3 FAM 3800
bureau of human resources (HR) programs
3 FAM 3810
transit Subsidy program
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(Office of Origin: HR/SS)
3 FAM 3811 GENERAL INFORMATION
3 FAM 3811.1 Summary
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
The Transit Subsidy Program is an employer-sponsored
program that offers eligible employees a monthly public transportation subsidy.
The subsidy is not authorized to be used for parking, including parking at any
Metro or commuter parking facility. The Transit
Subsidy Program does not cover any transit expenses incurred outside of the
United States.
3 FAM 3811.2 Authorities
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
Authorities include:
5 U.S.C. 3111
5 U.S.C. 7905
26 U.S.C. 132
18 U.S.C. 1001
Executive Order 13150
Legislation permitting interns to receive the Transit Benefit
TRANServe Resources
3 FAM 3812 OBJECTIVE
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
The objective of this Transit Subsidy Program is to
encourage employees to use public transportation for commuting to and from
work. Increased use of the program will improve
air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and conserve energy by reducing the
number of single occupancy vehicles on the road. If an employee uses
public transportation on an occasional or sporadic basis, the employee would
not qualify to participate in the program. If an
employee ceases to use any of their monthly Transit commuting costs for three
(3) consecutive months they will be automatically removed from the program for
inactivity by TRANServe to prevent
fraudulent use.
3 FAM 3813 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: TRANSIT
SYSTEM OR VANPOOL
(CT:PER-814; 05-09-2016)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. To qualify for the Transit Subsidy Program, an
employee must use a transit system or vanpool that is part of, or registered
with, a local transit authority. The employee must use the transit system or
vanpool to commute to and from work on a regular and ongoing basis (see 3 FAM 3818).
b. Employer- and employee-operated vanpools, as well as
private or public transit-operated vanpools, are defined by 26 U.S.C.
132(f)(5)(B) as a "commuter highway vehicle" with a seating capacity
of at least six (6) adults (not including the driver), and at least 80 percent
of the mileage use of which can reasonably be expected to be:
(1) For purposes of transporting employees in
connection with travel between their residences and place of employment; and
(2) On trips during which the number of employees
transported for such purposes is at least one-half of the adult seating
capacity of such vehicle (not including the driver).
c. Vanpools must be part of, or registered with, the
local transit authority.
d. A typical informal car-pooling arrangement would not
meet the statutory definition of a vanpool and would not qualify.
3 FAM 3814 MAXIMUM VALUE OF TRANSIT
SUBSIDY
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
The maximum amount an employee can receive as a tax-free
benefit under the Transit Subsidy Program is set by legislation. The transit benefit program provides the option to
exclude the commuting costs incurred through the use of public transportation
and van pools from the employees' taxable income. The current amount
authorized by the Department is posted by the Bureau of Human Resources, Office
of Shared Services (HR/SS) on the Transit Subsidy Program website.
The program is intended to assist with public transportation commuting costs to and
from work incurred by the employee each month. The transit subsidy is not
authorized to be used for parking at any Metro or commuter lot and such costs
are not authorized to be included in any transit subsidy request application.
3 FAM 3815 MANAGEMENT of the transit
subsidy program
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. Three entities are involved in the Transit Subsidy
Program:
(1) The Department of State through the Bureau of
Human Resources, Office of Shared Services (HR/SS) and the regional transit coordinators;
(2) The Department of Transportation (DOT); and
(3) The local transportation provider.
b. The Transit Subsidy Program Coordinator, Office of
Shared Services, serves as the Department's principal liaison with DOT;
provides policy guidance to employees; troubleshoots problems; and monitors
internal controls.
c. The DOT TRANServe application,
under the Office of the Secretary for Transportation, manages transit programs
nationwide for federal agencies. TRANServe
supports employees by offering simplified access to transit authority
information, electronic applications, how-to instructions, and other resources
that encourage the use of public transportation as a primary means of commuting
from home to work. TRANServe:
(1) Maintains a current data base of eligible
employees who have applied for transit subsidy; and
(2) Serves as liaison with local transportation
providers.
d. Local transportation providers provide electronic fare media to the DOT.
e. UBER, Lyft, and
similar services are not authorized TRANServe modes of transportation.
