Change in the calculation of per diem entitlements

Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 09:39:34 -0500
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To: "E  - All WRD Employees"<distribution>
Subject: Change in the calculation of per diem entitlements
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Several recent changes in the calculation of per diem have taken place
in the last few months causing confusion for our travelers.  Much of
this is due to a lack of notification and guidance to travelers by the
USGS Office of Financial Management; they intend to issue this
guidance, but have not yet done so.  The following describes the
changes in calculation.  Please refer any questions that you have on
this issue to your local administrative officer.

GSA changed the travel regulations that govern this issue effective for
travel commencing on or after December 27, 1996.

Partial day travel--Employees who travel on business for a partial day
no longer have to record their departure or arrival hours on travel
vouchers (the dates of travel are still required).  Employees must
travel for at least 12 hours and will receive 3/4 of the per diem rate
for meals and incidental expenses.  Under the old rule, employees only
had to travel 10 hours or more to be entitled to per diem and were
reimbursed based on how many quarters in the day the employee traveled.

First and last day per diem--Employees who travel on business no longer
have to record their departure or arrival hours on travel vouchers and
will receive 3/4 of the per diem rate for meals and incidental expenses
for both the first and last days of travel.  Under the old rule,
employees were reimbursed based on how many quarters in the day the
employee traveled on the first and last day.

Both of these changes apply to temporary duty, house hunting and
relocation travel.  The travel manager software version that WRD is
presently using on the DG (unix version) does not yet support this
change.  Gelco, the software company for travel manager, is aware of
these changes and is working on a software fix.  We have still not been
informed of a delivery date for the new software.  As a work around,
employees or their travel clerks, should key in times that will yield
the 3/4 (or 3 quarter) per diem allowance and annotate the voucher that
these times are only being entered to accomodate a problem with the
software.

As mentioned previously, questions on these changes, or travel
entitlements in general, should be addressed to your local
administrative officer.