Department of Defense Made Nearly 1 Billion Dollars in Improper Travel Payments, Says Report

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) September 30, 2019 – The Department of Defense (DoD) processed almost $1 billion in improper travel payments in the last three years. The payments were made to members of the armed forces and to civilian employees of the department from 2016 to 2018, found an analysis from the Government Accountability Office.
When something goes awry with the travel expense reimbursement process, it is considered an improper travel payment. For some that means no payment at all, for others it could be that the wrong amount was paid out.

“Although the numbers are surprising, they are somewhat less dramatic than they seem,” said James G. Fausone, lead attorney at Legal Help for Veterans in Northville, Michigan. The improper payments make up five percent of the total amount paid out by the Department of Defense.
Fausone continued, “Improper travel payments sometimes represent simple mistakes, such as a lack of enough supporting documentation of travel expenses at first and they are eventually legitimate, but other times they are a loss of money and resources for the DoD. Obviously, that is not ideal.”

In total, the department paid out $18.3 billion over those three fiscal years and $965.5 million was improper. Of that, $205 million was considered a total loss.

In addition to a lack of supporting documentation for legitimate travel expenses, other examples of improper payments include duplicate payments, payments to unauthorized persons or an incorrect amount paid.

The Government Accountability Office report urged the DoD to investigate and prevent improper payments more thoroughly. It says that to lessen the amount of money lost, the DoD must address the root cause of improper payments.

Legal Help for Veterans is a veteran-run law firm in Northville, Michigan. To contact them, call 1.800.693.4800 or visit https://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/.

Learn more at http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC 41700 West Six Mile Road, Suite 101 Northville, MI 48168 Toll Free Phone: 800.693.4800