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Policy and Purpose The purpose of the GTAG is to serve as the primary payment method for DoD personnel for official travel expenses incurred during Toys and also allows access to the GSA City Pair Program. Military personnel who violate and misuse the travel card can be prosecuted under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCM) for failure to obey a lawful order or regulations, as well as any other applicable article of the JACM based on the nature of the misconduct involved.Civilian personnel who misuse or abuse the travel card may be subject to appropriate administration or capillary action up to, and including removal from Federal service. There are many laws and documents governing the travel card program. Some of these are listed below: ; Public Law 105-264 public Law 107-314 public Law 109-115 DoD Financial Management Regulation (DOFFER) – Volume 9, Chapter 3 ; DoD Statement of Understanding You will learn more about each law and document in this course.Pu blic Law Public Law 105-264, Public Law 109-115 and Public Law 107-314 govern travel cards. A brief description of each law is provided below. Mouse over each Information icon to read about each Public Law. Public Law 105-264 Establishes the travel card program within the Department of Defense (DoD). ; Mandates the use of a Government-sponsored travel card for costs associated with official Government travel. Public Law 107-314 Establishes the requirement of split disbursement directly to the travel card vendor.Public Law 109-115 Requires each Executive department and agency to evaluate the credit worthiness of an individual before issuing a GTAG. DoD FM, Volume 9, Chapter 3 and DoD Statement of Understanding The Doffer, Volume 9, Chapter 3 establishes command, supervisory, and personal responsibility for use of the GTAG and the operation of the DoD travel card program. It is the responsibility of commanders and supervisors at all levels to ensure compliance with this regulation.The DoD Statement of Understanding must be signed by each traveler. It states that the applicant understands the provisions of the travel card program and proper use of the travel card. DoD Components may modify the DoD Statement of Understanding to reflect specific organization requirements. Benefits of Using a Travel Card Now that you are aware of the various laws and documents governing travel cards, let's look at some of the benefits.A Travel Card: Is an efficient tool for conducting official travel Eliminates the need for you to pay for your own expenses ; Saves administrative costs incurred on paper-based transactions ; Saves costs due to tax exemption status in select states ; Improves organization cash management Provides financial readiness Allows access to the GSA City Pair Program Reduces the need to issue traditional travel advances (cash/electronic funds transfer) Individually Billed Account In order to obtain a travel card, you first need to apply for an individually bill ed account (BIB).An BIB is issued only for payment of the traveler's official Government ravel expenses. It is not authorized for personal expenses; it is not transferable and can only be used by the cardholder. Expenses for any individual other than the cardholder and their authorized dependents are strictly prohibited. Payments for travel card Bias are the cardholder's responsibility. The Government is not liable for such accounts. You will receive your monthly billing statement directly from the travel card vendor at the address provided on the application and/or the address on file with the travel card vendor.We will discuss how to apply for a travel card BIB in the next topic. Types of Cards The two types of Bias are standard and restricted. Use of these cards is limited to official travel expenses only. A restricted travel card helps control delinquency by limiting the cardholder to a minimal amount of credit. Restricted travel cards look just like standard travel cards. A res tricted travel card is issued in the following situations: ;An individual does not meet the credit requirements for a standard travel card. ; The individual declines a credit check.The commanding officer, supervisor, or APPC requests a restricted travel card be issued. Usually this is done only if there has been financial counseling in the past. Credit Limit The credit limits for standard and restricted travel cards differ with respect to the total credit limit, monthly ATM limit, and monthly retail limit. The table shows the credit limits for standard and restricted travel cards. The cardholder's APPC can temporarily raise total credit limits, with the commanding officer or supervisor's approval, in order to meet mission requirements.If the cardholder's APPC increases the credit limit amount above a certain level, additional approval within the cardholder's major command, service, or agency chain of command is required. Processing Routine Applications The APPC and travel card vendo r will perform the following steps when processing routine applications: 1. The APPC will verify the information entered by the applicant and complete the billing hierarchy information. 2. The APPC will approve the application within three days of receipt of the completed application package. 3.The travel card vendor processes the application and mails the card within three business days of receipt of the approved application. The applicant should receive the card within 10 days of submission of the application to the travel card vendor. Processing Expedited Applications An expedited application will be processed when a traveler is in a TIDY status and requires a card or no longer has possession of their travel card due to loss or theft. The APPC and the travel card vendor will perform the following steps when processing emergency applications: 1 . The APPC will call the travel card vendor to request an expedited travel card. . The APPC will fax a hard copy application to the travel card vendor as soon as possible. 3. The APPC will annotate ‘Expedited Application' prominently on the application and verify with the travel card vendor whether the application has been received. . The travel card vendor will process and forward expedited cards within 24 hours to the individual cardholder's stated address, the TIDY location, or an address as otherwise directed by the APPC. Expedited mail delivery time is 2 to 3 business days. Services are available for travel cards to be delivered in 1 to 2 business days or Saturday delivery. 