Rations, Meal Halls ect... Merged

[captloadie]

To claim a meal you must have purchased something.  The odd thing is that we do not force you to accept muffin and coffee as breakfast but that is all you have to purchase in order to claim it.

This is so true. Timmies and a muffin is fine most of the time, accept when the hotel is providing it for free.

I can remember when you actually sat down with a clerk to finalize a claim and when they asked if you stopped for a meal on the road they would nod their head to encourage you to say yes. Because if you said no, they couldn't reimburse you for it. As stated previously, too many members take the meal entitlement as a god given right to be handed money, not for what it is supposed to be: reimbursement for meals actually consumed.

 

[PMedMoe]

To claim a meal you must have purchased something.

Well, I did purchase a meal.  As I said, I explained it to the clerk doing the claim and it was accepted.  I guess I should have asked the hotel at check-in but it never occurred to me as any hotel I have been in that provided breakfast as part of the cost have told me that breakfast was included and the times it was served.  I guess Germany's different.  Also, when looking at the hotel info card, it stated that breakfast cost €23, so I assumed (yeah, yeah, I know) that it wasn't included.

Are we all happy now?? 

 

[Avalon]

Good Day,
I am currently working in Belgium on shifts(12hrs) and during the Christmas holidays I was tasked with 2 x 24 hrs shifts.  I've since put in a memo for supper and late night meals allowance but has been refused because I don't have receipts.  I work in a secure area alone and requires me to stay in my office and cannot leave the area for more than 10 mins.  There is no box lunches provided or mess and deliveries cannot be made on SHAPE.  I've been on the internet looking at policies and cannot seems to find anything that would support my request.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

This may help.
I know it has been discussed before on the site.


http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/69716/post-661542;topicseen#msg661542

 

[armyvern]

Good Day,
I am currently working in Belgium on shifts(12hrs) and during the Christmas holidays I was tasked with 2 x 24 hrs shifts.  I've since put in a memo for supper and late night meals allowance but has been refused because I don't have receipts.  I work in a secure area alone and requires me to stay in my office and cannot leave the area for more than 10 mins.  There is no box lunches provided or mess and deliveries cannot be made on SHAPE.  I've been on the internet looking at policies and cannot seems to find anything that would support my request.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

Over the Christmas holdiays 2008, I did a series of Duty Os; as the mess was closed during the periods of my duties, we had to order out our meals; we were clearly briefed that we must keep our receipts in order to claim the meal - I'm actually quite sure they had us all sign a word doc sheet stating as much as part of our mass briefings prior to the holidays. I kept all mine and was reimbursed my "actual costs" for those purchased meals (not the daily meal rate) IAW regulations.

On one of my DutyOs, the gentlemen who was the B Duty Sgt managed to lose his receipt for his supper purchase. It was 18 bucks (and change) because I was there when he ordered, paid and consumed it. He wrote up a short little memo stating that he had lost his receipt and I wrote one advising that he had indeed purchased the meal during our duty. He included them with his other recipts. He was reimbursed the 18 bucks, but not the change (because we couldn't remember exactly how much the 'change' was) for his meal.

The directives are pretty clear - you must retain your receipts and will be reimbursed only for actual expenses (else we'd have shiftworkers all over the country bringing in their baggie lunches & microwave dinners from home, but charging the taxpayers for meals never purchased during their shifts).

Was there anything in your briefing about having to provide for your own meals during the holidays? Anything that stated that meals could not be provided by the employer while on duty? This was all clearly laid out to us in our duty brief. Anyone to back up that fact that you actually did incur the expense (ie a witness)?

If not, if you have access to online banking ... perhaps some print screens which show your debit being used for "restaurant X at Y time on Z date in the amount of $$"? Proof that the purchases were actually made?

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[aesop081]

Buy your food before going to work, keep your receipts. I do it all the time.

 

[Avalon]

Thank you for your input.  I was not explain nothing as I work on the international side.  I was expected to dragged all 4 meals with me for a 24 hrs period since I can't leave to go get a meal.  There are not many restaurants with take away options close by and at that time of the year, they are pretty much all closed.  I was just thinking of when I would be on duty for 24 hrs in Canada, we would have a meal provided by the mess and a box lunch for late night meal, I guess it's a whole different ball of wax when in Europe.

 

[aesop081]

There are not many restaurants with take away options close by and at that time of the year, they are pretty much all closed. 

They have grocery stores in Europe. I know, i go there a bit. Like i said in my last post, i do this meal on duty thing a fair bit.

