Post Deployment Leave (TDY)?

[Ebony zer]

I looked around and couldn't find an answer to my question. Before leaving home station for a 365 I had about 3.5 months of back-to-back TDY's. Because it was cost effective to the AF I used my POV. My last day of training was only a few days before I had to catch the rotator so I had to deploy from my last TDY location and leave my POV in storage. Now I'm being told that in order to pick up my POV, I have to either fly back direct to my last TDY location and use chargable leave and forgo my 14 days of downtime that you get when you return, or fly back to home station and find my own way to get to my last TDY location (on my owen dime), once again using chargeable leave. Any insights on where to turn to get a straight answer.

Final question. If I do take chargeable leave to get my POV and return to home station, can I complete my travel voucher and claim the mileage? If so, are you allowed to claim milleage if you are traveling on leave? Thanks in advance for the help.

[HuggyU2]

Because it was cost effective to the AF...

And what did we learn today?

Edited May 18, 2012 by Huggyu2

[Dupe]

Were these all unit-funded TDYs? If so, convince the boss to send you TDY to go pick up your POV with the argument that it uses less of his precious DBA than had you rented a car and flown to each place. If that doesn't work, at least ask for PTDY to pick up your car. If the car is a beater, maybe just giving a bro a power of attorney and having him sell it is a better use of your time.

As Huggy said, don't be afraid to use what's authorized in the JFTR. In this case, a string of flights and rental cars would have been a wise move. Had your car broken on the road, it would have been on you to fix. If you didn't want to fly because of the ass-pain of checking 3 months worth of bags multiple times, a one way rental car would have been an option as well.

[Finance_Guy]

Were these all unit-funded TDYs? If so, convince the boss to send you TDY to go pick up your POV with the argument that it uses less of his precious DBA than had you rented a car and flown to each place. If that doesn't work, at least ask for PTDY to pick up your car. If the car is a beater, maybe just giving a bro a power of attorney and having him sell it is a better use of your time.

Neither of those options are authorized. This scenario is exactly why it is not always wise to drive a POV as personal preference.

@Ebony zer - If you are still deployed your best bet is to p/u the car enroute back to your PDS. That way you may get some travel entitlement, although no non-chargeable leave. Not sure where you left the car or where you will fly back from deployment, but essentially you have a travel entitlement from whereever you land in the CONUS (Rotator?) to your PDS. You could then fly to where the POV is located then drive it back to the PDS. You would be reimbursed your airline ticket and mileage up to the cost of the airfare (plus taxis) from the Rotator arrival point to your PDS. That could be your travel expense entitlement. But that option would only allow for one day of travel and therefore any extra days used would be charged as excessive travel time. The non entitlement aspect would be that personnel doesn't allow any deviation from itinerary when returning from deployment but I'm sure you could work a waiver with the CC.

[Jughead]

But that option would only allow for one day of travel and therefore any extra days used would be charged as excessive travel time.

Whenever I've done POV travel (eg, ~4 mo TDY to an FTU), there was some formula used for number of days TDY vs travel time. If the standard was met (gone for X days, therefore travel time of up to Y days authorized), then total travel time up the normal number of days for driving (350 mi / day?) was authorized, with one day being travel (funded) and the others being PTDY (no per diem, but no leave charged either).

Have the rules changed, or were the rules being side-stepped when I did it?

Caveats, it's been a while & I have not done this ICW a deployment.

EDIT: i kant spel

Edited May 18, 2012 by Jughead

[Finance_Guy]

Whenever I've done POV travel (eg, ~4 mo TDY to an FTU), there was some formula used for number of days TDY vs travel time. If the standard was met (gone for X days, therefore travel time of up to Y days authorized), then total travel time up the normal number of days for driving (350 mi / day?) was authorized, with one day being travel (funded) and the others being PTDY (no per diem, but no leave charged either).

Have the rules changed, or were the rules being side-stepped when I did it?

Caveats, it's been a while & I have not done this ICW a deployment.

EDIT: i kant spel

Permissive is still possible per AFI 65-114 para 4.5 but a couple of things need to be covered.

#1. The travel order cannot have "Directed" a mode other than POV

#2. The travel order must be written that POC for personal convenience is authorized.

There could also be questionable issues since the AFI says "at one location". The scenario presented above deals with more than one location.

[Boxhead]

And what did we learn today?

Never, ever use your stuff for something the USAF is making you do. They can afford to send you or they can't.

Just personal preference, I suppose.