Skip to site content
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Manual

Administrative Delegation #28

TRAVEL/CASH FUND/CERTIFYING OFFICERS

GENERAL -- EXHIBIT 1-5.2A-11

CHAPTER 5
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY

SUBJECT: TRAVEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESOLUTlON OF CASH FUND IRREGULARITIES

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Director Indian Health Service, by the Reorganization Order of January 4, 1988, (52 FR 47053) which elevated the Indian Health Service to a PHS Agency, and in accordance with the authority. delegated to all PHS Agency Beads by the Director, Office of Management, PHS, on May 21, 1984, I hereby delegate the following authorities as indicated below:

  1. The authority for:
    1. Domestic Travel (D)

      To authorize or approve domestic travel, as defined in the iiiis Travel Manual, Section l-20. This authority includes (1) temporary duty travel of employees: and (2) travel of consultants, advisory council members, advisory committee members, private persons, etc.

    2. Foreign Travel (F)

      To authorize or-approve foreign travel, as defined in the HHS Travel. Manual Section 1- 20. This authority includes the types of travel described in the HHS Travel Manual, Chapter 7-00, as well as (1) home travel leave, (2) travel of dependents returning to the United States for education purposes, and (3) evacuation travel.

    3. Permanent Change of Station - Civilian Employees (CS)

      To authorize domestic-and foreign travel and transportation of civilian employees in connection with (1) permanent change of dul station, (2) travel of new appointees to first duty station, and travel from a duty station outside continental United States to place of residence for employees leaving Government service at the conclusion of an overseas tour of duty described in the HHS Travel Manual Chapter 6-00.

    4. Advance of Funds (AF)

      To approve advance of funds in connection with authorized official travel and transportation as described in the HHS Travel Manual Chapter 3-30.

    5. Actual and Necessary Travel and Subsistence Expenses (AN)
      1. Subspecification "AN-l". The authority to authorize or approve travel and subsistence expenses on an actual and necessary expense bASIS for members of national advisory councils and advisory committees, and certain applicants for Federal employment, as provided in HHS Travel Manual Chapter 5-30.
      2. Subspecification "AN-2." The authority to authorize or approve travel on an actual subsistence expense basis for IHS civilian employees, private persons serving without compensation, part-time consultants and experts (WAE) for the IHS.
    6. Missing persons (MP)

      To authorities or approve travel of dependent, and shipment of household goods, personal effects, and private effects, and private vehicle of employees who are officially reported as captured, injured, dead, missing, or interned in a neutral country as a result of military or naval operations.  (See GSA Bulletin FPMR A-40,Chapter 2, Part 2.)

    7. Deceased and Injured Employees, Deceased Dependants (DI)

      To authorize or approve (1) preparation and transportation of the remains of an employee who dies while in travel status within or outside the United States (see the HHS Travel Manual, Chapter 8-10 and 8-20); (2) transportation of the remains of the dependents of an employee who is assigned to a permanent duty station outside the United States, if death occurred outside the United States (See the HHS Travel Manual chapter 8-30); and (3) transportation of an employee to a medical facility for treatment of injuries incurred in the performance of official duties (See the HHS Travel Manual, Chapter 8-40)

    8. The Use of Noncontract Air Carriers (AC)

      To Authorize or approve the use of noncontract air carriers when the exceptions specified by GSA are met and certified on the travel order.  (See GSA Temp. Reg. A-20).

    9. The Use of Cash to Purchase Emergency Domestic Passenger Transportation in Excess of $lOO (DT)

      To authorize or approve the use of cash to purchase emergency domestic passenger transportation in excess of $100.  Travel vouchers shall be maintained in the fiscal office serving the individual traveler and must be available for site audit by GSA auditors. Attached to each voucher will be written approval for the use of cash signed by the delegated approving official.  (See HHS Travel Manual Chapter 4-10)