3 FAM 3816 PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. Eligible individuals
include:
(1) The following
employees with an active status in the Global Employment Management System
(GEMS) if they are not receiving per diem or any other type of reimbursement
for local travel or commuting expenses:
(a) All direct-hire
(including part-time) employees who are working in a domestic assignment of at
least 24 consecutive weeks;
(b) Reemployed
Annuitant/When Actually Employed (REA/WAE);
(c) Presidential
Management Fellows (PMFs);
(d) Pre-assignment
Center employees (PACs);
(e) Paid interns
and paid fellows;
(f) Employees in
the United States on temporary duty for periods of at least 24 consecutive
weeks.
(2) The following
individuals who are not included in GEMS:
(a) Unpaid interns (as
defined in 5 U.S.C. 3111a) and unpaid
fellows working in a domestic assignment of any length; and
(b) Students performing
voluntary service (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 3111a) working in a domestic assignment of any length.
b. Ineligible individuals
include:
(1) Contractors (e.g., personal service contract and
personal service agreement);
(2) Non-Department of State employees;
(3) Military personnel assigned or detailed to the
Department;
(4) Employees in the United States on temporary duty
for periods of less than 24 consecutive weeks;
(5) Employees who are on detail to the Department from
other agencies or U.S. government entities;
(6) Employees who have applied
for or are currently in possession of a parking permit from the
Department under the Parking Program
Administration 6 FAM 1040,
except for vanpool operators;
(7) Employees who are receiving any other type(s) of
funding from the Department authorized for local travel at the employees duty
station, including reimbursement, per diem, or credit;
(8) Employees who do not use public transportation as
their primary mode of commuting to work on a regular and ongoing basis;
(9) Employees who are
assigned government owned vehicles (GOV) and use them to commute to work;
(10) Car pool
participants; and
(11) Employees who have
applied to participate or are currently participating in the Bicycle
Reimbursement Program under 03 FAM 3850.
c. Employees who claim Transit Subsidy Program benefits even though they are ineligible
per the above guidelines are required to reimburse the Department the amount
claimed via check or money order submitted directly to the Cashier's office.
Employees will receive an official notification via an official debt
collections letter.
3 FAM 3817 APPLICATION processes, use
of subsidy, Reimbursement of Funds to the Department, and subsidy termination
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. Eligible employees may apply for transit subsidy
through TRANServe, available online through DOT's website.
b. Eligible employees may apply after they begin
working in their domestic assignments. Eligible employees (other than interns/fellows and unpaid
interns/fellows/volunteers) must be working in assignments of at least
24 consecutive weeks or more and intend to use the Transit Subsidy Program for
a minimum of 24 consecutive weeks.
c. The transit subsidy is not an immediate or
retroactive benefit. Out-of-pocket expenses are non-reimbursable and
retroactive payments are not made. Program applicants must plan accordingly
for their commuting expenses during the processing period for any application
that they submit. Applications may take up to 60 days to become fully active
within the Department of State, DOT, and the local transit provider system.
d. An employee is responsible for ensuring that
expenses claimed on the application match anticipated expenditures for qualifying
transportation. If an employee stops using public
transportation on a regular basis, he or she is responsible for
notifying the Transit Subsidy Program via TRANServe no later than five (5) business days after the
change. Also, if commuting expenses change to less than the amount previously
claimed, the employee must submit this change via TRANServe. If the employees
commuting expenses increase, he or she may submit a change to reflect the new
amount (subject to the maximum permissible subsidy amount).
e. When an employee transfers to a new assignment, duty
location, organization, geographic region, or official duty station, the
employee is responsible for submitting this update via a new application in TRANServe within five (5) business days of their transfer
personnel action (SF-50) being processed. Paid interns/fellows or unpaid
interns/fellows/volunteers must submit an update within five (5) business days
of their transfer. This requirement exists even if the employees commuting
costs do not change.
f. Employees on extended leave, TDY, or any absence of greater than 90 days
must withdraw from the program by submitting a withdrawal
application. Employees returning from an extended
absence of over 90 days will need to
complete a new TRANServe application upon
their return to duty to re-enroll in the program,
as they will be withdrawn from the program for inactivity by DOT to prevent
fraudulent use.
g. Employees misusing benefits are subject to
appropriate administrative action, up to and including discipline and/or
disqualification from future Department transit benefits. Disciplinary actions
range from a Letter of Reprimand to removal from federal service, depending on
the severity of the abuse.
