Private Motor Vehicle Use for Military Travel While on Temporary Duty – Limit on number of kilometer not permitted

Topic

Private Motor Vehicle Use for Military Travel While on Temporary Duty – Limit on number of kilometer not permitted

Case number

• 2017-094 (F&R date: 2017-11-20)

Issue

In October 2015, the Director Compensation and Benefits Administration, on behalf of the Director General Compensation and Benefits (DGCB), began to reinterpret the Canadian Forces Temporary Duty Travel Instruction (CFTDTI) Section 7 and modified the Cost Comparison Form so as to limit the number of kilometers (km) to be reimbursed when a member used a private motor vehicle (PMV) for military travel instead of the most economical means of travel. The reinterpretation set out that a member would only be reimbursed for 500 km each way for a total of 1,000 km round-trip. Prior to October 2015, the PMV calculation for comparison used the total number of km for the direct distance between locations.

However, with respect to a member’s entitlement to reimbursement, the CFTDI makes no mention of a limit of 1,000 km round-trip. The Treasury Board has sole authority to regulate the reimbursement of travel and associated expenses. The artificial limit was placed upon the calculation through the Cost Comparison Form by DGCB, without authorization.

Recommendation

The Committee recommended that Canadian Armed Forces members, who have been authorized to travel using their PMV since October 2015, should have their claims reassessed to ensure that they were not incorrectly limited to 1,000 km.

FA Decision 

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) agreed with the Committee that the DGCB did not have the authority to impose a 500-kilometre limit on claims for travel by PMV.  The CDS directed that the grievor be reimbursed the difference between what he had already been paid and the cost of airfare. In response to the Committee's systemic recommendation, the CDS also directed that all claims dating back to October 2015 be reassessed to ensure that members were not incorrectly denied reimbursement and that the calculation formula be reissued by the correct authority, DGCB.