5.The travel card vendor charges an additional fee for expedited travel cards, which is reimbursable and should be included on the travel voucher. Payment Policy When you start using your travel card, you will receive a monthly billing statement if NY transactions have been made to your account during the billing period. This statement lists all the transactions that occurred during the billing cycle. If there are incorrect transactions on the statement, you may dispute them. Disputes must be filed within 60 days of the statement date on which they first appeared. A dispute form may be obtained from your APPC or on the TOM and/or Cit website.You are expected to make payment, in full, by the due date regardless of whether or not you receive reimbursement. Accounts are past due if you do not pay by the statement due date. Accounts become delinquent and are suspended at 61 days after the statement due date. Fee Policies There are several fees associated with the travel card. These are: ; Late fees Return check fees Expedited delivery fees ATM fees Surcharge fees Address Change It is the cardholder's responsibility to notify the organization's APPC and the travel card vendor of changes in contact information (e. . , new address, phone number, e-mail address, name change, or employer). Cardholders should perform the following actions when changes occur to contact information: ; Inform the travel card vendor y using the form provided on the back of the statement or by calling the travel card vendor's toll free phone number ; Contact the APPC Failure to notify the travel card vendor and APPC of an address change may prevent the cardholder from receiving the travel card billing statement on time.In addition, the travel card account may be closed until the correct address is provided to the travel card vendor. Delinquency An account is delinquent when a cardholder fails to pay the outstanding balance in full within 60 days of the billing statement date. After 60 days, the account is suspended and further action will be taken if the account remains delinquent.Contributing Factors & Consequences of Delinquency Some contributing factors to delinquency are: Failure to pay the travel card vendor by the billing statement due date ; Failure to file for reimbursement within 5 days of return from travel ; Failure to use split- reimbursement to pay the travel card vendor ; Failure to claim all authorized expens es Excessive/unauthorized ATM withdrawals or card use for personal expenses ; Failure to update mailing address with the travel card vendor and APPC Some of the consequences of delinquency are:Counseling Oral and/or written reprimand Suspension of charging privileges Cancellation of the travel card account Salary Offset Negative reporting to credit bureaus (after 210 days of delinquency) Account Closure and Cancellation While you enjoy the benefits of having a travel card, you must be careful when using it. Misuse of the travel card or not making timely payments can result in account closure or cancellation.A card will be cancelled for the following reasons: Two checks returned due to insufficient funds in a 12-month period ; Two suspensions in a 12-month period (the card will be permanently closed on the third suspension) ; When the account is 126 days past billing and remains unpaid ; The travel card vendor may close a travel card account upon the request of the cardholder's APPC; Travel card is lost or stolen Reduced Payment Plan Salary Offset is the term used to describe the withholding of money from the cardholder's salary.To avoid Salary Offset you may request a Reduced Payment Plan (RIP). A RIP is a written agreement between the cardholder and the travel card vendor where the cardholder agrees to make monthly payments to the vendor. The number and amount of payments will be negotiated with the cardholder and will be eased on what is required to resolve the entire account balance in a reasonable timeshare. A RIP can be requested any time before Salary Offset takes place. You previously learned that one of the consequences of delinquency is Salary Offset.Salary Offset is a process that allows DoD, on behalf of the travel card vendor, to automatically collect payment from the cardholder's pay for any amount owed as a result of undisputed delinquencies. DOFFER Volvo AAA and 8 Travel Card I Travel Card Policies Salary Offset Dispute Process Janet, a cardhold er, has received a letter stating her salary will be offset to pay her liniment travel card account if she doesn't make payment within 30 days. What can Janet do? Once an account is 91 days past the billing statement date, the travel card vendor will send a Salary Offset Due Process Notification Letter to the address on her account.Janet may then petition for a hearing, disputing the validity or amount of the debt, and the amount of the proposed offset schedule. It is important that Janet files the request for a hearing within the stipulated deadline stated in the Due Process Notification Letter. If a hearing is requested, the Salary Offset process is suspended temporarily. Split Disbursement Split Disbursement is required by DoD policy and is there to assist cardholders with timely payment of travel card accounts.When preparing your voucher you need to review the Split Disbursement amounts to ensure money is being disbursed to completely pay all charges made to the travel card. Mis sion Critical Status Mission Critical Status is a special designation used to accommodate the unique requirements of individuals deployed long-term to locations that prevent them from filing interim vouchers (if authorizations were created outside of TTS) and making prompt payments to the travel card vendor. The APPC or Component Program Manager (CPM) designates Mission Critical Status with prior approval of the traveler's commander or supervisor.This status must be authorized in the travel orders. Key Summary Points The key points covered in this class are: The GTAG will be used by all DoD personnel (military or civilian) to pay for all costs related to official Government travel. ; There are laws and policies that govern travel cards, such as eligibility, mandatory use, and the requirement for split-disbursement. Using a GTAG offers many benefits. A travel card is an efficient tool for conducting official travel and enhances financial readiness. There are two types of travel cards : standard and restricted.