CDC Officials Remind Employees of Travel Policies and Talking Points
In the wake of bad PR related to meetings and travel by bureaucrats, Internal CDC document helps employees to rebut criticisms
By Anonymous sources
May 26, 2006
Questions: FYI ONLY PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD: CDC Travel Policy
CDC/ATSDR Travel Costs:
1Q. How much does CDC spend for travel each year?
CDC spends about $60 million annually. That represents approximately 40,000 national or international business trips averaging about $1,500.
2Q. Why 40,000 trips a year? What is the purpose of those trips?
CDC's workforce travels in support of the agency's mission, for example:
1. CDC/ATSDR has fiduciary responsibility for contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements that involve public health activities such as emergency preparedness, environmental health assessments, and chronic disease prevention that may require site visits.
In Fiscal Year 2005, CDC awarded 6,879 grants and cooperative agreements for a total of $5,024,610,430, and 6,869 contract actions for a total of $1,539,033,049.
In addition, CDC administers hundreds of additional contracts and an additional 3,811 grants and cooperative agreements from prior years valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
CDC's core values include acting as diligent stewards of public trust and public funds.
2. CDC's professionals also must travel to support epidemiologic investigations, including infectious disease outbreaks, necessary to protect the health and well being of the public.
3. Increasingly, CDC is traveling to support public safety emergencies and disaster response. For example, today about 150 CDC professionals are deployed in hurricane affected areas to support recovery and restoration missions. Since August, nearly 700 CDC experts have been deployed to the region, though most have returned.
4. CDC's workforce may also travel to attend conferences, meetings, and symposia for the critical exchange of public health information and education. However additional CDC restrictions can apply to this travel, including required approvals at the department level for certain types of travel.
Travel Audit Oversight:
3Q. What is CDC's oversight policy for travel expenses?
First, all travel by the CDC workforce must be done in the method most advantageous to the government when cost and other factors (e.g., overtime) are considered.
All travel must be in accordance with applicable provisions, such as the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), the HHS Travel Manual, the Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR), and supplemental policy/procedural guidance issued by CDC.
Employees traveling on official business are expected to exercise the same care in incurring expenses that prudent persons would exercise if traveling on personal business. The traveler must keep adequate records of their expenditures, and provide the necessary facts, details, and supporting evidence for the proper preparation of their vouchers.
All travel vouchers submitted for payment by the traveler following official government travel are electronically submitted to their travel approving official for review and approval prior to payment.
4Q. Who is responsible for the accuracy of the travel voucher?
The traveler is responsible for the correctness of all statements in the voucher. The traveler's signature on the travel voucher represents the traveler's assurance that the information is correct.
5Q. What is CDC's travel voucher audit policy?
CDC's Financial Management Officials select travel vouchers for audit three ways:
First, any travel by CDC senior leadership is audited 100 percent of the time.
Second, the CDC's electronic travel system will automatically flag for auditing any trip that incurs expenses of $2,500 or greater (for example an international trip or a trip of extended length)
Third, the CDC's electronic travel system randomly selects a sample of travel vouchers for audit using a statistical sampling process.
6Q. What steps are taken in the audit process?
There are a number of precise steps in the audit process, including promptly notifying the traveler that their travel voucher is being audited. Next, experienced travel specialists review the itemized expenses for accuracy, reasonableness, and compliance with regulations and policies. They then examine the required receipts and consider any other documentation to support the claim.
7Q. What if something claimed is inaccurate or not valid?
When supporting documentation, information, or receipts to justify a claim are incorrect or missing, the FMO travel specialist will notify the traveler via email. The traveler will then have 48 hours to submit required supporting information or provide additional justification.
o If the documentation or information supports the questioned expense(s), the traveler will be reimbursed the entire amount claimed.
o If the documentation or information provided does not support the questioned expense(s), the amount for the expense(s) will be reduced from the amount claimed on the voucher and the traveler will be reimbursed the remaining amount.
8Q. What if the irregularity is thought to be intentional?
The CDC Financial Management Official is obligated to report report suspected fraud, waste, and abuse.
9Q. Are all employees who travel subject to auditing?
Yes, and for CDC senior leadership there is a required 100% auditing policy on travel vouchers.
10Q. Is there any external oversight for CDC travel expenses?
Yes, the HHS, Inspector General.
11Q. Has CDC had its travel payment and audit system reviewed or updated in recent years?
Yes. CDC is constantly working to improve its internal processes to ensure greater efficiency while being honest and transparent stewards of fiscal resources. For example, CDC recently revised its website to update travel policies and procedures, and training materials to better educate and assist travelers and others involved in the travel process.
12Q. What percent of submitted vouchers that are audited are found to have irregularities?
We do not have that percentage.
13Q. What are the top three types of irregularities found?
The Financial Management Office provides a checklist for employees preparing travel vouchers that lists common errors (Appendix A). Errors typically include omissions and inaccuracies such as the wrong fiscal year noted on the voucher.
14Q. When will an irregularity that is found through an audit be referred to HHS IG?
CDC is obligated by law and ethics to report any suspicion of fraud, waste or abuse.
Q. How many times a year does CDC refer an employee's travel voucher for investigation by HHS IG?
Once, in the last four years.
15Q Are travel requests ever denied? If so, how many?
CDC's travel approval system requires that the traveler's supervisor approve all travel. Therefore, travel is usually denied at that level and no formal record is kept to count the number of these transactions.
16Q What training do employees receive regarding travel regulations, policies and procedures?
CDC recently launched web-based training for all of its employees. Regular travelers, those preparing travel orders and vouchers, and travel approvers are encouraged to take basic and advanced courses. The courses include a high level overview of the travel process at CDC as well as information on policies, procedures, points of contact, and real-life scenarios.
Appendix A:
Common Errors Audit Checklist
The following list highlights some of the most commonly found errors in the travel vouchers audited by the FMO Financial Services Branch. It identifies key elements required to receive full payment for a travel voucher.
• If you are not an employee, be sure there is adequate justification for travel.
• Make sure the correct FY is obligated and vouched.
• Be sure to use the correct Object Class (per HHS Departmental Accounting Manual Chapter 4-50-30).
• The traveler must make sure the voucher is submitted to the CIO for approval in a timely manner (within five business days of the traveler's return date).
• The order and voucher itineraries must match (for exceptions see CDC-13 Travel Order Amendments).
• Make sure the signed voucher matches the CDC system voucher.
• Be sure to attach adequate original receipts (see procedure on Travel Voucher Submission).
• Make sure advances were accounted for and properly computed.
• First-class or premium-class travel must be properly justified (refer to the First-Class or Premium-Class Other Than First-Class Accommodations for a Medical Condition procedure or Cost Analysis for Premium Class, Premium-Class Other Than First-Class Checklist travel templates).
• Make sure the per diem is correct.
• If a foreign trip, make sure a foreign carrier certificate is attached (Foreign Carrier Certificate).
• If the ATM fee was claimed, make sure it is limited to 1.5% of the authorized amount on the travel order.
• Make sure all miscellaneous expenses were allowable and justified, and if required, approved on the travel order (rental car, taxi, excess baggage, etc.).
