This subpart prescribes the regulations required by section 5942 of title 5, United States Code, for the payment of an allowance based on duty at remote worksites.

(a) Agencies. This subpart applies to executive departments as defined in section 101 of title 5, United States Code, and to independent establishments as defined in section 104 of title 5, United States Code, but does not apply to Government corporations as defined in section 103 of title 5, United States Code.

(b) Employee. This subpart applies to each employee assigned to a permanent duty station at or within a designated remote duty post, except an employee who is a permanent or temporary resident at the remote duty post, and except foreign nationals employed at remote duty posts in foreign countries.

(a) Each agency is responsible for:

(1) Establishing and subsequently adjusting, in accordance with the provisions of this subpart, an allowance for each remote duty post at which the agency has employees and which meets the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of § 591.304, as restricted by paragraph (b) of § 591.304;

(2) Advising the Office of Personnel Management of each establishment or adjustment of an allowance under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and of the basis for such establishment or adjustment;

(3) Submitting a recommendation to the Office of Personnel Management to establish or adjust an allowance for each remote duty post at which the agency has employees and which meets the criteria in paragraph (a)(2) or (a)(3) or paragraph (c) of § 591.304; and

(4) Advising the Office of Personnel Management in a timely manner of any changes in a duty post or commuting conditions or other factors that may affect an allowance that has been authorized by the Office of Personnel Management under paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) The Office of Personnel Management is responsible for:

(1) Establishing and subsequently adjusting, in accordance with the provisions of this subpart, an allowance for each remote duty post which does not meet the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of § 591.304, but does meet the criteria in paragraph (a)(2) or (a)(3) or paragraph (c) of § 591.304;

(2) Reviewing each establishment or adjustment of an allowance by an agency under paragraph (a)(1) of this section to determine if such establishment or adjustment is in accordance with the provisions of this subpart; and

(3) Directing the termination or adjustment of any allowance determined by the Office to be not in accordance with the provisions of this subpart, which termination or adjustment shall be implemented by the agency without delay.

(c) Each allowance which has been authorized by the Office of Personnel Management or the Civil Service Commission on or before February 1, 1979, and which is authorized for a remote duty post which meets the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of § 591.304, shall be subject to further adjustment by the agency under paragraph (a)(1) of this section as if such allowance had been initially authorized by the agency under that paragraph.

(a) Except as provided by paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a duty post shall be determined to be a remote duty post for basic allowance eligibility purposes when:

(1) Normal ground transportation (e.g., automobile, train, bus) is available on a daily basis and the duty post is 80 kilometers (50 miles), or more, one way from the nearest established community or suitable place of residence. Distance shall be computed in road or rail kilometers (miles) over the most direct route traveled from the center of the city, or other appropriate point for large cities or areas; or

(2) Daily commuting is impractical because the location of the duty post and available transportation are such that agency management requires employees to remain at the duty post for their workweek as a normal and continuing part of the conditions of employment; or

(3) Transportation may be accomplished only by boat, aircraft, or unusual conveyance, or under extraordinary conditions, and the distance, time, and commuting conditions result in expense, inconvenience, or hardship significantly greater than that encountered in metropolitan area commuting. A determination may only be made on an individual location basis.

(b) Except when the criteria in paragraph (a)(2) or (3) of this section are met, the criteria in paragraph (a)(1) of this section are not met:

(1) When the duty post is within the boundary of a metropolitan area, a developed urban area, or community of sufficient size to provide adequate consumer facilities; and

(2) When the duty post is within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the center of, or other appropriate point for large cities or areas, a metropolitan area, a developed urban area, or community of sufficient size to provide adequate consumer facilities. (This generally excludes a post of duty within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of any city of 5,000 or more population.)

(c) A determination of remoteness for a duty post outside the 50 United States will be made on an individual location basis, taking into consideration the distance, time, and commuting conditions, and the extent to which these factors result in significant expense, inconvenience, or hardship.

(a) General. An allowance rate may not exceed $10 a day. An allowance rate shall be established for each post of duty determined to be remote under § 591.304, and shall be terminated or adjusted as warranted. In determining the amount of the allowance rate, the following shall be considered:

(1) Transportation expenses incurred in commuting to the remote post of duty as compared to transportation expenses (including cost of public transportation service) representative of those incurred in metropolitan areas within the United States or overseas as appropriate as periodically determined by the Office of Personnel Management.

(2) Expenses incurred for lodging, meals, other services, and miscellaneous expenses when it is not feasible for an employee to commute daily as at duty posts determined under § 591.304(a)(2).

(3) Inconvenience or hardship associated with commuting to the remote duty post taking into account such factors as travel time, road conditions and terrain, type and quality of vehicle, and climate conditions, and conditions that exist at those duty posts determined by the Office of Personnel Management to meet the criteria in § 591.304(a)(2).

(4) Operational or workload demands, weather conditions, or other situations which require an employee to report to or remain at this post of duty substantially beyond his or her normal arrival or departure time with respect to those duty posts meeting the criteria in § 591.304(a)(2).

(b) Authorized allowance rates. Each authorized allowance rate for each duty post may consist of up to three parts, separately stated as appropriate, and the authorized allowance rate shall be paid as provided in § 591.306, but no employee may be paid more than $10 a day. The parts which make up the authorized allowance rate are:

(1) Transportation allowance—(i) Commuting by private motor vehicle. A transportation allowance schedule showing the daily transportation expense rate to be paid under the distances and conditions described, when commuting by private motor vehicle is set out as appendix A to this subpart and is incorporated in and made part of this section.

