Article 24

Travel

Section 1. General

The Department will adhere to all Government-wide and Departmental rules and

regulations and the provisions in this Article in the administration of travel.

Section 2. Scheduling Travel

a. Consistent with Management’s right to assign work and direct employees

and in accordance with law and Government regulations, Management will

consider employees’ personal needs with respect to scheduling travel, and

Management will not ordinarily require travel on the weekends for activities

over which the Department has control.

b. Management agrees, if administratively controllable, to schedule and

arrange for travel of employees to occur within each employee’s standard

workweek, to the extent practicable.

c. Insofar as practicable, travel during non-duty hours shall not be required of

an employee. When it is essential that this be required and the employee

may not be paid overtime under 5 CFR 550.112(e), the official shall record

his reasons for ordering travel at those hours and shall, upon request,

furnish a copy of his statement to the employee concerned.

d. When travel results from an event which cannot be scheduled or controlled

administratively, such travel may be considered hours of employment for

pay purposes pursuant to appropriate provisions of Title 5 of the FLSA.

73

e. If the travel is expected to require an employee to be absent from their

permanent duty station for three (3) or more months, the employee shall be

given at least two weeks advance notification of the date of departure when

practicable.

Section 3. Travel Advances

Employees are required to use the U.S. Government contractor-issued travel

charge card for all official travel expenses unless the employee has an exemption.

Exceptions to using the Government contractor-issued travel charge card are set

forth in DLMS-7, Section 1-1.105b. Eligible employees can request travel advances

in accordance with DLMS-7, Section 1-10.3.

Section 4. Use of Privately Owned Vehicles

a. When use of an employee’s privately owned vehicle (POV) is authorized as

advantageous to the Government, the employee shall be reimbursed at the

mileage rate in effect at the time of the travel.

b. No employee shall be required to use his or her POV in the course of

business unless such use was made a formal condition of employment.

Section 5. Use of Government vehicles

a. When Government vehicles are authorized for use for official travel on

successive days, with supervisory approval employees may be permitted to

keep the car overnight.

b. Employees shall be responsible for any additional cost resulting from

unauthorized use of a Government vehicle and may be subject to

administrative and/or criminal liability for misuse of Government property.

Section 6. Hours of work

Employees on travel status will normally be on a fixed 8½-hour schedule. If any

time is worked in addition to the fixed 8½-hour schedule, employees may be

entitled to credit hours and/or overtime in accordance with appropriate

regulations.