Accession Number:

AD1157708

Title:

DoD Travel Cards: Control Weaknesses Led to Millions of Dollars Wasted on Unused Airline Tickets

Descriptive Note:

[Technical Report, Congressional Report]

Corporate Author:

United States General Accounting Office

Personal Author(s):

• Kutz, Gregory D.
• Cramer, Robert J.
• Thai, Quan
• Burke, Beverly
• DelVecchio, Francine
• Holling, Aaron
• Jacobson, Jeffrey
• Matta, Julie
• Ryan, John
• Schwartz, Sidney H.

Report Date:

2004-03-01

Pagination or Media Count:

50

Abstract:

Ineffective oversight and management of the Department of Defenses DOD travel card program, which GAO previously reported on, have led to concerns about airline tickets DOD purchased but did not use and for which it did not claim refunds. GAO was asked to 1 determinewhether, and to what extent, airline tickets purchased through the centrally billed accounts were unused and not refunded and 2 determine whether DODs internal controls provided reasonable assurance that all unused tickets were identified and submitted for refunds. GAO makes 20 recommendations to DOD, including the following evaluate the feasibility of requiring DOD personnel to purchase airline tickets with theirindividually billed travel cards, which would eliminate DODs risk of paying for unused tickets implement procedures to systematically providereasonable assurance that all unused tickets purchased with the centrally billed accounts are refunded and submit claims to the airlines torecover the 21 million in known unused ticketsDOD might be able to recover more than 100 million for unused tickets. DOD concurred with all 20 of our recommendations and stated that it had taken or will take actions to address these recommendations.

Descriptors:

Subject Categories:

• Administration and Management
• Economics and Cost Analysis
• Military Forces and Organizations

Distribution Statement:

[A, Approved For Public Release]