(ii) Travel by commercial or Government-provided transportation. The transportation allowance shall be limited to the cost of the service less normal cost for public transportation service in metropolitan areas.

(2) Inconvenience or hardship allowance. An allowance rate to compensate for hardship or inconvenience may not be considered unless the travel time normally exceeds one hour one way between the closest established community or suitable place or residence and the remote duty post. An allowance schedule covering land travel by motor vehicle, showing the daily rates to be paid under the time factors and conditions described, for inconvenience or hardship combined, is set out as appendix B to this subpart and is incorporated in and made part of this section.

(3) Other commuting situations. Notwithstanding paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section, when commuting is by boat, aircraft or an unusual conveyance, or under extraordinary conditions by motor vehicle, or involving factors or conditions unique to the duty post, the Office of Personnel Management shall establish the allowance based on the facts and circumstances of that individual remote duty post.

(4) Miscellaneous. When daily commuting is impractical as determined under § 591.304(a)(2):

(i) The Office of Personnel Management may authorize a miscellaneous allowance, the amount to depend on such factors as miscellaneous expenses, living conditions that exist at the duty post, or inconvenience or hardship that may be associated with this type of employment environment. When employees are required to pay a fee for lodging, meals, or other services at the remote duty post, the miscellaneous allowance shall at least equal the amount charged for the use of facilities and services.

(ii) On those days when operational or workload demands, weather conditions, or other situations result in employees reporting to or remaining at the remote duty post substantially beyond normal arrival or departure time, the maximum daily allowance rate of $10 shall be paid.

(a) An authorized allowance rate shall be paid to each employee with a permanent duty station at or within a remote post of duty approved under § 591.304, regardless of type of appointment or work schedule, only (1) when the employee travels the prescribed minimum distance and time, or is subject to prescribed minimum inconvenience or hardship factors, while commuting from the nearest established community or suitable place of residence and the remote duty post, or (2) the employee remains at the worksite at the direction of management because daily commuting is impractical.

(b) An employee shall be paid an authorized allowance rate for those days on which he or she incurs unusual expense in commuting to a remote post of duty or for those days on which he or she is subject to extraordinary inconvenience or hardship during the commuting.

(c) An employee who resides permanently, or temporarily for his or her own convenience at a remote duty post is not eligible for an authorized allowance rate during his or her period of residence.

(a) An authorized allowance rate is earned on a daily basis; however, where appropriate for administrative convenience, the rate may be averaged taking into consideration the number of noncommuting days over a period of time, and paid for each workday, excluding days in a nonpay status and period of extended absence.

(b) The transportation allowance is paid only when expense is incurred and at the lowest rate consistent with available transportation.

(c) The inconvenience or hardship allowance is paid regardless of eligibility for the transportation expense part of the allowance rate when the employee is otherwise eligible.

(d) Except as provided under § 591.305(b)(4)(ii), when the necessity for remaining at the post of duty for the workweek is the basis for the allowance under § 591.304(a)(2), the allowance rate is paid for each full day, or prorated for each part of a day, that the employee remains at the duty post.

(e) The transportation allowance prescribed by paragraph (b)(1)(i) of § 591.305, or other allowance as may be prescribed for commuting by private motor vehicle, may not be paid unless the officially approved work schedule of the employee precludes use of the transportation services that may be available at lower cost.

(f) An employee, who normally commutes on a daily basis, will not be disqualified from receiving an authorized allowance when he or she is officially required to remain overnight at the remote duty post, for one or more days on a temporary basis, because of the schedule of operations or the nature of assigned work.

(g) When a remote duty post is determined by the Office of Personnel Management under paragraph (a)(3) or (c) of § 591.304 as being basically eligible for an allowance, the Office of Personnel Management will determine the basis for payment of the allowance rate taking into consideration the facts and circumstances associated with commuting to the remote duty post.

An allowance authorized under this subpart is in addition to any additional pay or allowances payable under other statutes. It shall not be considered part of the employee's rate of basic pay in computing additional pay or allowances payable under other statutes.

When an allowance is authorized for a remote duty post, the authorization shall specify the effective date that an agency shall begin paying the allowance to its employees, except that a date earlier than January 8, 1971, may not be specified.

Regulations in this subpart do not require a reduction in the allowance rates authorized under previous statutes unless an adjustment is determined to be warranted on the basis of a change in facts and circumstances on which that previous allowance was established.

Good paved roads; climatic conditions cause intermittent driving difficulty.

Roads typically fair but may be good for part of distance or may be unpaved for short distances; climatic conditions during part of a season, in relation to terrain, contribute to additional cost.

Fair to poor roads; unpaved for part of distance, or travel over range; hilly or mountainous terrain; climatic conditions during most of a season contribute to additional cost.

Good paved roads; climatic conditions, in relation to type and quality of vehicle, cause minimal discomfort during trip.

Roads typically fair, but may be good for part of distance and possibly unpaved for short distances; climatic conditions during part of a season, in relation to type and quality of vehicle, result in moderate discomfort during trip.

Fair to poor roads, unpaved for part of distance, climatic conditions during most of a season, in combination with such factors as type and quality of vehicle and terrain, result in unusual discomfort during trip.