R 051543Z JAN 16
MARADMIN 001/16
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC DMCS//
SUBJ/GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CHARGE CARD USE DURING PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION TRAVEL//
REF/A/PUBLIC LAW 105-264//
REF/B/JTR//
REF/C/MCO 4600.7//
REF/D/MCO 4600.40B//
REF/E/DODFMR//
NARR/REF A IS THE TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION REFORM ACT OF 1998. REF B IS THE JOINT TRAVEL REGULATIONS. REF C IS THE PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM MARINE CORPS ORDER. REF D IS THE GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CHARGE CARD (GTCC) PROGRAM MARINE CORPS ORDER. REF E IS THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION.//
POC/LEVI GARCIA/MSGT/HQMC-RFF/TEL: 703-432-9139 (DSN 378)//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  Purpose.  This MARADMIN provides new policy and guidance for the use of the Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) during Permanent Change of Station (PCS) travel.  All Marines must read this message in its entirety to ensure they understand this new process.  This policy is effective 1 January 2016 for all Marines who complete an outbound interview on or after this date, regardless of the date PCS orders were received.  A YouTube video providing an overview of GTCC use during PCS travel is available at https:(slash)(slash)youtu.be/V7WMkMVX8GQ.  Commanders are to ensure widest dissemination of this new policy.
2.  Background.  The Marine Corps is implementing procedures to leverage the GTCC program and improve customer service for Marines executing a PCS move.  As part of this initiative, Marines in receipt of PCS orders will be required to conduct their outbound interview, when directed by their servicing Installation Personnel Administration Center (IPAC), through the Marine On-Line (MOL)/Web Unit Diary-Marine Integrated Personnel System (UD-MIPS) outbound interview.  This process will replace the traditional hard copy transfer data sheets in use today and, with only the few exceptions identified below, require GTCC use for all PCS travel.
3.  Policy.  Once the MOL/WEB UD-MIPS outbound interview process is implemented at the Marine’s command, active duty and active reserve (AR) Marines performing PCS travel, to include concurrently traveling dependents, will use the GTCC in lieu of a traditional travel advance.  Immediately upon receipt of orders, if not already a cardholder, the Marine must apply for a GTCC.  Commanding officers will ensure the Marine applies for and receives a GTCC prior to the IPAC or local administrative center certification of the MOL/WEB UD-MIPS outbound interview.  If the detach date is short-fused, the Marine may request an expedited GTCC.  Expedited cards result in a fee of $20 placed on the account; that fee must be claimed as a reimbursable expense on the PCS travel voucher in accordance with reference (b).  Due to the cost, expediting cards must be kept to a minimum and only be authorized when necessary.  Cards should not be expedited for overseas locations; overseas commanders must be proactive in ensuring Marines have GTCC accounts prior to travel.
4.  Process
    a.  The PCS process begins when the Marine is notified via MOL that they are in receipt of orders.  MOL will prompt the Marine to complete the outbound interview in MOL/Web UD-MIPS.  Before the IPAC or local administrative center certifies the interview, the Marines must have a GTCC and will select “YES” to the question asking if they have a GTCC.  The  Marine will only select “NO” if the criteria outlined in paragraph 4b below is met.  If the Marine must select “NO,” the command or IPAC (as appropriate) will ensure the proper endorsement is included with any advance travel requests forwarded to the Finance Office/Disbursing Office (FO/DO).
    b.  A traveler whose GTCC account has previously been canceled due to delinquency or 2 non-sufficient funds (NSF) charges within a 12-month period may apply for a 1-time reinstatement.  Since specific criteria are required in each scenario, the traveler must contact their Agency Program Coordinator (APC) for assistance and further instructions.  If a GTCC applicant has been denied due to credit reasons, the APC must complete a hard-copy application and forward it through the GTCC hierarchy chain to the hierarchy level 2 (HL2) Component Program Manager (CPM) at Headquarters Marine Corps (P&R-RFF) in order to process through a credit exception for the Marine.  An account cannot be reestablished if it has been canceled for any of the following reasons:  canceled after already being reinstated once; account was charged-off as bad debt; or account has three (3) or more NSF charges during the life of the account.  If a new account cannot be established due to the above reasons, the traveler will be authorized to receive a traditional travel advance and the requirements of the following paragraphs must be met.
    c.  When a Marine is not able to obtain a GTCC due to reasons outlined in paragraph 4b above, the commander will clearly document the circumstance(s), which must be included as a manually created endorsement to the PCS orders when the advance PCS travel request is submitted to the FO/DO for payment.  This endorsement is not required for advance payment of dependents travel allowances when they are travelling non-concurrently (that information will be captured during the MIL/Web UD-MIPS interview process).
    d.  Data gathered during the MIL/Web UD-MIPS interview process will be transmitted to the card issuer which will automatically trigger the following actions:
        (1) The account will be activated 10 days prior to the approved detach date, allowing GTCC use for temporary lodging.
