To: FEA Leaders and Educators (For Immediate Distribution)
From: FEA Legal Department
Re: May 15, 2018 Legal Update: Shipment of 100 pounds of unaccompanied baggage in conjunction with RAT travel

As stated in the May 15, 2018 President’s Report, a number of members are reporting not being authorized the 100 pounds per person for shipment of unaccompanied baggage on their RAT orders. The Association contacted DoDEA Headquarters for assistance in resolving this problem.

Three situations generally apply to the shipment of unaccompanied baggage in conjunction with RAT. Please read the following carefully to identify which of the following applies to your own situation, and how to resolve this issue.

Situation #1

If you are mailing/have mailed the 100 pounds per person of unaccompanied baggage, please make sure to include the mailing postage with receipts when submitting the vouchers for RAT travel reimbursement.

Situation #2

For those who will use TMO (instead of mailing) to pick-up and ship your unaccompanied baggage and have received RAT orders without specific funding for shipment of unaccompanied baggage, please send us an e-mail at FEALegal@nea.org, explaining your situation, so we can forward it on to the appropriate staff at DoDEA HQ to get you amended orders with fund citation.

Situation #3

For those who have not yet applied for RAT orders and plan to ship unaccompanied baggage through TMO, please use the following guidance provided by DoDEA in submitting your travel orders request. “In TOPS there is a section for comments where the employee can specify that they will be using the TMO for shipment of their 100lbs so the funding can be added prior to approval in TOPS.”

If you should encounter any problems in following the above guidance, please contact the Washington Office on your email at FEALegal@nea.org. Thank you.