Below are excerpts from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General’s white paper regarding Postal Service Officers Travel Expense Guidelines

This white paper provides the results of our review of the current U.S. Postal Service officers travel expense guidelines. (Project Number 06BD020FT001). We performed this review in response to a request from Postal Service management to evaluate whether travel guidelines for its officers were reasonable when compared to other entities’ travel policies. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) Financial Statements directorate performed the review with Postal Service Finance personnel.

During this review, we determined whether the officers travel guidelines corresponded to travel guidelines prescribed by other federal and local government entities, private corporation, not -for -profit organizations, and trade journals.

In general, the travel guidelines the Postal Service instituted for its officers were not always consistent with travel guidelines prescribed by the entities and sources against which we benchmarked. Based on our benchmarking, we determined the guidelines did not always incorporate key best practices such as:

• Requiring all employees to use their government-issued travel card for customary travel expenses.

• Excluding reimbursement for alcoholic beverages or providing specific exceptions.

• Providing general accepted practices for tipping

• Establishing limits related to meals, lodging, and incidental charges in conduct of travel and/or representation.

• Disallowing employees to accept lump sum points for scheduling an official conference or group travel.

• Using a designated agent when making travel arrangements.

OIG offered some of the following suggestions after analyzing the Postal Service Officers Travel guidelines:

• Prohibit reimbursement for alcohol beverages
• Establish specific guidelines for tipping.
• Incorporate a 50-mile-rule for overnight stays

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From PostalReporter.com

This OIG also conducts an annual audit of Postal Service Officers Travel and Expenses:

 The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, as amended, requires annual audits of the Postal Services’s financial statements. AS part of these audits, the Board of Governors adopted policies and procedures that require annual audits of officer travel and representation expenses.

Postal Service officers shape the stragetic direction of the Postal Service by setting goals, targets, and indicators within the framework established by the Postal Services’s Board of  Governors. Their positions are classified as Postmaster General, Depty Postmaster General, and all vice presidents. The Board of Governors has authorized 50 Postal Service officer  positions.

Postal Service officers are reimbursed for actual expenses incurred on official travel. They are also reimbured for represntation expenses incurred with customer, industry, or employee groups with whom Postal Service conducts official business.

Link to all USPS OIG audits