B-120688, AUGUST 20, 1954, 34 COMP. GEN. 84
Highlights
WOULD HAVE LANDED AT WASHINGTON. IS ENTITLED TO MILEAGE FOR AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL FOR THE DISTANCE FROM WASHINGTON TO CAMP KILMER NOT TO EXCEED THE DISTANCE ACTUALLY TRAVELED FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER. THE OFFICER WAS RELEASED FROM ASSIGNMENT AND DUTY IN JAPAN AND ASSIGNED TO CAMP KILMER. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO FORT BRAGG. HE WAS PAID $44.31 ON VOUCHER 253 IN YOUR FEBRUARY 1954 ACCOUNTS REPRESENTING MILEAGE FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER ($10.62). IN THIS CONNECTION IT APPEARS THE OFFICE OF CHIEF OF TRANSPORTATION HAS FURNISHED A MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE SCHEDULE SHOWING THAT THE OFFICER COULD HAVE DEPARTED TOKYO ON OCTOBER 29. YOU QUESTION AS TO THE METHOD OF COMPUTATION ARISES FROM THE BELIEF THAT HAD THE TRAVEL BEEN EASTWARD ACROSS THE UNITED STATES BY MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT THE OFFICER WOULD HAVE PROCEEDED TO WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE FROM WASHINGTON BY AIR.
B-120688, AUGUST 20, 1954, 34 COMP. GEN. 84
MILEAGE - ROUTES - CIRCUITOUS - DEDUCTION FOR TRAVEL BY GOVERNMENTAL AIRCRAFT AN ARMY OFFICER WHO ON CHANGE OF STATION FROM JAPAN TO CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY, TRAVELS BY CIRCUITOUS ROUTE ON GOVERNMENT AIRPLANE TO WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE AND THENCE BY PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILE TO CAMP KILMER, A DISTANCE OF 177 MILES, AND WHO, HAD AIR TRAVEL BEEN BY MOST DIRECT USUALLY TRAVELED ROUTE, WOULD HAVE LANDED AT WASHINGTON, D.C., A DISTANCE OF 195 MILES FROM CAMP KILMER, IS ENTITLED TO MILEAGE FOR AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL FOR THE DISTANCE FROM WASHINGTON TO CAMP KILMER NOT TO EXCEED THE DISTANCE ACTUALLY TRAVELED FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER.
ACTING COMPTROLLER GENERAL WEITZEL TO COLONEL J. W. MCMANUS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, AUGUST 20, 1954:
THERE HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE CHIEF OF FINANCE BY SECOND ENDORSEMENT DATED JULY 8, 1954, YOUR LETTER OF JUNE 28, 1954, SUBMITTING FOR ADVANCE DECISION A VOUCHER STATED IN FAVOR OF CHAPLAIN ( LIEUTENANT COLONEL) EMMETT G. JONES, 10401170, IN THE SUM OF $23.78, REPRESENTING ADDITIONAL TRAVEL ALLOWANCE FOR HIS TRAVEL FROM TOKYO, JAPAN, TO FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, VIA CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY.