 

[4Feathers]

It's too bad the CF does not go with what most top industry does, a fixed rate for meals and incidentals for every day on commercial TD. You input the time you left and the time you got back, where you went, and it's all automatic. The money saved on bureaucracy and administration is far outweighs the risk of someone getting a freebee or skipping a meal. Of course we are a public funded org so we must spend extra to be inefficient but transparent. Briefing (rant) complete.

 

[HercFE]

That's funny our Sqn works off the Treasury board rates, the only exception is late night meals which require receipts. Also if we land after meal ours at home with no on-route stops we have to provide a receipt which we are reimbursed for actual cost. Any other time on TD we get the full perdium with out receipts.

 

[dapaterson]

It's too bad the CF does not go with what most top industry does, a fixed rate for meals and incidentals for every day on commercial TD. You input the time you left and the time you got back, where you went, and it's all automatic. The money saved on bureaucracy and administration is far outweighs the risk of someone getting a freebee or skipping a meal. Of course we are a public funded org so we must spend extra to be inefficient but transparent. Briefing (rant) complete.

You may wish to investigate the facts.

DND/CF do pay flat rate reimbursements for meals and incidentals while on travel status.  For those on travel status, an automated system calculates entitlements and interfaces to provide DFT of approved reimbursements.

The situation discussed here is for individuals not on travel status; that is, at their usual duty location, who for work reasons are unable to eat their normal meal.  In those cases, reimbursement is for actual expenditures (with receipt) up to the limits designated by Treasury Board.


Thus, air crew on a daytrip to another city are reimbursed at TB rates for meals while away from home; if back home but working late they must submit receipts.

It's pretty simple.

 

[aesop081]

That's funny our Sqn works off the Treasury board rates, the only exception is late night meals which require receipts. Also if we land after meal ours at home with no on-route stops we have to provide a receipt which we are reimbursed for actual cost. Any other time on TD we get the full perdium with out receipts.

It is tghe same for my Sqn, but the situation described by the original poster is something different. I understand the situation he's in and dealing with it is not complicated.

 

[Klinkaroo]

Disclaimer : Spent an hour reading rations threads and could not find the answer to my question.

So here is the deal, just transferred to the Reg force last week and now have to pay for my Rations and Quarters. I live in Quarters here on base in Esquimalt and work up at 443 Sqn (a 30-40min drive). I cannot get a move as I am not trained in my new trade. The only military mess hall is here in Esquimalt, as you can see I cannot go to the Mess for Lunch and most Breakfast as I often have to be up at the Squadron by 0630 some mornings. When I talked with the rations clerk she told me that she would just not put me on rations since I wouldn't be able to eat what I paid for and just paying cash when I do go to the mess. I have been tracking my expenses (cost of paying for meals cash and cost of groceries for brown bag lunches) and it is not looking like it is in my best interest.

Question is, if they did link me to rations, if my place of duty is at a certain distance from the mess hall could I be entitled to a Box Lunch, picked up in the morning possibly? They deliver box lunches to the squadron for the Aircrew, maybe they could send mine up with the same order?

 

[ammocat]

Not sure how things work in Esquimalt, but address your situation through your CoC. They should be able to make arrangements for you to pick up a box lunch for breakfast prior to departing for work. I have been in similar situations and have never had a problem, although I have never used this as a long tern solution.

 

[Pusser]

The simple answer is yes, since you are on ration strength and cannot reasonably get to the mess for lunch, you are entitled to a box lunch.  Picking it up yourself at Nelles before heading out to Pat Bay or having it form part of the order for the aircrew are both viable options.  I would check with whoever orders them for the aircrew first and see where it goes from there.  When they place the order they should be able to say X# for aircrew and X# for personnel on ration strength.

 

[HercFE]

Years ago (several) I was in your situation, same Sqn, same quarters, same problem. I had a box lunch delivered with the aircrew meals. It work out pretty good except for the few times my box lunch was "accidentally" eaten by someone else.

 

[Klinkaroo]

Thanks everyone, going to talk to them first thing in the morning.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

There is a lengthy thread somewhere about something like this where Vern injected her wisdom,...unfortunately, I don't have time to look for it right now.

 

[gcclarke]

There is a lengthy thread somewhere about something like this where Vern injected her wisdom,...unfortunately, I don't have time to look for it right now.

Is it this one Bruce?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Is it this one Bruce?

Yes, thank you.
..and now they are as one.