Is there anything that can be done at the battalion level to help with my extra travel expenses of attending BOLC?

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 03:03:48 -0400

Hello all!

I am a 2LT out of JBLM in the reserves. I will be going to BOLC on OCT 3 21. DTS is not authorized since I am choosing to drive from Washington to fort Jackson. Obviously this is my choice to take my car instead of flying there because ill need a car for BOLC (dont need but it does make life easier not having to bum rides). That being said, is there anything that can be done at the battalion level to help out so I am not paying all the travel expenses out of pocket? Can they put me on orders for a couple days for travel?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 3:35 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 03:35:49 -0400

DTS is authorized to pay you mileage to and from your destination but the amount reimbursed is no more than the cost of the plane tickets. You have to do a constructed travel worksheet and you are only covered per diem for travel one day each way.

Also, DTS is a system not an authorization, it's the system you process your travel through and it spits out a DD1610 authorization for travel. For TDY and Return official travel you must use DTS.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 8:45 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 08:45:23 -0400

I'm a little surprised your Commander is allowing this

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 8:48 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 08:48:16 -0400

Short answer, you could request RSTs for the days you are driving there to cover the drills you will be missing during BOLC or ask to be put on orders but that's not usually going to happen.

Does your school have a rental car memo? For my BOLC class, only the NG got authorized rentals because the schoolhouse was walking distance from the hotel. For my CCC class, the course manager sent out a rental memo since things were a little farther apart and my unit authorized a rental on separate orders.

Side note though: there's nothing wrong with carpooling. Thats how I made some good friends and connections while at BOLC! Its part of the experience.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 9:00 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 09:00:01 -0400

To answer your question, no.
Orders are for training.
The orders for school can start no earlier than one day prior to report to a school on the east coast from the west coast, because air travel is authorized.
Additional days prior to the report date would be a purpose violation.

However, with a Constructed Travel Worksheet, you will be authorized reimbursement for $542, the contract rate for the round trip airfare.
You will need to drive 2800 miles each way, and probably pay for three hotels each way.
The round trip will probably cost about $840 in gas, and $480 in hotels, so taking your car will cost about $778 out of pocket for you.
To make that easier, ensure that your DTS authorization includes scheduled partial payments (SPP) so you receive monthly reimbursement payments as opposed to waiting for your voucher after returning from school to receive reimbursement.
But you still need to sign that voucher within 5 days after the end of the course.
Assuming you are single and live close enough to Seattle for that BAH, you will also make $5985 a month in base, BAS and BAH for the 12 weeks of school, or $16,957 total.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 3:46 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 15:46:29 -0400

Welcome to your introduction how money works in the Army and the USAR.

While it's not gaming the system, learn to take your lumps and enjoy the occasional policy/process in your favor.

I don't know what it will be like for you, but when I was in BOLC (not all that long ago) I was getting my BAH. As well, the hotel I stayed at for BOLC was paid for by the school house (nothing was coming out of my pocket for the roof over my head). To boot, I also got per-diem because there was no DFAC facilities and we were on our own.

So California BAH, while in Virginia, and collecting daily Per-Diem, and in the top tier 2LT pay as a prior NCO. I was probably getting paid considerably more than my Cadre of CPT's.

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Anyway, BAH isn't guaranteed. You need to bring substantiating documents for it (which I learned in Basic the hard way, while on the phone at reception reaching back to my mortgage lender for proof of mortgage to be faxed to in processing admins). So I went to BOLC with my property tax, and mortgage bill/statement in hand. All the newly out of college 2LT's without any lease agreements or home ownership didn't get BAH at all.

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OK, how you get to BOLC is on you. You are afforded a flight there, and a flight back. If you decide to drive and something happens, well, I'm going to bet you didn't write up a risk assessment, create a travel plan and get it approved by your commander and probably battalion commander as well.

So give yourself a day or two emergency planning in case your car dies on you. I had my car gone through by a shop front to back before I drove cross country, and I was in a position to have an extra day or two to simply buy another car (or rent) if something happened along the way.

But you are right, you'll need a car. In my case while do-able without a car, it is an astronomical time suck to use pubic transportation, you are basically stuck on post, and you have to coordinate everything. You just can't "go".

Be prepared to have your car inspected by an appointed class safety officer. So if there are any slight issues with your car you can find yourself with a dead-lined car because of safety violations you essentially can't move until you graduate. Think tires, mirrors, working lights, and no cracked glass. You're not going to have time to take it to a mechanic and make right.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 5:22 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 17:22:30 -0400

HRC should be funding your training and travel. Did HRC approve you to drive?
Why would your battalion help pay for a choice that you are making? It would be a waste of their funds to pay you to drive somewhere; orders are for training not your convienence.
This is not your first rodeo, as you've been in service for almost a decade. You should know how the Army works by now.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 24 at 2021 5:30 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 17:30:42 -0400

You don’t need a car at BOLC. Jackson is not a huge base. Most stuff is easily walkable there on post. Also don’t count being able to get off post anyways with covid ramping up again in the south.

You are authorized the cost of round trip airfare. I would suggest you take a flight. Also as others have said I am amazed your command is allowing you to drive there. The liability alone for you is too high (not for command but for you). I personally wouldn’t let someone under my command do this not just because of the financial hit you’re going to take paying for hotels and gas and wear and tear on your vehicle and not to mention the extra unpaid days of travel to and from while not on orders. I would also be worried about your personal safety traversing the entire US and being in an accident etc on the trip. Also gotta think of it from mission side of things. You get in a wreck driving halfway across the US and not on orders? You miss your school. The unit misses out on the funding. The schoolhouse can’t fill your slot. See the points?

Also you should make sure your orders say POV is authorized. You will only get 2 days of travel (one day there and one day back) that you will be paid on. Being on orders when traveling is for your safety! You get in a wreck and on orders you are covered under VA for disability and military for injuries. Get hurt while traveling not on orders? Tough crap you’re on your own to cover the cost and can’t claim it for VA purposes if you get booted out due to injury.

So with all that being said. Take the flight. Carpool if you are allowed to leave post and you will make a ton of friends. There will be someone in the guard there with a rental or you can Uber.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2021 2:38 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 02:38:21 -0400

To a degree I can understand not wanting to bum a ride. But from a cost standpoint, wouldn't it be cheaper for you to take the flight and get a rental out of pocket?

Response by SSG Laurie Mullen made Jul 26 at 2021 1:35 AM

SSG Laurie Mullen — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 01:35:52 -0400

When I went to BNCOC TDY from Germany I just leased a car for the three months that I was there. I know you're CONUS, but that's an option too. The vehicle was my choice so I was not reimbursed for it and did not try to get reimbursement.

Response by COL David Turk made Jul 30 at 2021 12:24 PM

COL David Turk — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 12:24:28 -0400

If you do decide to drive, you can save on lodging by staying “space A” at Navy and AF” bases. Army has switched to commercial lodging which is usually the same as local, although sometimes cheaper. You do save by not paying local taxes.