3 FAM 3817.1 Types of Fare
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. The SmartBenefits Program is a web-based program
that lets employees in the Washington, DC, Metropolitan area conveniently load
the dollar value of an employees Metro transit (rail and bus) and vanpool
benefits directly to an employees SmarTrip card. Employees are responsible
for taking any independent action required by the local transit system to
register fare cards or equivalent fare media. In the Washington, DC
Metropolitan Area, if any portion of an employees commute accepts the SmarTrip
card as means of payment, the employee must submit an application via TRANServe with a valid card number that is registered
with WMATA and reflects their name as listed on Department of State personnel
records. Employees who request to receive their entire transit subsidy as
SmartBenefits do not need to list the amount to be applied to the SmarTrip card
in the comments section of the TRANServe application.
It is the responsibility of the participant to report problems with
SmartBenefits to the HR Service Center or fare media provider as appropriate.
Subsidies not claimed due to an error with fare media will not be reimbursed.
b. The TRANServe Credit Card
Program is a DOT program that provides employees in the United States with a TRANServe Credit
Card to pay for public transportation. The employees allocated credit limit amount will refresh on the 10th day of
each month so employees can purchase the following months fare. Employees
are responsible for knowing the correct method of payment for their method of
transportation. Employees using more than one type of fare media must indicate
in the comment section of their TRANServe application what portion of their subsidy
request should be applied to the TRANServe Credit
Card and/or SmarTrip card. Employees are responsible for taking any
independent action required by the TRANServe Credit Card company and/or the local transit
system to activate/register/replace card(s). It is the responsibility of the
participant to report problems with TRANServe
credit card subsidy benefits to the HR Service Center or fare media
provider as appropriate for assistance. Reimbursements are not made if subsidy
is not claimed due to an error with fare media. New and reinstated TRANServe Credit Card accounts may take a minimum of 30
days to activate.
3 FAM 3817.2 Lost, Stolen,
Damaged, Converted, or Downloaded Fare Media
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. Employees are solely responsible for their transit
subsidy (including SmarTrip Cards and TRANServe Credit Cards and all fare media used in
association with the Transit Subsidy Program) once issued and/or downloaded to
a SmarTrip Card or TRANServe Credit Card.
b. The transit subsidy will not be replaced or
exchanged by the Department if lost, stolen, damaged, converted, or downloaded
onto a SmarTrip Card or TRANServe Credit Card in
error or excess by the employee.
c. Program participants are responsible for verifying
the fare media type and amount at the time their application is submitted.
Questions about fare media amounts and types must be resolved prior to receipt
and/or claim of fare media by the Transit Subsidy Program participant.
Participants are responsible for any fare media that they accept or download,
including reimbursing the Department via check or money order if the
participant accepts or downloads incorrect fare media or subsidy in excess of
what he or she uses for actual commuting costs.
d. A transit subsidy cannot be exchanged or transferred
to a different type of fare media after it has been distributed to an employee
for any reason, including accepting incorrect fare media. The employee is
responsible for knowing the correct type of fare media that is accepted by his
or her mode(s) of transportation prior to applying for a transit subsidy and
prior to accepting any fare media and/or downloading onto a SmarTrip Card or TRANServe Credit Card and/or allocating funds to a commuter
service. If an employee is in doubt of the type of fare media that is accepted
by his or her mode(s) of transportation, the employee should check directly
with the modes of transportation before downloading the transit subsidy or
accepting the subsidy.
3 FAM 3817.3 Transfer of Transit
Subsidy
(CT:PER-814; 05-09-2016)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. Transit Subsidy Program participants cannot transfer
the transit subsidy delivered under this program to any other person or entity,
including family members.
b. Selling or transferring a transit subsidy that a
participant receives through the Department's Transit Subsidy Program may
result in the participant being subject to criminal prosecution under 18 U.S.C.
1001, civil penalty action, and/or agency disciplinary action up to and
including removal.