BY LETTER ORDERS NO. 10-682-C, OCTOBER 23, 1953, THE OFFICER WAS RELEASED FROM ASSIGNMENT AND DUTY IN JAPAN AND ASSIGNED TO CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY, FOR FURTHER ASSIGNMENT. THE ORDERS AUTHORIZED CIRCUITOUS TRAVEL VIA VARIOUS COUNTRIES IN ASIA, AFRICA AND EUROPE; PROVIDED FOR TRAVEL BY MILITARY AIRCRAFT ON A SPACE AVAILABLE BASIS; AND GRANTED 25 DAYS' LEAVE AND 15 DAYS' TRAVEL TIME. BY PARAGRAPH 160, SPECIAL ORDERS NO. 43, DECEMBER 21, 1953, CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA. HE DEPARTED TOKYO, JAPAN, ON OCTOBER 29, 1953, BY MILITARY AIRCRAFT, AND ARRIVED AT WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE, MASSACHUSETTS (FROM THE AZORES) ON NOVEMBER 24, 1953, BY THAT MODE OF TRANSPORTATION. HE TRAVELED FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER AND THENCE TO FORT BRAGG, BY PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILE. HE WAS PAID $44.31 ON VOUCHER 253 IN YOUR FEBRUARY 1954 ACCOUNTS REPRESENTING MILEAGE FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER ($10.62), AND FROM THE LATTER PLACE TO FORT BRAGG ($32.04), PLUS PER DIEM FOR 1 DAY ($1.65) AT CAMP KILMER. THE PRESENT VOUCHER COVERS PER DIEM AND MILEAGE FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP HAD TRAVEL BEEN BY THE DIRECT USUALLY TRAVELED ROUTE ($68.09) LESS THE PRIOR PAYMENT. THE TRAVEL ALLOWANCE AS THUS RECOMPUTED INCLUDES $11.70 AS MILEAGE FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., TO CAMP KILMER, NEW JERSEY, IN LIEU OF MILEAGE IN THE SUM OF $10.62 FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER. IN THIS CONNECTION IT APPEARS THE OFFICE OF CHIEF OF TRANSPORTATION HAS FURNISHED A MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE SCHEDULE SHOWING THAT THE OFFICER COULD HAVE DEPARTED TOKYO ON OCTOBER 29, 1953, AND ARRIVED AT WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE VIA ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, WASHINGTON, D.C., ON NOVEMBER 2, 1953. YOU QUESTION AS TO THE METHOD OF COMPUTATION ARISES FROM THE BELIEF THAT HAD THE TRAVEL BEEN EASTWARD ACROSS THE UNITED STATES BY MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT THE OFFICER WOULD HAVE PROCEEDED TO WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE FROM WASHINGTON BY AIR, BUT RATHER, WOULD HAVE PROCEEDED FROM WASHINGTON TO CAMP KILMER BY OTHER MEANS THUS "REDUCING" (?) THE MILEAGE PAYMENT WHICH ALREADY HAS BEEN MADE TO HIM.
SINCE THE AIR TRAVEL ACTUALLY PERFORMED WAS TO WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE, IT APPEARS THAT THE MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE SCHEDULE WAS PREPARED WITH WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE AS THE TERMINUS WITHOUT REGARD TO THE FACT THAT THE FINAL DESTINATION WAS CAMP KILMER. THE SAME SCHEDULE SHOWS A STOP AT ANDREWS FIELD AND NORMALLY THE MOST DIRECT USUALLY TRAVELED ROUTE WOULD INVOLVE NO TRAVEL OTHER THAN FROM THAT POINT TO CAMP KILMER, A DISTANCE OF 195 MILES. HOWEVER, WHERE TRAVEL INCIDENT TO AN ORDERED CHANGE OF PERMANENT STATION IS PERFORMED IN PART BY GOVERNMENT AIRPLANE OVER A CIRCUITOUS ROUTE, SUCH TRAVEL BY GOVERNMENT MEANS IS, IN ANY EVENT, PROPERLY TO BE REGARDED AS OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO THE EXTENT THAT IT REDUCES THE DISTANCE TO BE TRAVELED BY OTHER MEANS. HENCE, CLAIMANT IS ENTITLED TO MILEAGE FOR THE DISTANCE FROM WASHINGTON TO CAMP KILMER NOT TO EXCEED THE DISTANCE ACTUALLY TRAVELED FROM WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE TO CAMP KILMER. SEE 23 COMP. GEN. 573 AND 24 ID. 787.
ON THAT BASIS, NO MILEAGE IN ADDITION TO THAT HERETOFORE PAID IS AUTHORIZED. THE VOUCHER, WHICH IS RETURNED HEREWITH, SHOULD BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY.