Purpose

To determine whether the use of travel monies by selected government employees complied with rules and regulations and is free from fraud, waste and abuse.  The audit covers the period April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2011.

Background

New York State’s executive agencies spend between $100 million and $150 million each year on travel expenses.  These expenses, which are discretionary and under the control of agency management, include car rentals, meals, lodging, transportation, fuel, and incidental costs such as airline baggage and travel agency fees.  As part of a statewide initiative to determine whether the use of travel money by selected government employees was appropriate, we audited travel expenses for the highest-cost travelers in the State, as well as other outliers. As a result, 23 Department of Corrections and Community Supervision employees were selected for audit. The 23 employees’ travel costs totaled $1,663,939.

Key Findings

• We found that travel expenses totaling $1,654,613 (or 99.4 percent of the expenses reviewed for the 23 selected employees) adhered to State travel rules and regulations. Officials could not locate 66 vouchers totaling $9,326; therefore we could not audit these expenses. Officials believe the vouchers were inadvertently destroyed.

Other Related Audits/Reports of Interest

Department of Taxation and Finance: Selected Employee Travel Expenses (2012-S-95)
Office of General Services: Selected Employee Travel Expenses (2012-S-92)