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AIMD-96-124R 1 (1996-07-02)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptadmb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: United States General Accounting Office Washington, D.C. 20548 Accounting and Information Management Division B-271913 July 2, 1996 Mr. Jack Shipley Director, Financial Management Division Environmental Protection Agency Dear Mr. Shipley: This letter responds to your February 9, 1996, request for an interpretation of the statement in Title 7, Fiscal Procedures, of GAO'S Policy and Procedures Manual for Guidance of Federal Agencies requiring certain supervisory/administrative approvals when processing vouchers for payment. Specifically, you asked if it would be permissible to eliminate supervisor approval of staff travel vouchers if alternative controls that provide the same level of assurance are implemented. As described in your letter, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is replacing its existing temporary duty travel (TOY) system with a new, fully automated one to streamline operations and reduce the cost of government.1 We support initiatives to create a government that works better and costs less. At the same time, we believe that agencies have the responsibility to protect the government's interest. In your letter, you mentioned that you had requested a waiver from the General Services Administration's (GSA) requirement2 that a supervisory or administrative review of travel vouchers take place prior to payment. Your staff informed us that GSA subsequently granted a conditional waiver subject to our concurrence. To supplement the information in your letter, we contacted your staff to discuss the proposal in more detail. However, we did not test your current system or the new one being designed and implemented. Consequently, our response only addresses your proposal conceptually. As discussed in the following sections, we identified concerns regarding your proposal and offer three control procedures to alleviate the concerns. Based on our understanding of your proposal, we have no objection to its 'The Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) established an interagency team in 1994 to address travel reengineering. The obstacles, suggested improvements, and specific recommendations for TDY and relocation travel are documented in JFMIP's Improving Travel Management in Government, December 1995. You may wish to refer to JFMIP's document as your travel system design progresses. 2GSA is responsible for issuing employee travel regulations, which are published in its manual entitled, Federal Travel Regulations. GAO/AIMD-96-124R Employee Travel Claims (EPA) Page 1

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