RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:                       DOCKET NUMBER:  01-02480
                                        INDEX CODE 128.02
                                        COUNSEL: No

                                        HEARING DESIRED: No


_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

He be reimbursed for $695.15 for airline tickets self-procured outside
the Scheduled Airline Ticket Office (SATO) for  temporary  duty  (TDY)
from Rhein-Main AB, Germany to Washington DC.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

Because of erroneous guidance, negligent  staff  work,  and  a  narrow
orders-processing window, he is  out  $695.15  for  the  cost  of  his
government-directed TDY.  He  was  selected  to  attend  the  Chemical
Warfare Convention Course in Washington DC and had 24 days of  use-or-
lose leave. He decided to take leave with his  family  in  conjunction
with his TDY. He received permission to take leave  and  purchase  his
own airline tickets.  His Traffic Management Office (TMO) told him  to
have his orders reflect that he could purchase his own airline  ticket
and then he could purchase a ticket. He purchased his tickets off  the
Internet. Neither the transportation specialist nor his unit's finance
officer was aware of the requirement to purchase the ticket through  a
SATO. His orders did not specify he was authorized to procure his  own
transportation; he was told they would be amended while he  was  gone.
Upon his return, his orders were still not amended.  He  was  told  to
submit an exception to policy letter with his voucher and he would  be
paid. However, the Rhein-Main finance office did not  concur,  stating
that he purchased his tickets before his  orders  were  published  and
amending the orders after the fact was  illegal.   He  is  being  held
accountable for other people's errors.

He provides a supporting statement from the unit  chief  of  financial
management.

The applicant’s complete submission, with attachments, is Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

The applicant is currently serving in the Regular  Air  Force  in  the
grade of major.

The  following  information  was  extracted   from   the   applicant's
documents, including a 6 Jul 01 letter from the Department of  Defense
Legal Services Agency, Defense Office of Hearings and  Appeals  (DOHA)
(Exhibit A), and the HQ USAF/ILT evaluation (Exhibit B).

On 7 Sep 00, the applicant purchased tickets  on-line  for  travel  to
Washington, DC, Newark, NJ, and Orlando,  FL.  The  $695.15  cost  was
charged to his government credit card.

By order 12 Oct 00, the applicant was ordered  TDY  from  Rhein  Main,
Germany to Washington DC, and  return.   The  order  reflects  he  was
authorized 14 days of leave in Newark, NJ, and Orlando, FL; it did not
reflect he was authorized to self-procure transportation. His 6 Nov 00
voucher indicates he left Rhein-Main by commercial plane  and  arrived
in Washington on 14 Oct 00 in  TDY  status.   He  left  Washington  by
commercial plane on 20 Oct 00 for  NJ  and  FL  in  leave  status.  He
departed Orlando, FL on 4 Nov 00 and arrived in Frankfurt on 5 Nov 00.
 He claimed $695.15 for airfare.

His claim for reimbursement for the airline ticket was denied  because
it had not been procured through a  government  contracted  commercial
travel office (CTO).

On 6 Jul 01,  the  Defense  Office  of  Hearings  and  Appeals  (DOHA)
disallowed his $695.15 claim for airfare.  DOHA noted that  there  was
no documented evidence the  applicant  was  approved  to  self-procure
transportation, that he had  "no  alternative"  but  to  purchase  his
ticket through a common carrier, or that a  CTO  was  not  "reasonably
available" at his station.  Further, travel  to  Orlando  was  clearly
circuitous and therefore that portion  of  the  travel  would  not  be
reimbursable even if the rest of the travel could be reimbursed.

HQ USAF/ILT informally advised the AFBCMR Staff that  the  applicant's
self-procured ticket cost only $695.15, even  with  the  leave  stops,
because it was a heavily restricted excursion rate; the GSA rate for a
ticket from Germany to DC and return would cost approximately $1,039.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

HQ USAF/ILT indicates the applicant  understood  not  to  self-procure
tickets unless prior approval was obtained.  His commander indorsed  a
request for an exception to policy letter, not  granting  approval  to
self-procure travel. The applicant failed to demonstrate that use of a
CTO was attempted and  DOHA  denied  his  claim.   Combined  with  the
knowledge of the requirement to obtain the missing  statement  in  his
orders, this adequately identifies the requirement to not self-procure
tickets for travel purposes without authority.  The  alleged  omission
by the transportation specialist of the requirement to procure tickets
from a CTO is irrelevant. The applicant was briefed to have the  self-
procure travel authorized statement included in the TDY order  and  he
has sufficient tenure to  know  not  to  proceed  with  self-procuring
travel without proper authority. Denial is recommended.

