If you are driving the answer is no. They do not even check receipts. You will get the standard per diem reimbursed and you will get tolls reimbursed based on the honor system up to a pretty generous amount. If your tolls were over that amount you provide receipts.
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Automobile to Newport?
- Thread starter AirNe
- Start date
If you are driving the answer is no. They do not even check receipts. You will get the standard per diem reimbursed and you will get tolls reimbursed based on the honor system up to a pretty generous amount. If your tolls were over that amount you provide receipts.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
Yea it was moreso that I didn't know if staying within 50 miles counted as "arrived" and you had to file the night as TLE, which would require a certificate of non-availability to stay outside the Lodge. It's what my most recent orders said I had to do, but I never tested it and I doubt PSD will dig into it.
Robert Allen
I've fixed them, now I fly them!
I do travel claims, and my best advice to anyone is to keep all your receipts of lodging and tolls to be safe. If the government is paying for your flight keep your SATO Itinerary. If your orders state you have to stay in government quarters, then that could include gateway inn and navy lodge. Still need those receipts.
If you start your trip within 50 miles your final destination you probably will only get paid for mileage from your starting destination, no lodging.
You can claim tolls less than 75.00 without receipts but that is up to the Approving Official if they want to reinburst you that amount.
But this new to me I'm not sure how the Navy handles those joining the Navy. TAD, PCS or a combination of both.
If you start your trip within 50 miles your final destination you probably will only get paid for mileage from your starting destination, no lodging.
You can claim tolls less than 75.00 without receipts but that is up to the Approving Official if they want to reinburst you that amount.
But this new to me I'm not sure how the Navy handles those joining the Navy. TAD, PCS or a combination of both.
Aviation Jones
SNA
My $0.02. I ended up driving my POV to Newport based on some opinions here. Some people seem to think it's worth it to have your POV when you do finally get liberty. You'll get liberty on week 10/11 weekends. Unless your Candio job keeps you busy throughout the evening. For me it was not worth it. As soon as they unleashed me I was headed for the bars. So I always ended up catching a cab downtown with some others. You can cab it anywhere in town for like $4. My car sat in the salty disgustingness of a Northeastern winter for 14 weeks. Then once you graduate you will want to get out out of R.I. ASAP instead of driving for 2 days. I'm from Illinois, so YMMV (literally) but I would have flown if I had it to do over again. One GOOD thing about having your POV there is you will accumulate a ton of belongings. Uniform items mostly. My entire back seat was full of stuff. I remember the people who flew were giving away their PT gear and hoodies because they didn't have enough room in their luggage. Don't sleep in your car the night before, lol. The lodge is like $80 which you will be reimbursed for, plus some free food in the morning. You'll be too nervous to eat though.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
AJ, why would you recommend flying and in the same post point out that you left OCS with a car-full of uniform items and people who flew sold/gave away items to be avoid baggage fees (which are waived on many airlines for military flying on orders)? You know they're going to have to buy that stuff again, right?
The car isn't just for liberty -- it's a storage bin for stuff that you might want/need when you do get liberty and graduate. And Newport has more to offer than just drinking with the rich kids. Worst case is liberty comes in week 10, best case week 6.
Also if you are PCSing to somewhere far away (FL for many people visiting these boards), you have plenty of time to enjoy the road trip on the way there... visit some museums and monuments in DC, eat some crabs in Baltimore, that sorta thing.
If it was the weather that was your issue, then bring a car cover.
The car isn't just for liberty -- it's a storage bin for stuff that you might want/need when you do get liberty and graduate. And Newport has more to offer than just drinking with the rich kids. Worst case is liberty comes in week 10, best case week 6.
Also if you are PCSing to somewhere far away (FL for many people visiting these boards), you have plenty of time to enjoy the road trip on the way there... visit some museums and monuments in DC, eat some crabs in Baltimore, that sorta thing.
If it was the weather that was your issue, then bring a car cover.
Aviation Jones
SNA
Most of the people who flew were from out West. They were able to take all of their required uniform items such as NWU's, khakis, Dress Whites/Blues, etc. Not everyone had to leave things behind, but a few left behind PT gear, hoodies, and other issued (free) items you get at OCS for inspections, etc. I ended up just packing EVERYTHING in my car because it was either haul it down to my car, or an equal distance to a muddy dumpster (old Nimitz). And yes, in my first post I should have emphasized my car was packed full on the way home from OCS.
I too thought I would use my POV for storage while in OCS. But in our particular case, we weren't allowed to even go to our POVs until week 9. At least not to take/bring any items to and from. Due to the horrible weather, we were allowed to start and let them run a few times. In my 3 months nobody got liberty before week 9. You'll get NEX runs before week 9, probably in week 3 before RLP. The only thing that was in my car was a buddies backpack, a mostly empty suitcase I used to store my civies for the drive there, and a car cover that never made it out of the box. You will be able to store extra stuff in your suitcase aka "luckybag" in the luckybag room. You can access that periodically depending on class team. You have to wear your khaki's out on liberty, so you already have everything you need to go out.
If you get orders to FL they will be TDY, unless you're married. You will get 4 travel days given to you, after that you will have to use your leave days. Driving around and seeing some different cities would be fun after being tied down for so long, but for me I just wanted to get home and see family/friends for a few days. You'll graduate on a Friday (I believe), and you can leave Newport as soon as you get your orders. For us, it took until like 1500... I've heard the CO has changed that and FL bound Ensigns are getting their orders well in advance. So basically, you could graduate and drive 2+ days home, or go to the airport and be home that night.
Idk, there's really no wrong way to do it. You'll be paid for your plane tickets or your hotels/gas/food. The travel check was pretty generous, more than what I used on the way there. The drive for me was uneventful, and like I said I would have rather been home on graduation night rather than sleeping in a hotel along some Interstate in PA. Another factor for me was that I had to go back to IL to get the rest of my personal belongings. So I drove from RI, to IL, then to FL. Some people went straight down. Another side note, some people "hitched" rides down to FL, and they ended up purchasing/leasing a new vehicle here in FL.
I too thought I would use my POV for storage while in OCS. But in our particular case, we weren't allowed to even go to our POVs until week 9. At least not to take/bring any items to and from. Due to the horrible weather, we were allowed to start and let them run a few times. In my 3 months nobody got liberty before week 9. You'll get NEX runs before week 9, probably in week 3 before RLP. The only thing that was in my car was a buddies backpack, a mostly empty suitcase I used to store my civies for the drive there, and a car cover that never made it out of the box. You will be able to store extra stuff in your suitcase aka "luckybag" in the luckybag room. You can access that periodically depending on class team. You have to wear your khaki's out on liberty, so you already have everything you need to go out.
If you get orders to FL they will be TDY, unless you're married. You will get 4 travel days given to you, after that you will have to use your leave days. Driving around and seeing some different cities would be fun after being tied down for so long, but for me I just wanted to get home and see family/friends for a few days. You'll graduate on a Friday (I believe), and you can leave Newport as soon as you get your orders. For us, it took until like 1500... I've heard the CO has changed that and FL bound Ensigns are getting their orders well in advance. So basically, you could graduate and drive 2+ days home, or go to the airport and be home that night.
Idk, there's really no wrong way to do it. You'll be paid for your plane tickets or your hotels/gas/food. The travel check was pretty generous, more than what I used on the way there. The drive for me was uneventful, and like I said I would have rather been home on graduation night rather than sleeping in a hotel along some Interstate in PA. Another factor for me was that I had to go back to IL to get the rest of my personal belongings. So I drove from RI, to IL, then to FL. Some people went straight down. Another side note, some people "hitched" rides down to FL, and they ended up purchasing/leasing a new vehicle here in FL.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
My comment was just observing that your post contradicted itself -- you advocated flying but included reasons why having a POV was useful to the point where people who flew couldn't move all of their stuff out of the barracks.
