RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
         AIR FORCE BOARD FOR CORRECTION OF MILITARY RECORDS


IN THE MATTER OF:                       DOCKET NUMBER:  02-02201
                                        INDEX CODE 128.02
                                        COUNSEL: No

                                        HEARING DESIRED: No


_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT REQUESTS THAT:

She be reimbursed  for  the  cost  of  airline  tickets  self-procured
outside the Traffic Management Office (TMO)/Contractor  Travel  Office
(CTO) for a permanent change of station (PCS) from Dover  AFB,  DE  to
Mountain Home AFB, ID, in the amount of $723.88.

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT CONTENDS THAT:

While stationed at Mountain Home AFB, ID, she was deployed in  support
of Operation Enduring Freedom. While deployed, she  was  approved  for
retraining.  She  was  notified  approximately   four   hours   before
departure. Her commander advised her to purchase a ticket  from  Dover
AFB to Boise ID, which she did with her government travel  card.  Upon
arrival at Boise, she traveled by private vehicle  (POV)  to  Mountain
Home AFB. She was not counseled that she had to go through a TMO.  She
acted in good faith and should not be penalized with this expense.

The applicant’s complete submission is Exhibit A.

_________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

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

Based on the documents supplied by the applicant (Exhibit  A)  and  HQ
USAF/ILGT (Exhibit B), she was issued travel orders  for  a  temporary
duty (TDY)  assignment  deployed  in  support  of  Operation  Enduring
Freedom during 23 Sep-23 Dec 01. Her deployment orders  dated  25  Sep
01, state, “DoD and AF policy prohibits  members  from  self-procuring
official travel.”

The applicant had submitted a request to cross-train into a new career
field months before and, while deployed, was notified she was approved
for retraining.  On or about 8 Nov 01, she was directed to return  her
home duty station to begin training on 11 Dec 01.

The aircraft used to rotate deployed personnel through the theater was
on station on 10 Nov 01 and the applicant was directed to be on it for
return to the states. She  was  taken  to  Dover  AFB,  DE.  She  then
purchased a ticket in the amount of $692.50 for travel on 11 Nov 01 to
Mountain Home  AFB,  ID.  The  applicant  traveled  from  Philadelphia
through Minneapolis, MN to Boise, ID.

Effective  1  Feb  02,  Change  #184  to  the  Joint  Federal   Travel
Regulations (JFTR), Chapter 3, paragraph U3110B, stipulates that  when
Government/Government-contracted transportation/in-house or Contractor
Travel Office (CTO) service are  available  and  the  member  procures
common carrier transportation at personal expense under an  individual
travel order, the member may elect to receive  reimbursement  for  the
actual transportation cost for the transportation mode authorized  and
used up to the  constructed  commercial  transportation  cost  between
authorized points.

_________________________________________________________________

AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

HQ USAF/IGLT notes that although the applicant is requesting  $723.88,
the travel ticket in question cost $692.50. The remainder requested by
the applicant includes a Bank of America (BoA) late fee of $29.00  and
a telephone transaction fee of $10.00 for a grand  total  of  $731.50.
The $723.88 requested is  an  unsubstantiated  travel  amount  and  is
derived from a BoA past due notice dated 3 Jun 02. IGLT requested  the
applicant provide the receipt from Jan 01, which would include charges
associated with the travel in question; however, the documentation did
not materialize.  The travel  transaction  cost  associated  with  the
return travel is confirmed on the BoA statement dated  3  Dec  01  and
includes penalty fees mentioned above, but obviously from  a  previous
transaction. The 3 Dec 01 BoA statement reflects  a  previous  balance
unpaid, with the  corresponding  late  fee  and  subsequent  telephone
transfer charge.  Therefore, in their opinion the $39.00 penalty  fees
are not pertinent to this case. Although Change #184 to the  JFTR  was
not in affect at the time, IGLT recommends the applicant be reimbursed
$692.50 for travel because she acted in good faith to  return  to  her
home duty station in a timely manner.

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

_________________________________________________________________

APPLICANT'S REVIEW OF AIR FORCE EVALUATION:

A complete copy of the evaluation was forwarded to the applicant on  1
Nov 02 for review and comment within 30 days.  As of this  date,  this
office has received no response.

_________________________________________________________________

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 error or injustice to warrant  partial  relief.  From
the information provided, it appears the applicant  was  not  properly
counseled regarding travel entitlements. Although Change #184  to  the
JFTR was not effective at the time she traveled, its  purpose  was  to
grant travel entitlements to  members  when  they  self-procure  their
tickets. The applicant acted in good faith to return to her home  duty
station in a timely manner and should be appropriately compensated for
her government-directed travel. However, we agree with HQ  USAF/ILGT’s
rationale in recommending the applicant be reimbursed for $692.50, the
cost of her ticket to Boise, ID, and not for the $723.88 requested. In
this regard, the late fee and  telephone  transfer  charge  apparently
pertain to a previous unpaid balance and do not warrant reimbursement.
Therefore, we  recommend  the  applicant's  records  be  corrected  as
indicated below.

_________________________________________________________________

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT:

The pertinent military records of the  Department  of  the  Air  Force
relating to APPLICANT, be corrected to  show  that,  on  22  September
2002, competent authority authorized her  to  self-procure  commercial
airline tickets from Dover AFB, DE to Mountain  Home  AFB,  ID  on  11
November 2001, and that she  is  entitled  to  reimbursement  for  the
expenses incurred for her 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 8 January 2003, under the provisions of  AFI  36-
2603:

                  Ms. Charlene M. Bradley, Panel Chair
                  Mr. Michael V. Barbino, Member
                  Mr. E. David Hoard, Member

All members  voted  to  correct  the  records,  as  recommended.   The
following documentary evidence relating to AFBCMR  Docket  Number  02-
02201 was considered:

   Exhibit A.  DD Form 149, dated 3 Jul 02, w/atchs.
   Exhibit B.  Letter, HQ USAF/ILGT, dated 23 Oct 02, w/atchs.
   Exhibit C.  Letter, SAF/MRBR, dated 1 Nov 02.




                                   CHARLENE M. BRADLEY
                                   Panel Chair



AFBCMR 02-02201




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 22 September 2002,
competent authority authorized her to self-procure commercial airline
tickets from Dover AFB, DE to Mountain Home AFB, ID on 11 November
2001, and that she is entitled to reimbursement for the expenses
incurred for her personally-procured official transportation,
including those airline tickets purchased for official travel at
commercial rates.





JOE G. LINEBERGER

Director

Air Force Review Boards Agency