Operation Staff Meeting OSM April 2004

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Operation Staff Meeting (OSM)April 2004

• Presented by the
• DCP ARC

National Institutes of Health
DHHS
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AGENDA

• General Admin Issues
• Video Casts
• Transition Center Services
• Travel
• Comments vs- Remarks
• Cancellations Deletions of NBS Documents
• Constructed Voucher
• Other Authorizations List
• NETG Travel Orders
• Travel Card Issues
• Recording In Kind PerDiem
• Non-Contract Carrier
• Procurement
• Closing Out Open Files

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Administrative Issues
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• Many of this months Travel Issues have been
  taken from the March 17th NBS Travel Top Ten Hot
  Topics Meeting.
• If you havent already, be sure to watch the
  Video cast (http//videocast.nih.gov/default.asp
  ), or review the slides from the presentation
  Jill emailed you on 3/17/04.
• You can also add the Video cast list to your My
  NIH page to remind you of other upcoming
  presentations.

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NIH Transition Center Services are Available for
NCI Employees Affected by A-76

• The NIH Transition Center encourages
• NCI employees affected by A-76
• to take advantage of the services
• It offers to assist employees. 
• To view the calendar for
• April training, please
• go to
• http//camp.nci.nih.gov/admin/news/admin/200404/ap
  ril04.pdf

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NIH Transition Center Services are Available for
NCI Employees Affected by A-76 (continued)

• Though many NCI employees may have already
  written a resume or applied for MEO positions, if
  the announcements haven't closed, employees can
  still go back and make changes.  Given that, if
  anyone would like to take advantage of a
  one-on-one appointment with a career counselor to
  review his or her resume and possibly strengthen
  it, the NIH Transition Center will be happy to
  help. 
• Another possibility is doing practice interviews
  on site, videotaped or not. 
• The Transition Center is flexible and open to
  requests.  All that's needed is a note sent to
  the Transition Center e-mail address
  (nihtransitioncenter_at_mail.nih.gov) or a phone
  call to the Center at [phone]. 

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Travel Issues
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Comments vs- Remarks

• Comments
• Have a designated link on the Document Toolbar
• Holds approximately 2000 characters
• Appear on the PDF Preview

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Comments vs- Remarks (continued)

• Remarks
• Are entered on the Document Status screen and
  displayed in the Document History section
• Holds a limited number of characters
• Displays Traveler return remarks (if applicable)
• These do NOT appear on the PDF Preview

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Cancellations Deletions of NBS Documents

• Authorizations
• Created The Planners, Reviewers, and Approvers
  can use the Delete Documents feature in the NBS
  Travel System.
• Prepared, Certified, Adjusted, Reviewed, or
  Conditionally Approved
• The Approver has to open the document and stamp
  it CANCELLED in the NBS Travel System.
• Approved The Help Point of Contact (HPOC) is
  the only one who can make the request to the NBS
  Management Center through the Help Desk to have
  the document deleted. However, the
  Planner/Reviewer must make the request by email
  to the HPOC to have the document deleted and must
  provide the following
• Traveler Name, Document Number and ensure that
  you verified with Omega that the tickets were not
  issued and inform the HPOC of this.

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Canceling Trips with Purchased Tickets

• Similar process for regular tickets
• Step 1 Return the ticket
• Step 2 Create voucher for the ticket and TMC fee
  only
• Step 3 Enter payment method for ticket and TMC
  fee as GTA
• Note The TMC will include the credit for the
  returned ticket on their next invoice to the NIH.
  When OFM processes the invoice, the credit will
  be recorded against the appropriate project/CAN
  information that was included on the original
  travel authorization. The credit can be viewed
  in the NIH Data Warehouse and on the nVision GTA
  adjustment report.

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Cancellations Deletions of NBS Documents

• Vouchers
• Created Only the Approver can use the Delete
  Documents feature in the NBS Travel System.
• Prepared, Certified, Adjusted, Reviewed, or
  Conditionally Approved The HPOC is the only one
  who can make the request to the NBS Management
  Center through the Help Desk to have the
  documents deleted. However, The Planner/Reviewer
  must make the request to the HPOC to have the
  document deleted and must provide the Traveler
  Name and Document Number.
• Please Note
• Antoinette Wills has replaced Jill Hughes as the
  HPOC for the DCP ARC.
• Lanette will still act as the backup for
  Antoinette.

