Make long TDYs easier

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jeremy Convery
  • 436th Comptroller Squadron
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The Air Force Financial Services Center initiated a new program in May designed to help servicemembers and civilians not incur debts while on government travel.

Partial settlement travel vouchers are in their beginning stages at Dover AFB and allow servicemembers to receive entitlements in increments throughout temporary duties longer than 45 days.

"I think the new partial settlement travel vouchers are a great way for Airmen to get the money they deserve on long TDYs," said 1st Lt. Todd Newell, 436th Comptroller Squadron financial services officer. "The system is also a great way to help keep government travel card balances low and reduce delinquencies."

The new settlements pay out all travel entitlements up until the day you annotate on the voucher therefore closing out each portion of travel as if it were its own TDY.

The benefits:

- PSVs allow the traveler to file-and-forget. All supporting documentation used in previous PSVs does not need to be submitted again. Closing out a portion of a TDY using a PSV allows the traveler to pick up from the end-date of the last PSV and start anew. Unlike accruals, which only pay the per diem rate as stated in the travel order, PSVs pay out such subtleties that accruals miss. For example, off-base lodging and per diem that sometimes change as the TDY progresses and aren't necessarily stated in the original orders. The result is a more accurate payment of your travel entitlements.

"As an example, our large active-duty and reserve flying community can have very difficult travel itineraries," said Lieutenant Newell. "This will aid those members and the finance office by breaking up complicated travel vouchers into manageable pieces."

The disadvantage:

- With the PSVs, servicemembers will not be able to change their claim until the temporary duty is complete. Once the final PSV is paid out, the member may file a supplemental for any previous time frame within the order by simply dropping off a completed supplemental travel voucher at the 436 CPTS. The option to use PSVs has been made available on the eFinance system located on the AF Portal, but, if servicemembers feel more comfortable with accruals, those may be used also.
Unlike accrual vouchers, PSVs will need all required receipts for the time frame being claimed. PSVs should be used for TDYs in 30-45 day increments, just like an accrual. However, during a single TDY, a traveler can only use either PSVs or accruals, they cannot be mixed.

"Both travel payment systems, the accrual and PSVs, are available to all Team Dover members," said Lieutenant Newell. "One may be more advantageous to certain career fields than others. The 436 CPTS is here to help with either system servicemembers want to use."

For more information on PSVs, go to Building 520 or call 677-4093.