance from a residence or permanent duty station to a local carrier terminal were issued authorizing entitlements to members on a basis similar to that applicable to civilian employees. Whether travel payments should be limited to travel to and from the prime terminal serving the area is more a matter for administrative determination. Accordingly, GAO would not object to amendments to 1 JTR, made within the limitations of this decision.