A complete copy of the evaluation, with attachments, is at Exhibit B.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

The applicant provides a statement from his  unit  indicating  he  was
granted permission to self-procure transportation. However, the orders
were not processed correctly to reflect this authorization.   Further,
this was not the only case where orders were improperly published  and
the group finance office refused  to  amend  the  orders  because  the
applicant procured his  own  transportation  before  the  orders  were
correctly published. The time-sensitive nature of  procuring  overseas
airline tickets was not taken into account. A 6  Sep  00  agency  form
signed by the operations  officer  reflects  the  applicant  asked  to
procure his own ticket because his family would be traveling with him.
He also asked for 14 days of leave and indicated he understood that he
would be required to pay for any additional costs above what it  would
cost the government to fly him roundtrip.

A complete copy of the applicant's response, with attachments,  is  at
Exhibit D.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD CONCLUDES THAT:

1.    The applicant has exhausted all remedies  provided  by  existing
law or regulations.

2.    The application was timely filed.

3.    Sufficient relevant evidence has been presented  to  demonstrate
the existence of probable error or injustice  to  warrant  relief.  We
note the applicant's request to take leave in conjunction with his TDY
and to self-procure his  tickets  was  approved.  However,  apparently
neither the transportation specialist nor the unit's  finance  officer
was aware or advised him of the requirement to  purchase  the  tickets
through a SATO. In good faith, the applicant purchased tickets off the
Internet. When he received his orders two days before he left for TDY,
they  did  not  indicate  he  was  authorized  to   self-procure   his
transportation. The applicant's agency asserts this was not  the  only
time orders had been improperly published and that the group  did  not
take into account the  time-sensitive  nature  of  procuring  overseas
airline tickets. Based on the available  evidence,  we  are  persuaded
that  any  doubt  should  be  resolved  in  this  applicant's   favor,
especially given the  fact  that  the  ticket  he  self-procured  cost
considerably less than the government rate.  Therefore,  we  recommend
the applicant be reimbursed for $695.15.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the  Department  of  the  Air  Force
relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to show that on 6 September  2001,
competent  authority  authorized  him   to   self-procure   round-trip
commercial airline tickets from Rhein Main AB, Germany, to Washington,
DC, and that he is entitled to reimbursement for the expenses incurred
for his personally-procured official transportation,  including  those
airline tickets purchased for official travel at commercial rates.

_________________________________________________________________

The following members of the  Board  considered  this  application  in
Executive Session on 6 February 2002, under the provisions of AFI  36-
2603:

                  Ms. Olga M. Crerar, Panel Chair
                  Mr. Thomas J. Topolski Jr., Member
                  Ms. Carolyn B. Willis, Member

All members  voted  to  correct  the  records,  as  recommended.   The
following documentary evidence was considered:

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 23 Aug 01, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Letter, HQ USAF/ILT, undated, w/atchs.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 7 Dec 01.
   Exhibit D.  Letter, Applicant, dated 19 Dec 01, w/atchs.




                                   OLGA M. CRERAR
                                   Panel Chair



AFBCMR 01-02480




MEMORANDUM FOR THE CHIEF OF STAFF

      Having received and considered the recommendation of the Air
Force Board for Correction of Military Records and under the authority
of Section 1552, Title 10, United States Code (70A Stat 116), it is
directed that:

      The pertinent military records of the Department of the Air
Force relating to            , be corrected to show that on 6
September 2001, competent authority authorized him to self-procure
round-trip commercial airline tickets from Rhein Main AB, Germany, to
Washington, DC, and that he is entitled to reimbursement for the
expenses incurred for his personally-procured official transportation,
including those airline tickets purchased for official travel at
commercial rates.






JOE G. LINEBERGER

Director

Air Force Review Boards Agency