Also, what are these "free" items you get for inspections nowadays? We paid for everything we had to wear or display, minus the initial uniform allowance. Sometimes multiple times if it got lost or damaged in a 'hurricane' or you stamped it incorrectly. The 'free' stuff was cleaner and starch which is left behind for other classes.
In light of this I can see why a POV is less useful than it used to be, but based on the fact you said people couldn't bring all their gear on a plane I still think it's worth it. Plus you get to see the country, but if that's not your thing then I guess that's not a positive.
Also, what are these "free" items you get for inspections nowadays? We paid for everything we had to wear or display, minus the initial uniform allowance. Sometimes multiple times if it got lost or damaged in a 'hurricane' or you stamped it incorrectly. The 'free' stuff was cleaner and starch which is left behind for other classes.
This is a different policy than when I attended a few years back. Used to be that you could only bring in what was on the list. You stored your civvies you wore there in your locker with everything else for the entire time there. If you tried to bring in anything else, the candios comfiscated it. You didn't get a lucky bag room; the POV was it, and we made POV runs on a weekly basis where you had 10 min to make a phone call, eat a power bar, grab any items you needed, and listen to some music.
In light of this I can see why a POV is less useful than it used to be, but based on the fact you said people couldn't bring all their gear on a plane I still think it's worth it. Plus you get to see the country, but if that's not your thing then I guess that's not a positive.
Aviation Jones
SNA
I see what you mean, I didn't clarify that I jammed my car full when leaving Newport. Not during.
You know, now that you mention it... I don't think it was free. It was probably just part of our "initial gear issue." The bad part is I don't remember actually being issued those items, as in physically going somewhere to get them. Stuff like shoe polish, soap dish, toothbrush holder, sewing kit, stamp kit, etc. All of the stuff that goes in that plastic tub for RLP inspection. There was usually an empty hatch in each p-way full of that stuff that people left behind. However, I do remember owing something like $3200 before I left town for all of my uniforms and other items I charged to my student account while there.
You know, now that you mention it... I don't think it was free. It was probably just part of our "initial gear issue." The bad part is I don't remember actually being issued those items, as in physically going somewhere to get them. Stuff like shoe polish, soap dish, toothbrush holder, sewing kit, stamp kit, etc. All of the stuff that goes in that plastic tub for RLP inspection. There was usually an empty hatch in each p-way full of that stuff that people left behind. However, I do remember owing something like $3200 before I left town for all of my uniforms and other items I charged to my student account while there.
Spekkio
He bowls overhand.
That's because you probably don't remember being herded through the mini-NEX like cattle as they threw those items into your seabag on day 2 or 3...after you are exhausted from adjusting your sleep schedule, being constantly on your feet, and only getting about 5 hours down those nights.
But yes, you did pay for that travel size bottle of barbasol shaving cream, that soap bar holder, and that sewing kit.
Aviation Jones
SNA
Haha, very true. I do remember the first haircut that day though. There was some poor kid's picture posted on the OTCN website today that is literally fighting tears as they ran the shaver down the middle of his head. I would post it, but that's just cruel...
DoubleOswo7
Active Member
Where do you stash the car? Or when you report do they provide you with a parking space/spot on or around base?
Aviation Jones
SNA
When we first got there we parked in front of the Navy Lodge. About a half mile walk to get to your vehicle, if you were somehow allowed to do so. At one point we all had to move our vehicles to a parking lot out by the carrier. That was around 2 miles from Nimitz, so no way you were getting there unless you got permission to utilize the duty van. Toward the end in Candio phase, we were allowed to park behind the church which is inside "training country." Meaning you could make POV runs whenever you needed to. The place is constantly evolving, though. Especially now with the new Nimitz building, so my experiences could already be outdated.