        (2) Credit limits will be adjusted to reflect the estimated cost of the PCS travel entitlements.
        (3) The approved Merchant Category Code (MCC) Group will be expanded to allow use of the GTCC for dislocation allowance related charges (e.g., carpet cleaning, utility deposits, household items, etc.).
        (4) The account will be placed into a PCS-mission critical status which will ensure the account does not age during the PCS period.  This status can be extended to 120 days to allow GTCC use during temporary duty enroute periods.
        (5) The account will automatically be deactivated and removed from PCS-mission critical status 15 calendar days after the approved report date, thus allowing GTCC use for temporary lodging at the new duty station.
    d.  The GTCC will be used for all PCS official travel related expenses for the member and concurrently traveling dependents.  Use of the GTCC for personally procured moves (PPM), formerly known as do-it-yourself (DITY) moves, is not authorized in connection with this policy.
    f.  Upon implementation, the distribution management office will charge the individually billed account for commercial airfare in connection with a PCS move.  Leave in conjunction with official travel (LICWO) rules, as outlined in chapter 4, paragraph 4 of reference (c) apply.
5.  Cardholder Instructions
    a.  During the initial phases of the GTCC-PCS interview implementation, card limits will be adjusted to the estimated cost of the move by the HQMC GTCC CPM.  It is important the traveler understands what entitlements are rated and their estimated dollar amount(s).  Upon completion and certification of the outbound interview, the traveler will be provided an endorsement to the PCS orders which contains the estimated dollar amount of the travel entitlements.  The traveler will use this information to ensure charges placed on the GTCC do not exceed the amount(s) that will be reimbursed upon PCS travel voucher settlement.
    b.  Proper use of the GTCC for PCS consists of the following:
        (1) Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE) at the old or new permanent duty station (PDS); charges related to this expense include lodging and meals while in temporary lodging.  See reference (b) for additional TLE information.
        (2) Fuel for Privately Owned Vehicles (POV), but only if POV is the authorized mode of transportation for the PCS travel.  This is not a directly reimbursed item; it is paid in the form of a Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT).  MALT is a flat-rate per mile and per vehicle entitlement based on the distance between the old and new PDS, as determined by the Defense Table of Official Distances (DTOD).
        (3) Lodging and meals enroute; these items are not reimbursed directly, the member and dependents are entitled to a flat-rate per diem for the number of allowable travel days based on the mode of transportation, not to exceed the actual travel days used as outlined in reference (b).  The GTCC should not be used for lodging while in a delay  status.
        (4) Airfare for the Marine and concurrently traveling dependents and only if it is the authorized mode of transportation for the PCS travel.  Personal travel arrangements made for LICWO cannot be purchased with the GTCC.  See reference (c) for further details regarding LICWO travel.
        (5) Dislocation Allowance (DLA).  This is a flat-rate allowance to help defray the costs of establishing a new household as outlined in reference (b).  DLA has very specific rules that govern entitlements.  If entitled, the GTCC may be used for expenses related to DLA such as carpet cleaning, purchase of blinds and other household items, utility deposits, etc.  The Marine must be able to readily justify that the charge is related to household dislocation if the command inquires about it.  Routine purchases not normally related to the establishment of a household, such as the purchase of a television, computer, or clothing, are not considered official travel expenses.
        (6) Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fees are covered under the miscellaneous expense portion of the per diem and are not reimbursable as a separate expense.
    c.  Misuse.  Misuse of the travel card will not be tolerated.  Commanders/Supervisors will ensure travel cards are used only for official travel related expenses.  Examples of misuse include, but are not limited to: (a) expenses related to personal, family or household purposes except for authorized PCS expenses, (b) cash withdrawals from an ATM used during non-travel periods or not related to official government travel requirements are "not authorized."  This includes but is not limited to any withdrawal of a credit balance remaining on the card, (c) intentional failure to pay undisputed charges in a timely manner, and (d) ATM cash withdrawals taken more than three days prior to official government travel.  Cardholders who misuse their travel card may be subject to administrative or disciplinary action, as appropriate.