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Constructed Travel

• In the infamous ADB the phrase Could Have
  voucher was used for a constructed trip.
• A constructed trip is defined as when a privately
  owned vehicle (POV) is used in lieu of a Common
  Carrier.
• You will have one voucher, but two trip numbers
  for the document. You will need to construct
  expenses and Lodging/MIE for a common carrier
  trip to compare costs. The lower cost trip is
  the one that is processed in NBS Travel System
  and sent to OFM for payment.

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Constructed Travel (continued)

• This must be done in three steps as follows
• 1. Create a Travel Authorization for a Privately
  Owned Vehicle (POV) authorized trip (as normal).
• Create a Voucher Until you get to Review
  Comments
• GO NO FURTHER
  WITH THIS FIRST TRIP.

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Constructed Travel (continued)

• We are now ready to create the constructed
  trip

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Constructed Travel (continued)
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Constructed Travel (continued)
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Constructed Travel (continued)
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Constructed Travel (continued)
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Constructed Travel (continued)
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Constructed Travel (continued)
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Constructed Travel (continued)
The amount
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Constructed Travel (continued)
amount
G
28. From this point on, continue as normal then
stamp and route the document.
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Constructed Travel (continued)
Since the voucher must be a comparison of each
trip, the POV and common carrier scenario, in
terms of grand totals, the air ticket is entered
as Reimbursable and as CASH to balance car
mileage, which is also a CASH transaction. This
allows the Traveler to be reimbursed should the
constructed trip be the lesser of the two trips.
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Other Authorizations List

• A master list of Other Authorizations is
  attached to this meetings handouts.
• A proper Other Authorization selection is
  important because they drive which roles appear
  on each documents routing list.
• There are more Other Authorizations than most
  people realize- use the list to double check your
  travel authorization.

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Other Authorizations List (continued)
12-24 Hour Trip w/o Lodging - 3/4 MIE If the
trip duration and lodging requirements fit this
description ACTUAL EXPENSE This other
authorization fills in automatically if actuals
exists in the document ANNUAL LEAVE OR NON-DUTY
DAYS This other authorization fills in
automatically if annual leave exists in the
document CASH ADVANCE AUTHORIZED - is for those
that will have an advance deposited into their
banks before the trip takes place - usually
FELLOWS or INFREQUENT TRAVELERS (employees who
take 1 or less per year). CASH TICKET When a
ticket has a payment method of Other (cash) in
the document CONFERENCE ALLOWANCE - This other
authorization fills in automatically if
conference allowance exists in the
document CONTINUING RESOLUTION FUNDING For a FY
travel that has no official Government funding
yet FOREIGN FLAG CARRIER When the TMC requires
clearance for traveler to use foreign flag
carrier for part or all of the trip FOREIGN
TRAVEL If trip is foreign travel (at least one
per diem location is foreign) GOV'T TRAVEL CARD
EXEMPT - When a frequent traveler is exempted
from having to use their Government Travel Card
for a particular trip because special
circumstances prevent them from doing so (e.g.
foreign location does not have ATM
accessibility). GOVT-OWNED VEHICLE AVAILABLE If
traveler is using POV when a Government-owned
vehicle is available or mandated MEALS PROVIDED -
This other authorization fills in automatically
if a meals provided box was checked in the
Lodging/MIE section MIXED MODE TRAVEL Using 2
or more carrier tickets of different modes (air
and train, or train and boat, etc.) NON FEMA
LODGE Incurring lodging that has not been
approved by FEMA NON-CONTRACT AIR FARE When TMC
issues a ticket when no contract fare is
available OR contract carrier ticket at
non-contract cost NOT LOWEST PRICE CONTRACT
CARRIER If the ticket purchased is not the
lowest price contract carrier OTHER (See remarks
below) Anything that an IC wants to have an AO
see and authorize (miscellaneous) OTHER
PRIVATELY-OWNED VEHICLE - This other
authorization fills in automatically if POV
exists in the document PATIENT TRAVEL Used by
Clinical Center Patient travel entry staff
only PER DIEM IN LOCAL AREA Do not use PERSONAL
DEVIATION-ITINERARY/TRANS MODE If a side trip
was taken while on official trip POV USE NOT
ADVANTAGEOUS TO GOVERNMENT Used on constructed
trip when airfare is less expensive than
POV PREMIUM CLASS TRAVEL If ticket is purchased
with class type not equal to economy
class REGISTRATION FEES - This other
authorization fills in automatically if
registration fee expense type exists in the
document RENTAL CAR AUTHORIZED - This other
authorization fills in automatically if rental
car expense type exists in the document SPONSORED
TRAVEL If trip is sponsored travel
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NETG Travel Orders

