ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL EMPLOYEES WITH REGARD TO TRAVEL
As the nation's principal steward for natural resources, the Department relies heavily on travel to fulfill many of its mandated missions.
The following articulates the respective roles and responsibilities of employees and supervisors in the travel process.
General Guidelines
• DOI's policy is to make travel as convenient and painless to employees as well as "economically neutral." "Economically neutral" means that employees traveling on official business are not expected to use their own personal funds to finance official travel.
• The Department has arranged to have each employee, who is expected to travel, to receive an individual Government-sponsored travel charge card, which is an important element of the Department's travel program.
• Travelers are expected to exercise the same care in incurring expenses while on official government travel that a prudent person would exercise if traveling on personal business.
What Travelers Can Expect
• To receive an individual Government-sponsored travel charge card.
• To receive an advance of funds for travel in an amount which covers only the expected meals and incidental expenses and other out of pocket expenses charged to a charge card associated with a trip. The advance will be provided primarily through the use of ATM.
• To have the services of a Travel Management Center (TMC) available to them, for making the necessary travel arrangements and providing ticketing services.
• To promptly receive and be paid any travel reimbursement approved by your supervisor and owed to you.
• To receive prompt professional advice and guidance on matters relating to travel policy or regulations.
What is Expected of Travelers
• To perform official travel, as directed by your supervisor.
• To use your individual Government-sponsored travel charge card for all chargeable expenses associated with official travel.
• To abide by Federal, Departmental and bureau policies and procedures governing official travel.
• To limit your ATM travel advance amount to estimated meals and incidental expenses that cannot be charged to your travel card, as authorized by Departmental policy and Government travel regulations.
• To use the services of the Department's recommended or contracted Travel Management Center(s) for all travel related services.
• To submit your travel voucher for approval within five days after completion of travel.
• To promptly pay the travel charge card contractor for amounts charged on your individual Government-sponsored travel charge card.
• To use a Government official telephone for all authorized telephone calls while on official travel and, if unavailable, to use a Government issued telephone charge card for authorized telephone calls.
What is Expected of Supervisors
• To ensure that employees who are expected to travel receive an individual Government-sponsored travel charge card prior to commencing official travel.
• To authorize and approve travel in support of the organization's mission.
• To ensure directed travel is carried out as efficiently and effectively as possible.
• To approve and review travel vouchers promptly upon receipt.
• To ensure approved travel was necessary to achieve program objectives, charges appear reasonable and travel actually took place.
• To initiate disciplinary action against employees whose travel advance or individual Government-sponsored travel charge card's are delinquent or misused through no fault of the Department and/or bureau/office.
• As "Accountable Owners" (individuals responsible for carrying out Departmental policies relating to travel), DOI supervisors are expected, when necessary, to obtain assistance/advice relating to the authorizations and approvals of travel expenses to ensure adherence to travel policies and regulations.
• To ensure that upon the employee's departure from the Department and/or bureau/office, the LOTA and Government-sponsored travel charge card are canceled.
