Question about fed transit benefit (Arlington, Falls Church: yard, installation, office)

[Grsz11]

I'm guessing somebody here can help with me a question about the mass transit benefit. You can either have parking or the benefit, but not both. But what if you want to switch? It seems to be that no matter what, you are stuck for a month with nothing because you can't apply for the benefit while you have parking, and you have to apply for the benefit the month ahead of when you receive the benefits.

[JfromReston]

I've switched from transit to parking to transit to parking to transit and have never lost a month of benefits.

[airjay75]

At my agency, there is no option for parking. You can have the transit benefit or you can have nothing.

[ChristineVA]

At my agency, I do believe that for the month that you have purchased the transit, you can then not apply for the parking, so you do have to wait it out. I don't think you have to wait though. You can go apply and they will issue the parking permit when your transit month is up.

[Grsz11]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

At my agency, I do believe that for the month that you have purchased the transit, you can then not apply for the parking, so you do have to wait it out. I don't think you have to wait though. You can go apply and they will issue the parking permit when your transit month is up.

My issue is vice versa. Won't let me apply for September because I have a permit now. I could give up my permit to apply, but that would leave the rest of August.

[gomason]

To my knowledge, no government agency directly gives money for private parking. The only places I know of in the federal government that have free parking provided is for Congressional staffers, Pentagon employees, and DOD Installations in the city like Fort Myer, Fort McNair, Navy Yard, Bolling AFB, etc (obviously parking wouldn't normally be free in those downtown areas).

And frankly a lot of DOD employees have the option for free parking and smart trip benefits at the same time.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by gomason

To my knowledge, no government agency directly gives money for private parking. The only places I know of in the federal government that have free parking provided is for Congressional staffers, Pentagon employees, and DOD Installations in the city like Fort Myer, Fort McNair, Navy Yard, Bolling AFB, etc (obviously parking wouldn't normally be free in those downtown areas).

And frankly a lot of DOD employees have the option for free parking and smart trip benefits at the same time.

Mark Center has free parking. Other large agencies (especially those not near a Metro station) also offer free parking--Census Bureau, NSA, CIA, FDA, NIH (which is near a Metro station), Defense Health Agency (Falls Church), and others.

The Pentagon is not in the city, but it does not offer free parking to most employees; I believe that's only for SESers and flag officers. Ft. Myer is also in Arlington rather than the city, but I'm not sure what the parking situation is there.

[Grsz11]

I do currently have free parking but am being detailed for a time where there is no government parking facility, just commercial parking, thus the switch, as the gas and parking would be more than transit, even without the benefit. It looks like I will have to be entirely out of pocket the first month as well as the last to process the application to get my permit back. I'm not doing anything unusual, just a temporary duty location switch, so you would think there would be some provision built in, but that would make too much sense.