Federal Manager's Daily Report

Commerce Department employees who use premium class travel did not always properly support and justify the need for it, unauthorized officials have approved such travel and some reports on its use were inaccurate or incomplete, an IG report has said.

The report noted that under the Federal Travel Regulation, premium class travel is authorized only when specifically permitted by the agency and only under specific circumstances. Such travel is defined as anything other than coach-class accommodations.

For 2013, Commerce reported 226 premium-class travel instances totaling $807,946 while in 2014, the department reported 157 instances totaling $683,607. Auditors estimated that the additional cost was nearly $1.1 million.

Among the reasons premium travel can be allowed are if the traveler has certain medical conditions, but the IG found that the department relied on outdated or incomplete medical documentation for expenses exceeding $112,000.

For nearly half of the travel instances reviewed, auditors found that the operating units did not comply with departmental policy when authorizing premium-class travel. Similarly, it found that nearly half of reports on premium travel use filed with GSA covering fiscal 2013 and 2014 were inaccurate or incomplete.

Management concurred with recommendations to update policies and procedures