ALCOAST 049/22 - FEB 2022 E-GOV TRAVEL SYSTEM (ETS) IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE THREE

R 101530Z FEB 22
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 049/22
SSIC 7000
SUBJ: E-GOV TRAVEL SYSTEM (ETS) IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE THREE
A. The Joint Travel Regulations (JTR)
1. This ALCOAST provides an update after the Financial Systems
Modernization Solution (FSMS) interface with ETS activated on
07 January 2022. While there have been many successes in vouchering
travel involving the prior and current fiscal years, there continue
to be challenges related to incorrect funding information and
missing employee information in FSMS. There are also additional
challenges related to the interface between Direct Access and FSMS,
preventing some members from vouchering. The CG PPC ETS website
remains the best resource for ETS-related news, training and tips
for processing travel. Users can access the website at:
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/ppc/travel/ets/

2. Commanding Officers, Funds Approvers and Approving Officials:
Commanding Officers should ensure members delegated to approve
travel thoroughly review requests prior to approval to ensure
compliance with REF (A). Funds Approvers and Approving Officials
are an extension of the Commanding Officer and must review each
travel request before submission to verify travel is charged to the
appropriate Project, Organization, Expenditure and Task (POET).
3. Government Travel Charge Card (GTCC) Balances: Due to delays in
vouchers being filed and some challenges reimbursing members, GTCC
mission critical status was extended through 28 February 2022.
Members are reminded that they are required to file a travel voucher
within three (3) days of the conclusion of travel and should use
split disbursement to pay off GTCC balances. Therefore, vouchers
shall be submitted for all completed travel as soon as possible to
obtain reimbursement or identify system issues that need to be
resolved for payment. Personnel experiencing voucher complications
will have until 28 March 2022 to have their accounts resolved and
settled in Citibank. Members should continue to monitor their GTCC
using CitiManager online tools, applications and Direct Access.
4. Electronic travel requests: Travel for nearly all situations
should be made by submitting online travel authorizations to a local
funds approver and approving official. Fees related to reservations
and payment of vouchers are paid by units that provided the line of
accounting, now known as the Project, Organization, Expenditure and
Task (POET).
5. Travel Management Coordinator (TMC) transaction fees: These are
charged when the reservation is ticketed or invoiced (air
reservations are ticketed, hotels and cars are invoiced).
Cancellation of a trip prior to either of those actions will not
result in TMC fees. Travelers receive updates upon ticketing,
normally three business days prior to departure. Invoicing occurs
either when the company accepts the car or hotel reservation or the
first day of travel, whichever occurs first. Cancellation after
ticketing and/or invoicing actions will result in the need to submit
a travel voucher to be reimbursed TMC fees and any related
non-refundable travel costs.
6. Travel vouchers: These are charged for each approved travel
voucher. The travel voucher fee amount is automatically listed on
the expenses section of the travel authorization which obligates
extra funds for the travel voucher fee. NOTE: Supplemental vouchers
incur an additional fee. Accordingly, travelers and approving
officials should ensure submission of an accurate voucher, which
includes all requests for reimbursements. The PPC Travel Website
has updated FAQs related to vouchering prior fiscal year travel
claims using open authorizations and building authorizations for
prior year travel that did not get migrated into ETS.
7. Urgent travel: Travelers with a need to travel within 48 hours
will need to call the TMC to ensure ticketing prior to the first day
of the TDY period. Travelers or arrangers will submit a travel
authorization to be linked to the reserved travel. Travelers should
submit a travel authorization in ETS as soon as they become aware of
the travel need to prevent creating urgent travel situations.
Contacting the TMC to arrange travel significantly impacts the unit
travel budgets.
8. Using travel reward programs: As a best practice, it is advisable
to wait until the authorization is approved by an approving
official prior to using travel rewards to obtain upgrades. Travel
authorizations or vouchers may require members to indicate the
upgrade was not at government cost.
