Opinion ID: 2545530
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Should Densley have received credit for his travel home from active duty?

Text: ¶ 29 Densley also asks for service credit for his travel home from active duty in November 1972. Densley was on active duty for seven days in November 1972, and he engaged in an additional two days of drills with the Guard that month. Thus, if he spent even one day traveling home from Virginia to Washington, and if such travel is considered a part of active duty, Densley performed the 10 days of service required to earn retirement service credit in 1972. No determination was made by DRS whether Densley actually spent a day traveling home from active duty, and such a determination would be required before Densley could be awarded credit for the month of November 1972. However, because it is almost certain that Densley did travel for at least one day, we address the legal question of whether travel to and from active duty is a part of active duty for the purpose of determining retirement benefits. ¶ 30 Our own statutes and case law provide no assistance. Federal law does, however, indicate that authorized travel to and from active duty is a part of active duty. Title 38 U.S.C., on veterans' benefits, defines both `active duty' and `active duty for training'  to include authorized travel to or from such duty. 38 U.S.C. § 101(21)(E), (22)(E). The United States Court of Veterans Appeals interpreted these statutes and the corresponding regulations (38 C.F.R. § 3.6(b)(6), (c)(6)) to include authorized travel to and from active duty as a part of active duty for the purpose of determining benefit eligibility. Pacheco v. West,, 12 Vet.App. 36, 37 (1998). Accordingly, Army Regulation (AR) 135-200 states that the date a soldier enters active duty or active duty for training is the date the soldier officially begins travel, and the date of release from such duty will be at the conclusion of travel time allowed for returning home. [4] Army Nat'l Guard & Army Reserve, Dep't of Army, Active Duty for Missions, Projects, and Training for Reserve Component Soldiers AR 135-200, at 7 (June 30, 1999). ¶ 31 The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has held that an Army medical officer was already on duty, performing a specific duty which had been assigned to him, for purposes of the tort claims act, when he was traveling in his own automobile from home to his first duty station. Hinson v. United States, 257 F.2d 178, 182 (5th Cir.1958). DRS distinguishes this case from Densley's on the basis that the medical officer in Hinson was paid for his days of travel. Densley may not have been paid for his travel; he claims he was, and this is unclear. However, like the medical officer, Densley was ordered to travel to active duty, ordered to arrive by a certain date, authorized to use his own car, and provided a travel allowance. Like the medical officer, Densley's only choice was the immaterial one of route and means of travel. Id. at 182 (footnote omitted). ¶ 32 Since travel to and from active duty for training with the United States military is considered by the federal government and federal courts to be a part of that duty, we conclude that Densley's travel home in November 1972 should be considered a part of his active duty and service credit should be afforded for it.