TDY reimbursement for rental car

I plan on researching better at my base but just wanted to get a feel for what I may be in for ahead of time. Here is my scenario, I am going TDY to Lackland for just under 2 months starting June 17. I am assuming that if I wait until I get there to request a room at the Gateway Inn that I will receive a non-availablity letter which will send me off base (based on a conversation that I had with a person at the Gateway Inn over the phone). Once sent off base, I assume that I will be authorized a rental car (based on my unit). Here is the issue. I plan on driving my POV because I don't want to run the risk of getting to the Gateway Inn and actually being told that they do have a room which means no rental car authorized. So the question is, If I am authorized a rental car but have my POV, will I be reimbursed for any of the expenses of using my POV????? I would much rather stay off base as I am an E5 and don't want to have to share a room if possible.

 

Gateway inn you wont be sharing a room. And you will atleast get reimbursed for gas to and from but i dont know about them reimbursing you for other expenses.

 

Army prespective here: Statements of non-avail. are a HUGE issue within DoD right now. Budget is dry. Army has basically mandated on-post lodging now for TDY. So, I don't know if your method will work to get you off post for a couple months. However, if there is no room, then there is no room! Off post you go.

If the rental car is not on your TDY orders, then you're not getting it. However, orders can be amended if the situation warrants. Rental car thing depends on how far from Home of Record (HOR) you are travelling to TDY location, cost, etc. I always ask for a rental on my orders and 9/10 times it's approved. Probably factor in your rank and your position in the unit here as well.

If you get the rental, the car and fuel are both covered (obviously)

If you take your POV, then you get around 52 cents/mile for your travel from HOR to TDY location and back. If the orders don't say "in and around mileage authorized" then all you get is the above. if your orders do say "in and around mileage authorized" then you fill out a worksheet and get the 52 cents/mile for every mile you drive.

Hope that was clear, I'm in a rush.

Advise: try and get a rental on your orders and leave the POV at home.

 

AZ TXPro has it right. If there's no rental car authorized on the orders, then you will not get paid for it.

One other factor: the government is nearly always going to do what is cheapest, and not really give a damn what works out best for the servicemember. Several years ago I was in a position that required a TDY every 6-8 weeks, for 7-14 days each time, always to the same location. Working with my unit financial manager, I did a little homework and found that on trips of less than 10 days, it was cheaper to the government for me to fly and get a rental car. On longer trips, it was cheaper to the government for me to take my own vehicle and drive. Once I reached that conclusion with the financial manager, it was easy to make the trips happen with no arguments on the cost of it.

Your math may vary. Key factor is the cost of the rental car...those things add up fast, which is why they are scrutinized very closely.

Another thing to look for on the orders: variation authorized. That's your ticket to some flexibility when planning your TDY, however it also gives the government flexibility to not re-imburse you for costs if they think it's excessive.