9. System impact to reserve members: Commanding Officers may
consider extending Approving Official privileges to reserve members
to allow for improved efficiency in routing reserve travel requests.
CG dual status employees will need to be switched between
hierarchies for their CG civilian employment, which is the default,
and their reserve routing hierarchy. Once the traveler submits the
travel authorization to a specific routing pathway it remains locked
in that approval routing for authorization and vouchering. Dual
status employees will work with Approving Officials to determine the
proper routing for travel. All Approving Officials have permissions
to change the hierarchy. Members can immediately be switched back
to the original pool to create a new travel request once the
previous trip initiated its routing approval.
10. PCS Travel: PCS travel claims should continue to be submitted
using TPAX. Once reviewed by PPC auditors, travelers will receive
an email from PPC directing members to perform actions in ETS and
DA, if necessary. The PPC website will be updated to include steps
on how to receive payments for PCS moves for claims that have been
previously submitted. Members should check the PPC Website for
updates.
11. A/C School Direct Access (DA) Orders: Orders originating in DA
have resulted in unforeseen complications that hinder some
students from executing/completing orders to A/C-school training,
specifically FSMS and/or ETS error codes associated with funding and
date changes. ETQC and EPM will provide specific guidance and steps
via a subsequent advisory for travelers and unit AO's to follow.
12. Cancelling trips in ETS: Members, when possible, should cancel
trips prior to reservations being ticketed for airline reservations
or invoiced for hotels and rental cars. In most instances the
cancelled reservation will address all reservations. There have
been instances related to unit level training to create a
reservation without a travel authorization. This is a live system
and users must ensure all reservations are cancelled to prevent
TMC and vouchering costs. Training trips created without an
authorization will appear in the "Hold Trips" page of ETS and
will also need to be cancelled.
13. Troubleshooting errors: The online help tool within ETS
provides opportunities for self-help. For a complete list of errors
in the ETS online help tool, enter "4557" in the search bar to
return an error catalog. There are also other troubleshooting tips
if you search only for "Troubleshooting."
14. Disabled accounts: ETS went live on 01 October. If users
activated accounts and have not logged in since that time, accounts
were disabled due to inactivity. Travelers should work with their
AO to contact the Travel Assist Team to rebuild the account.
Approving officials are still able to unlock or initialize accounts
but not re-enable accounts.
15. ETS training: The PPC ETS website provides links to accessing
training for ETS, which includes live and recorded sessions. In
the near future there will be a replacement for the Approving
Official course previously removed from the CG Learning Portal.
Training will be used to increase competency and use as a
validation tool for Commanding Officers to gauge competence.
16. Travel Assist Team: The PPC Travel Assist Team (TAT) remains
available as a resource throughout February 2022. In order to
build travel system proficiency, only funds approvers and approving
officials should contact the TAT. The previously cited PPC ETS
Website provides contact information.
17. Updating GTCC information: If an account was disabled, members
will need ensure the correct GTCC information is in the ETS profile.
Additionally, if members report a GTCC lost or stolen, members will
need to update the profile with the correct account numbers.
18. Updating ETS profiles with dependent information: In order to
facilitate invitational travel and evacuations, members should
update their profiles to include dependents listed in the Defense
Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).
19. Additional traveler information: Members can find additional
information about the TMC and use of the GTCC to facilitate travel
at the following COMDT (CG-PSC) website:
(Copy and Paste URL Below into Browser)

https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-
for-Human-Resources-CG-1/Personnel-Service-Center-PSC/BOPS/PSC-BOPS
-R/GOVTrvl/Traveler_Information

20. For other related ETS or Travel Management Officer (TMO)
questions, please contact CDR William Suter, TMO Implementation
(CG-133) at (202) 475-5377 or William.W.Suter@uscg.mil.
21. Dr. D. M. Navarro, Deputy Assistant Commandant for Human
Resources (CG-1D), sends.
22. Internet release is authorized.