A provision of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act would prevent per-day caps on reimbursements for duty assignment or civilian travel within the Department of Defense from being reduced based on the duration of that travel.
The limitations on travel reimbursements for both military servicemembers and civilian employees were implemented in November 2014 by the Secretary of Defense as a cost reduction measure.
“Being away from home for months at a time is hard enough without forcing employees to pay out-of-pocket for legitimate travel expenses that should be covered by their employer,” said Don Hale, chairman of American Federation of Government Employees' Defense Conference, in a news release.
“This was a misguided attempt by the Pentagon to find cost savings at the expense of employees — mostly mid-level civilian employees outside of D.C. who frequently travel for work. We thank Congress for doing the right thing and reversing these harmful and unfair cuts.”
The NDAA was passed by both the House and the Senate and currently awaits presidential signature.
Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.
