At any training base in the middle of a class cycle, on-base lodging is full more often than it's open. That's not a problem — it's the normal path to commercial lodging on TDY — but the paperwork has to be right. This is how non-availability works and how to file it so your voucher clears the first time.
What a non-A actually is
A non-availability number (usually a "CNA" — certificate of non-availability — in the lodging system) is the installation's statement that government quarters weren't available for your dates. With it, you're authorized commercial lodging reimbursed up to the locality lodging rate. Without it, at a location where government lodging is directed, your reimbursement can be capped at the on-base rate — typically well under half the commercial cap.
Who issues it and when
- Reserve through DTS first. When you build your authorization, DTS routes a lodging request through the DoD Lodging (DoD Preferred / Integrated Lodging Program) flow. If the installation is a program site, the system itself returns availability or a non-A.
- Or call the lodging desk. Air Force Inns front desks issue non-A numbers directly when they're sold out for your dates. Ask for the number and the name of who gave it — write both in your DTS comments.
- Check the whole stay. A non-A covers the dates it's issued for. If your orders get extended, get a second one for the new dates.
Filing it in DTS
- On the Lodging screen, choose the commercial lodging option and enter the nightly rate at or below the locality cap. If the system asks for justification, enter the non-A number and issuing office.
- Attach the non-A confirmation (email, screenshot of the DoD Lodging response, or the front-desk email) to the authorization's substantiating records.
- Attach your lodging receipt at voucher time — itemized nightly rate, dates, taxes, zero balance.
- Put the lodging taxes on their own line (they're reimbursed outside the lodging cap in CONUS).
The four ways this gets kicked back
- No non-A on file. The AO sees commercial lodging at a base with government quarters and no justification. Fix: attach the number.
- Dates don't match. Non-A for 30 days, stay of 45. Fix: get the extension non-A.
- Non-itemized receipt. A booking summary or a card statement isn't a receipt. Fix: ask the property for an itemized statement — a crashpad built for TDY travelers issues one by default.
- Outdated long-term guidance. The old automatic day-30 reduction was repealed. Use the current JTR and your travel authorization, including any applicable lodging restrictions.
Where a crashpad fits
Once you hold a non-A, the only question is where to spend the lodging rate. A hotel room at the cap or a furnished house at the cap reimburse identically. See how the options compare over a week, a month, and a course in Crashpad vs. Air Force Inns vs. Airbnb, then check your locality rate and your base.
Regulations change; this reflects the Joint Travel Regulations and DTS behavior as we experience them on our own orders. Your AO and finance office are the final word.