    d.  Cardholders must settle their travel vouchers in a timely manner upon check-in at the new PDS, as outlined in Volume 9, Chapter 8 of reference (e).  When the travel voucher is completed, ensure the split-disbursement amount in block 1 of the DD Form 1351-2 reflects all undisputed charges placed on or pending in the GTCC.  If temporary lodging is still required at the time of completion of the travel voucher, the cardholder must include an estimate of the TLE charges in the split-disbursement amount.  Other than payment for temporary lodging, no further charges will be placed on the GTCC after completion of the travel voucher.  Cardholders must ensure they update their GTCC contact information immediately following the establishment of their address at the new PDS.  Cardholders must proactively review GTCC statements to ensure payment was made in full from the split-disbursement.  Any remaining balance due after the posting of the split-disbursement must be paid immediately by the cardholder.  Payment can be made via Citimanager at https:(slant)(slant)home.cards.citidirect.com/commercialcard/cards.html or via the voice response unit by calling the number on the reverse of the card.  If the split-disbursement exceeds the amount due, cardholders may obtain the amount of the credit balance via the same methods shown above.  Electronic funds transfer of credit balances is available and payments are received within 24-48 hours in most cases.
    e.  Any cardholder who requires assistance during the PCS travel period should contact the APC for their former command; if already reported to the new PDS, contact the APC of the new PDS.  If the cardholder is unable to reach the APC, Citi Customer Service should be contacted by calling the number on the back of the GTCC.
    f.  There are several protections provided by the GTCC compared to private credit cards.  Some of those protections are:  no interest charges on the account; available temporary increases to meet mission requirements; APC and Citi Customer Service Support; use of “PCS-Mission Critical” status to ensure payment is not due until after check-in; immediate availability, there are no delays due to processing of a traditional travel advance; automatic travel accident insurance; automatic common carrier baggage insurance; and PCS entitlements remain the same per reference (b), regardless of amount placed on the GTCC.
6.  Agency Program Coordinator Instructions
    a.  Questions regarding this new process should be addressed to the next higher level APC.  APCs must ensure they assist cardholders in the application process and must determine if expediting a card is necessary to ensure compliance with this message.
    b.  Upon implementation of the MOL/Web UD-MIPS outbound interview at your command, APCs will no longer deactivate GTCC accounts upon check-out for their cardholders; deactivating accounts is detrimental to the automated nature of this process.  APCs must provide their contact information to cardholders upon check-out and will remain the primary point of contact for the cardholder until check-in at the new PDS; the only exception is temporary duty (TDY) enroute.
    c.  When a cardholder executing PCS travel is assigned TDY enroute for more than 30 days at any one location, the TDY command APC will Join/Add/Transfer the GTCC account to the TDY command’s hierarchy to ensure appropriate action is taken for any issue(s) that may arise or if a temporary credit limit increase is needed.  If the TDY location is other than a Marine Corps command, the account will continue to be managed by the losing command APC.  Marines assigned TDY enroute must file partial settlement travel claims every 30 days as required by Volume 9, Chapter 8 of reference (e).
    d.  APCs must only take action on an account where the cardholder contacts the APC first; because of the automation involved, there will be little need for APC intervention, which should be limited to temporary credit limit increases based on the estimated entitlement for the PCS period.  In cases of TDY enroute, the APC may need to increase the GTCC limit to ensure the cardholder has enough credit available for the TDY period and to complete the PCS travel.
    e.  The GTCC account will automatically be deactivated 15 days after the approved report date through the automated process.  Gaining APCs should not manually deactivate accounts unless special circumstances arise creating the requirement.
    f.  Upon check-out, APCs must counsel cardholders concerning proper use of the GTCC and who they should contact if issues arise.  Upon check-in and after the traveler has established a new address, APCs will advise cardholders to update their contact information and address in Citimanager.  If the cardholder does not have a Citimanager account, the APC should make the necessary changes or assist the cardholder to create a new account.  Advise cardholders concerning proper split-disbursement and remind them that they must review their GTCC statements to ensure there is a zero balance upon final settlement.
7.  Applicability.  This policy does not apply to accession, separation, or retirement travel, nor does it affect the payment of advance pay in accordance with reference (e) or advance Basic Allowance for Housing to pay for rental deposits as outlined in reference (b).  Additionally, this policy does not apply to PCS travel for civilian personnel, Selected Marine Corps Reserve, Individual Mobilization Augmentee, or Individual Ready Reserve Marines as these populations do not use the same order writing and outbound interview processes.  Additionally, this policy does not apply to U.S. Navy personnel assigned to Marine Corps commands.
8.  This policy will be incorporated into reference (d) and applicable Inspector General and Marine Corps Administrative Analysis Team checklists.
9.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General James B. Laster, Director Marine Corps Staff.//