[ FINCEN website || Travel Claim "Quick Reference Guide" ]

Travel Reimbursement:

To Submit Your Travel Claim -- You should use the *new* DD-1351-2 <http://forms.cgaux.org/archive/dd1351-2f.pdf> when submitting your claim for travel reimbursements to 'C' Schools.  Complete your forms according to any special instructions you receive at the time they are issued.

To Determine if You Have Been Properly Reimbursed --  Historically, more than 25 percent of the calls made to the Coast Guard's Personnel Support Command (PSC) are to obtain information on the status of travel claims or travel voucher summaries (TVS).  An ongoing joint Coast Guard Finance Center (FINCEN) and PSC effort was initiated to make this information available online.  A lot of work by FINCEN, PSC, DIRAUX D7, and Auxiliary Information Services Division personnel has now come to fruition in the form of the online TVS.  In the nutshell, Auxiliarists (as well as all Coast Guard personnel) are now able to gain access to their TVS via the internet.  What follows are a few basic Questions-Answers about this new initiative.

1.  What is a Travel Voucher Summary (TVS)?  A TVS is basically a written summary of reimbursed elements of a travel claim (e.g. - reimbursed mileage, tolls, parking fees, meals and incidentals, hotel rooms, lodging taxes, etc).  Travel claims are filed through your ordering issuing authority after you have completed the mission for which you received orders in the first place (e.g. - to attend a conference under government orders, to attend a C-School under government orders, etc).

2.  What does having access to an online TVS mean for an Auxiliarist who performs travel under Coast Guard orders?  It means that once an Auxiliarist has filed their travel claim for reimbursement of their costs of travel, they will soon thereafter be able to reconcile their travel claim against the amount of money that is deposited into their bank account for reimbursement. 

3.  Are TVS' issued for Auxiliary patrol reimbursements?  No, the TVS is issued to help reconcile reimbursements for travel claims...not patrol claims. 

4.  How can I gain access to my TVS?  There are plenty o ways to access it.  Here are four of them:

        1 - Go via the FINCEN web site http://www.fincen.uscg.mil/  --- In the right-side column of options, click "Online Travel Claim Status" / Click "Travel Payment Inquiry Application - Coast Guard Members" / Click "TVS-AUX (90-Day History) Application - Coast Guard Members" / Insert your Social Security Number in the field (the site is secure for this purpose) and click "Submit TVS Search" /  your TVS' for the past 90 days will be listed - check the extreme right-hand column "Document Status" - if the word "Available" is in the block for that TVS, then click on it and the TVS will appear for your review

        2 - Short cut the FINCEN web site by going directly to the "Travel Payment Inquiry Application - Coast Guard Members" site by clicking https://www.fincen.uscg.mil/secure/TravelPay/TPQuery.htm --- Click "TVS-AUX (90-Day History) Application - Coast Guard Members" / Insert your Social Security Number in the field (the site is secure for this purpose) and click "Submit TVS Search" /  your TVS' for the past 90 days will be listed - check the extreme right-hand column "Document Status" - if the word "Available" is in the block for that TVS, then click on it and the TVS will appear for your review

        3 - Go via the PSC web site http://www.uscg.mil/hq/psc/tvl.htm ---- Click "Travel Claim Status & Voucher Summaries" at the top of the site / Insert your Social Security Number in the field (the site is secure for this purpose) and click "Submit TVS Search" /  your TVS' for the past 90 days will be listed - check the extreme right-hand column "Document Status" - if the word "Available" is in the block for that TVS, then click on it and the TVS will appear for your review

        4 - Go via the "What's New?" article about this on the Member's Deck of the Auxiliary web site.  The article is entitled "Good News for Travel Reimbursement!" and provides the link https://www.fincen.uscg.mil/tvs_aux/

5.  What TVS information will I find at this web site?  The site will only provide information for travel completed within the past 90 days, not for the date of claims submitted.  For example if someone files an initial travel claim for travel that occured more than 90 days ago, it will not be posted.  The moral of this story is simple...file your travel claim as soon as possible after completion of your travel.

6.  How soon is a TVS available at the web site after I complete my travel?  The operative consideration here is that a TVS cannot be posted unless a travel claim is filed.  In general, once a travel claim has been received by PSC (through your order issuing authority), your reimbursement should be electronically deposited to your bank account within about a week and the TVS for that claim will be posted within about two weeks.

7.  What if I have questions about the TVS?  Questions about accessing travel information can be directed to psccustomercare@hrsic.uscg.mil or via 1-866-PSC-USCG.