---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 2784a"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "2784a"
heading: "Management of travel cards"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/2784a"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part IV — Service, Supply, and Property"
  - "Chapter 165 — Accountability and Responsibility"
---

# §2784a. Management of travel cards

- (a) **Disbursement of Travel Allowances Directly to Creditors.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall require that any part of a travel or transportation allowance of an employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense or a member of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) be disbursed directly to the issuer of a Defense travel card if the amount is disbursed to the issuer in payment of amounts of expenses of official travel that are charged by the employee or member on the Defense travel card.
  - (2) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense may waive the requirement for a direct payment to a travel card issuer under [paragraph (1)](#a-1) in any case the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) determines appropriate.
  - (3) For the purposes of this subsection, the travel and transportation allowances referred to in [paragraph (1)](#a-1) are amounts to which an employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense is entitled under [section 5702 of title 5](/usc/5/5702.md) or a member of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) is entitled under [section 452 of title 37](/usc/37/452.md).
- (b) **Offsets for Delinquent Travel Card Charges.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense may require that there be deducted and withheld from any basic [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) payable to an employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense or a member of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) any amount that is owed by the employee or member to a creditor by reason of one or more charges of expenses of official travel of the employee or member on a Defense travel card issued by the creditor if the employee or member—
    - (A) is delinquent in the payment of such amount under the terms of the contract under which the card is issued; and
    - (B) does not dispute the amount of the delinquency.
  - (2) The amount deducted and withheld from [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) with respect to a debt owed a creditor as described in that paragraph shall be disbursed to the creditor to reduce the amount of the debt.
  - (3) The amount of [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) deducted and withheld from the [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) owed to an employee or member with respect to a [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) period under [paragraph (1)](#b-1) may not exceed 15 percent of the disposable [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) of the employee or member for that [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) period, except that a higher amount may be deducted and withheld with the written consent of the employee or member.
  - (4) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall prescribe procedures for deducting and withholding amounts from [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) under this subsection. The procedures shall be substantially equivalent to the procedures under [section 3716 of title 31](/usc/31/3716.md).
- (c) **Offsets of Retired Pay.—** In the case of a former employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense or a retired member of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) who is receiving retired [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) and who owes an amount to a creditor by reason of one or more charges on a Defense travel card that were made before the retirement of the employee or member, the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) may require amounts to be deducted and withheld from any retired [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) of the former employee or retired member in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) deducts and withholds amounts from basic [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) payable to an employee or member under [subsection (b)](#b).
- (d) **Determinations of Creditworthiness for Issuance of Defense Travel Card.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall evaluate the creditworthiness of an employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense or a member of [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) before issuing a Defense travel card to such an employee or member. The evaluation may include an examination of the individual’s credit history in available credit [records](/usc/10/801.md?p=14).
  - (2) An individual may not be issued a Defense travel card if the individual is found not creditworthy as a result of the evaluation required under [paragraph (1)](#d-1).
- (e) **Regulations on Disciplinary Action.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall prescribe regulations for making determinations regarding the taking of disciplinary action, including assessment of penalties, against [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense personnel for improper, fraudulent, or abusive use of Defense travel cards by such personnel.
  - (2) The regulations prescribed under [paragraph (1)](#e-1) shall—
    - (A) provide for appropriate adverse personnel actions or other punishment to be imposed in cases in which employees of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense violate such regulations or are negligent or engage in misuse, abuse, or fraud with respect to a Defense travel card, including [removal](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) in appropriate cases; and
    - (B) provide that a violation of such regulations by a [person](/usc/10/2700.md?p=2) subject to [chapter 47](/usc/10/chstA/ptII/ch47.md) of this title (the Uniform Code of [Military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) Justice) is punishable as a violation of [section 892 of this title](/usc/10/892.md) (article 92 of the Uniform Code of [Military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) Justice).
- (f) **Definitions.—** In this section:
  - (1) The term “Defense travel card” means a charge or credit card that—
    - (A) is issued to an employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense or a member of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) under a contract entered into by the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense with the issuer of the card; and
    - (B) is to be used for charging expenses incurred by the employee or member in connection with official travel.
  - (2) The term “disposable [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15)”, with respect to a [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) period, means the amount equal to the excess of the amount of basic [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) or retired [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15), as the case may be, payable for the [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) period over the total of the amounts deducted and withheld from such [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15).
  - (3) The term “retired [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15)” means—
    - (A) in the case of a former employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense, any retirement benefit payable to that individual, out of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, based (in whole or in part) on service performed by such individual as a civilian employee of the [Department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) of Defense; and
    - (B) in the case of a retired member of the [armed forces](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-4) or member of the Fleet [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) or Fleet Marine Corps [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6), retired or retainer [pay](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-15) to which the member is entitled.
- (g) **Exclusion of Coast Guard.—** This section does not apply to the Coast Guard.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title X, § 1008(a), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2634; amended Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title X, § 1009(a)–(c)(1), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1587, 1588; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title X, § 1071(a)(25), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2399; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title VI, § 631(f)(4)(A), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1465; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, § 1076(a)(9), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1948; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title VI, § 603(e), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1767.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2021—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 117–81 substituted “section 452” for “section 474”.

2013—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 112–239, § 1076(a)(9), made technical amendment to directory language of Pub. L. 112–81, § 631(f)(4)(A). See 2011 Amendment note below.

2011—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 112–81, § 631(f)(4)(A), as amended by Pub. L. 112–239, § 1076(a)(9), substituted “474” for “404”.

2006—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 109–364 substituted “card” for “care”.

2003—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 108–136, § 1009(a)(1), substituted “The Secretary of Defense shall require” for “The Secretary of Defense may require”.

Subsec. (a)(2), (3). Pub. L. 108–136, § 1009(a)(2), (3), added par. (2) and redesignated former par. (2) as (3).

Subsecs. (d) to (g). Pub. L. 108–136, § 1009(b), (c)(1), added subsecs. (d) and (e) and redesignated former subsecs. (d) and (e) as (f) and (g), respectively.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2013 Amendment

Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, § 1076(a), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1947, provided that the amendment made by section 1076(a)(9) is effective Dec. 31, 2011, and as if included in Pub. L. 112–81 as enacted.

### Transfer of Functions

For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Coast Guard, including the authorities and functions of the Secretary of Transportation relating thereto, to the Department of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 468(b), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.