TO WHOM DELEGATED AREA OF AUTHOITY AUTHORITY DELEGATED (BY SPECIFICATION)
Deputy Director IHS IHS-wide D,F,CS,AF,AN-1,AN-2, MP,DI,AC,DT
Director of Hdqtrs Operations IHS-wide D,F,CS,AF,AN-1,AN-2, MP,DI,AC,DT
Associate Director, Office of Administration and Management IHS-wide D,F,CS,AF,AN-1,AN-2, MP,DI,AC,DT
Associate Director, IHS Respective Office D,CS,AF,AN-1,AC,DT
Administrative Officer, OHPRD Tucson Arizona D, CS, AF, AN-1,AC,DT
Area Directors Respective Area D,CS,AF.AN-1,AC,DT
Area Deputy Director Respective Area D,CS,AF, AN-1,AC,DT
Area Executive Officers Respective Area D,CS,AF, AN-1,AC,DT
Director, Clinical Support Branch Respective Branch D,CS,AF, AN-1,AC,DT
Service Unit Directors Respective Service Unit D,CS,AF, AN-1,AC,DT
Administrative Officers Respective Service Unit D,CS,AF, AN-1,AC,DT
Program Manager Headquarters West Headquarters Personnel Alberquerque N.M. D,CS,AF, AN-1,AC,DT

AUTHORITY TO REDELEGATE .

The authority to authorize and approve domestic travel (D) and advance of funds (AF) may be redelegated by Area Directors to no lower than one organizational segment below the office of the Area Director, except that Service Unit Directors may redelegate this authority one organizational segment below the office of the Service Unit Director

Headquarters Associate Directors and Area Directors shall ensure that (1) travel allocation plans exist for their respective office and those organization segments to which this authority is delegated and all travel orders have a stamped or written certification by the financial management office that funds are available in accordance with the organization segment's approved travel plan.

Headquarters Associate Directors are delegated authority to authorize and approve travel and will sign as authorizing official on the travel order.

Headquarters Division Directors are authorized to recommend travel and may sign as Recommending Official on travel order.

All authorized travel shall be approved in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and an established travel plan to ensure travel does not exceed travel allocation ceilings.

The authorities listed by specifications F, AN-2, MP, DI, and AC may not be redelegated.

RESTRICTIONS AND LIMITATIONS:

An official to whom authority is delegated may exercise such authority within his specified area when applicable, to the designated official himself.  Authorizing officials must have their own travel authorized or approved by either (a) an authorizing official occupying a higher organizational level of authority; or (b) by the operating agency chief administrative officer.  IHS Area Directors must have their travel approved by the Deputy Director, IHS, or Associate Director, Office of Administration and Management, Indian Health Service.  No IHS official may authorize or approve his/her own travel.

The authority to resolve by appropriate administrative action, cash and fund loss irregularities amounting to less than $750 arising from a single incident or a series of similar incidents occurring about the same time is delegated to the Associate Director, Office of Administration and Management, without authority to redelegate.

This delegation excludes the authority for Commissioned Corps travel.

REFERENCES

Indian Health Service Circular 83.6 Travel Approval for Area Directors as amended.

INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE

Requirements and instructions for exercising these authorities are contained in the HHS Travel Manual and PHS or IHS Supplements thereto, the HHS Standards of Conduct Regulations, and any other applicable regulations.

All reimbursement vouchers should be approved by an official who generally supervises the traveler, and who has knowledge that the travel assignment was performed and authorized.  The following statement should be typed on the travel voucher (Section 12), dated, and signed by the immediate supervisor:

"Travel has been performed as directed and authorized."

__________________________________________________________________
Supervisor 		________________________________________
Date

When a traveler takes leave of absence of any kind when in a travel status, the exact hour of departure from the return to duty must be shown on the travel voucher.  The traveler also must certify on the voucher that leave taken has been recorded on the Time and Attendance Record (Form HHS402).  The following statement should appear next to the date(s) shown as leave of absence:

"I certify that this leave of absence has been recorded on my Time and Attendance Record for the pay period ending__________."

Requirements and instructions for exercising these authorities are contained in the HHS Voucher Examination Manual, and Title 7, Section 28.14, of the GA0 Policy and Procedures Manual.

RETENTION OF AUTHORITY

The authority to authorize or approve the acceptance of payment in cash or in kind, from non-Federal agencies, organizations, and individuals, for travel and subsistence expenses as described in the HHS Travel Manual Chapter l-33, was delegated to the Director, IHS, without authority to redelegate.

SUPERSESSION

This delegation supersedes Exhibit 1-5.2J-3, Subject:  Travel and Administrative Resolution of Cash Fund Irregularities, Indian Health Manual, Part 1, Chapter 5, Delegations of Authority, Transmittal Notice 86.14, dated September 22, 1986.

EFFECTIVE DATE

This delegation is effective upon date of signature.

/Everett R. Rhoades, M.D./
Everett R. Rhoades, M.D.
Director
Indian Health Service

Date:  11/23/88

INDIAN HEALTH MANUAL   ----   (06/26/89)   ----   TN 89.3

Back To Top  |  Previous Page