3 FAM 3817.4 Reimbursement of
Transit Subsidy Funds to the Department
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. When a Transit Subsidy Program participant retires,
resigns, transfers to another location, or is no longer eligible for the
program for whatever reason, and is in possession of any unused or excess
transit subsidy that he or she has accepted or downloaded as a participant in
the Transit Subsidy Program, the participant must reimburse the Department by
submitting payment via check or money order to the Departments Cashier Office,
DOS Travel Service Center, ATT: Cashier Office, Room 1258, HST, 2201 C Street,
NW, Washington, DC, 20520. Participants must include the current fiscal
financial code on their check or money order. The current code is available on
the Transit Subsidy Program website or may be obtained by sending an email to HRSC@state.gov.
b. When a Transit Subsidy Program participant accepts
or downloads fare media in excess of what he or she uses for commuting purposes
or is in possession of excess or unused fare media that was distributed through
this program; the excess or unused fare media will not rollover the following
month and is credited back to the Department.
c. Once a Transit Subsidy Program participant is
issued transit subsidy fare media, converted fare media to other forms of
payment that are accepted by modes of transportation, or has allocated or
downloaded the subsidy to a commuter service, SmartTrip Card, or TRANServe Credit Card, the fare media or funds cannot be
returned or exchanged for any reason. If a participant is in doubt of the type
of fare media and/or amount of fare he or she should receive, he or she should
not accept, convert, or download the subsidy. An employee is responsible for
any funds that he or she accepts as a participant in this program, including
funds that are accepted by the employee in excess of what is needed to commute
to and from work.
d. Fare media of any type cannot be returned to the
Department or used as payment for excess subsidy that has been accepted by
program participants. Checks or money orders made payable to the Department of
State and submitted by the employee to the Cashiers Office are the only
acceptable means for submitting payment.
3 FAM 3817.5 Termination of
Program Eligibility
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. An employee must terminate participation in the
Transit Subsidy Program when the employee stops using public transportation on
a regular and ongoing basis (as defined in 3 FAM 3818);
has entered into extended leave (90 days or more); has applied for or is
currently in possession of a Department subsidized parking permit; has applied
to participate or is currently participating in the Bicycle Reimbursement
Program; or is receiving per diem or any other type of reimbursement for local
travel or local commuting expenses.
b. An employee who is planning to withdraw from the
program should submit an official withdrawal action via the TRANServe application in a timely manner. An employee
should not download or accept transit subsidy funds for time beyond his or her
intended program termination date. An employee who has downloaded excess funds
or who is in possession of transit subsidy funds beyond his or her termination
date must reimburse the Department via check or money order submitted directly
to the Cashiers Office. Participants who download their funds through the
autoload program do not need to pay them back once they have withdrawn, as the
excess funds will be automatically taken from their SmarTrip card at the end of
the month.
c. HR/SS will remove participating employees if it is determined that the subsidy was claimed when
the employee was ineligible. Eligibility will be reconsidered once the debt is
repaid.
3 FAM 3818 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(CT:PER-955; 08-23-2019)
(State Only)
(Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees Assigned Domestically)
a. An employee may use Transit Subsidy Program benefits
if he or she uses public transportation on a regular and ongoing basis, which
is defined as using public transportation to travel from the employees
residence to his or her place of work no less than 60 percent of the workweek
(i.e., no fewer than three (3) days per week based on a five (5) day workweek
for full-time employees) over a period of at least 24 consecutive workweeks (unless the participant is a paid
intern/fellow, unpaid intern/fellow/volunteer). If
the employee is part time or intermittent in GEMS, there is no specific minimum
required. An employee who uses public transportation on an occasional or
sporadic basis (i.e., does not meet the minimum usage requirements), does not qualify for the Transit Subsidy Program. Employees
participating in the program with an approved telework agreement must use
public transportation no less than 60% of the work-week (i.e., they must
commute from their residence to their place of work no fewer than three (3)
days per week based on a five (5) day workweek).
b. Additional program information and guidance can be
obtained by contacting the Transit Subsidy Program Coordinator via email at HRSC@state.gov.
Additionally, program information can be found on the Departments intranet,
key phrase search: Transit Subsidy Program.
3 FAM 3819 UNASSIGNED