Reports of survey for AF property

  • Published
  • By Dayna Hooks
  • 355th Comptroller Squadron
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Do you have any government property in your office that is lost, damaged, destroyed or did you have something "pop-up" in your inventory and need to have it added to your squadron's inventory?

A Report of Survey is an official report that will: 1) research and investigate the cause of loss, gain, damage, or destruction of government property and determine if one or more individuals are responsible; 2) assess monetary liability against individuals who are responsible for the lost, damaged or destroyed property or relieve them from financial responsibility; 3) provide documentation to support adjustment of accountable records or 4) provide commanders with case history to prevent recurrence of future incidents.

A lot of organizations don't initiate the ROS thinking it will be a hassle but initiating a ROS is easier than you think. Below are tips to help you through the process.

Report the item missing/lost/destroyed/excess - After it has been discovered that something is missing, destroyed, excess items, or lost, the organization has 15 days to conduct a thorough search and notify your commander that ROS may need to be initiated. Around the tenth day, the equipment custodian should have a letter addressed to the squadron commander that ROS needs to be initiated.

Appoint an Investigative Officer - By the fifteenth day - if you still don't have the item, the commander should appoint an investigative officer to investigate into the matter. The IO must be an officer, NCO or civilian (WG-9, WL-5, WS-1, GS 7 or above), and should be senior to individuals facing potential liability.

Attend Investigative Officer Training - Within two days of appointment the IO must call to schedule IO training with the Base Report of Survey Program manager at 228-5578. The IO has 30 days from the date of appointment to conduct and complete their investigation. This investigation is the IO's primary duty until the ROS has been turned in to the Base Report of Survey Program Manager.

Conduct the Investigation - The IO responsibilities and duties can be found in AFMAN 23-220, Chapter 7. The IO's mission is to determine what happened to the item in question and why it happened. A key point for investigators is to make sure your findings can be backed up with your evidence. Make sure you have signed memos and statements from witnesses. Also, part of the investigator's job is to make recommendations that will ensure that the organization can adjust their procedures so the incident doesn't happen again.

Complete the Investigation - Once the IO has completed their investigation and has their ROS package ready, he or she should make an appointment with the commander to discuss their findings and whether or not they find anyone financially liable. The commander then signs off in block 12 of the DD Form 200 with their concurrence or non-concurrence along with any comments they want to make. The package is then dropped off to the ROS Base Program Manager to continue to track and process.

If you have any further questions feel free to call the Report of Survey Base Program manager, Dayne Hooks, at 228-5578 or e-mail her at dayna.hooks@dm.af.mil.