Is everyone on capped actuals or are there exceptions?

[dogstar2]

The capped actual issue is about to hit hard, especially when living off base, but given an on base rate (go figure!!). What exactly are the rules about when one can be given the old style rate? I hear rumours about various units not being forced to use this new shambles of a system which takes hours to manage for detached personnel as well as for the snowed under accounts people and really makes people feel undervalued at a time when they need to be motivated as much as possible as they are spending inordinate amounts of time out of area.

[Tilt&Gain]

Nail on the head DS! Capped Actuals is an absolute shambles!
I have been part of 2 detachments under the new system and the only good point is the new system keeps the Det Admin Officer off your back because he / she is working every hour God sends keeping the paperwork up to date.
From experience, all that now happens is everyone on the detachment is eating fantastic meals every night - the attitude (quite rightly so) is: 'If the accountants are going to give me $100 per day, then I'm going to spend $100a day on my meal'. Now, I fully appreciate that if you were entitled to $100 rates under the old system this attitude does not cost any more - but neither does it save money.
We are also entitled to PIE (around £10 a day) and certain elements of LSA, or is it OSA? Under the old system, guys very rarely claimed this extra allowance, but now everyone claims it to make up for the lack of 'spending money'. Funny this.....you no doubt saw the Treasury directive stating that if everyone claimed all the allowances they were entitled to then there would not be enough money in the pot to cover it all!!!!

Anyway, I digress, the answer to your question is No, not everyone is on the capped actual system. 2 Gp do not work on the capped actuals, they are using the old rates system - or they have used it on the 2 trails I have been involved with. The reason I was told was that it would be too difficult to administer a Tristar load of passengers under the new system - quite right!

So, the big question is.....What does the new sysem save us? It costs more to administer, takes up more man-hours to process (albeit now the individual has to do the work rather than the 'professionals' - thus distracting you from your primary duty), has been ditched by 2 Gp as it is too cumbersome and, if everyone claims what they are entitled to, we can't afford it!

If anyone out there has more accurate info or reasons, I'd love to know them!

Progress? What do you think?

[6foottanker]

2 Group have been on the capped actuals system for about 8 months, and it has proved to be completely unworkable. This goes for the aircrew who when visiting 4 countries in 3 days with 4 different currencies, and who are supposed to be operating the aircraft safely rather that filling in reams of paperwork and counting coins, had a justifiable complaint.
It also goes for the poor staff in the Imprest Office who had to spend every hour of their work time ploughing through all the extra paperwork, the receipts and work out how to operate the new system. Bear in mind no official guidance was ever issued about running imprests on the capped actual scheme, it was never intended to be part of JPA, and within 2 months of its introduction there was 3 months backlog of paperwork.

So thanks to BZNs ex OC PSF putting in a lot of work, 2 Group FSAs are now run on a different system, designed to make it less of an admin burden to run. This is as a temporary measure for 12 months until a proper system is designed which allows crews of 20 to have a meal together without asking for seperate bills, doesn't need the co-pilot/loady to spend 3 hours after a flight has landed trying to fill in the paperwork, then 3 weeks chasing up his crew(who are by now spread across the globe) for their returns and money, and doesn't result in the guys finding the most expensive meal combo available just to justify the rates provided.

It combines the old rates system with a capped actual overnight rate. Each country has an nissue, you have to be on the ground nfor 5 hours to qualify for a daily rate, and you get your £10/night subsistence on top. If you are required to purchase Brekky, this is on a capped actual basis.

The paperwork is the same as it was a year ago on the old system, and everyone knows what they are entitled to. It can be managed by the Co/Loady without having to neglect their primary duties.

Whether the system saves money or not, I don't know, but if you can't use it, what's the point? It just frustrates the guys even more.

Why we didn't wait until we could tie a system in with JPA and make it easy to claim money (easy and JPA in the same sentence???) before changing it I don't know. It has cost millions to change though, and lost a lot of good will from our people, serving or civil service,