• A NETG (No Expense to Government) travel
  Authorization can be used in the NBRSS Travel
  System to authorize the traveler to be away
  from the office.
• State where they are going, what they are doing,
  and when they will be in travel status.
• Enter 0 for all monies.
• In comments, state that this NETG Travel
  Authorization is being done for documentation of
  the traveler being away from their duty station.

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NETG Travel Orders (continued)

• NOTE The approver never actually APPROVES the
  travel authorization, but only CONDITIONALLY
  APPROVES it.
• This will allow for the print out of the
  authorization for the file.
• The Travel Authorization then just sits there in
  the system and never requires vouchering.

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Travel Card Issues

• Important information to pass on to your
  travelers
• Please keep in mind that all charges on the Govt
  Travel Card that take place in the local area
  must be considered as misuse unless the card is
  used for a taxi, meal in an airport, or parking
  in the process of conducting TDY travel (ie
  Domestic/foreign travel).

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Travel Card Issues (continued)

• Further examples of misuse of the Govt travel
  card
• Use of the Govt Travel Card in the local area to
  put gas in a POV is considered misuse.
• Use of the Govt Travel Card to purchase a meal
  in the local area as a traveler departs or
  returns from the TDY site is also considered
  misuse of the card.
• Use of the card to purchase an airfare ticket
  directly with an airline must only be done under
  emergency circumstances.

Refer to Joel Papiers 3/23/04 email Trans No.
141 for additl information (attached)
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348 Travel Recording In Kind Payment Method

• Expenses provided by a sponsor as In-Kind must
  always retain a dollar value on the travel
  authorization.
• LODGING
• Retain dollar values (standard Per Diem) and
  select In-Kind payment method option.

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348 Travel Recording In Kind Payment Method

• MIE
• Click Meals Provided as applicable. NCI will
  pay for any meals not provided by the sponsor.
• REGISTRATION
• If the sponsor is waiving the registration fee,
  indicate the amount on the travel authorization.

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OFM Transmittal No. 136- Authorization for Use
of Lower Cost Airfares

• If you find that a non-contract carrier offers a
  lower cost fare that is available to the general
  public, and with all things being equal, you will
  not incur any other additional costs, i.e., per
  diem, and related travel expenses, your delegated
  official may authorize that use of the
  non-contract carrier lower fare.
• Omega should have access to most lower cost
  non-contract carrier fares available to the
  general public and lower cost contract carrier
  fares that are not the contract city-pair fares.
• If lodging exceeds Per Diem, and conference rate
  cant be used, use the Override button and
  input dollar amount for the day in the field.

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OFM Transmittal No. 136- Authorization for Use
of Lower Cost Airfares

• However, be aware that most of the non-contract
  fares are non-refundable and carry restrictions.
• If the traveler makes a change to a restricted
  non-refundable airfare ticket due to personal
  actions (such as illness or lateness), the
  traveler will be held liable for any costs
  associated with the ticket and any corresponding
  penalties. NIH will not pay for these charges.
• If the non-refundable fare has restrictions or
  eligibility requirements and you are not
  reasonably assured that you will use the ticket,
  you are advised to procure the higher cost, fully
  refundable ticket in order to avoid paying for
  these potential charges out of pocket.

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PROCUREMENT
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Close Out Open Files

• Reminder Its half way through the fiscal year
  and there are many PSOs and Records of Call that
  have not been closed out.
• Remember, receiving should be done 7 days after
  the meeting.
• For PSOs, the receiving date should be the last
  day of the meeting.
• Please check your files to see whats open.
• But if youre unsure, please contact your
  corresponding Admin Tech or A.O.

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OPEN DISCUSSION
Problems? Issues? Concerns? Anything youd like
to see on next months agenda? Do you have
something youd like to present? Just let us know!