40-100-5 BOT 6-23-04, 8-20-04, 8-26-10 EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT (POLICY AND PROCEDURE) GENERAL STATEMENT The college will reimburse college employees and the Board for their necessary and reasonable travel expenses, while on approved travel status for the college. These reimbursements will be authorized to the maximum amounts allowable under the Standard Government Travel Regulations (SGTR) unless further specified as set forth in these policies themselves. AUTHORIZATION FOR OFF-RESERVATION TRAVEL Off reservation travel authorizations shall be requested in advance for all travel to be performed by college employees or the Board. Such authorization requests shall include dates of travel, place of travel, per diem rates, account to be charged, mode of travel, mileage rate, and other related information. The President or appropriate supervisor shall approve these in writing. Travel for the Board of Trustees is to normally be authorized by the Board. In the event that time does not allow the Board to act, authority is delegated to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the President of the college. Such travel is to be reported to the Board at its next meeting and the results of the trip by the traveler. All travel is subject to the availability of funds. CONFERENCE AND MEETING GUIDELINES a. Attendance at Professional Conferences or Meetings: The college budgets a set amount per employee to permit travel in this category. Employees must comply with current procedures for documenting up to the amount approved. Approval for this status is based upon relevance to job function, recommendation of supervisor and approval by the appropriate Vice President or President. b. Attendance as a Designated Representative of the College: This status permits the employee to recover all expenses permitted by the Board of Trustees and is authorized by the President. Typical examples of this status would be project directors attending grant required meetings, meetings to acquire information for the college or meetings attended as directed by one's supervisor (This status does not count as a professional trip.). c. Presenter: Oglala Lakota College encourages staff members to present the results of their scholarship to the larger academic community. Each program of Oglala Lakota College may designate one presenter per year to receive full travel benefits for such a presentation. Individuals who are requesting this status must request the support of their department, submit a copy of the acceptance of their proposed presentation and, upon return to the college, submit a copy of their presentation to the LRC for inclusion in the permanent collection. Permission of the appropriate Vice President or President is required. d. Invited Status: Oglala Lakota College encourages its staff to assume leadership roles in their profession. Administrative leave may be granted to staff members who make presentations at the expense of the inviting organization. The essential criterion for this status is that it not interfere with the individual's duties (teaching, administrative, etc.). Permission for this status must be granted by the person's supervisor and a trip report must by filed. e. Board Membership: Oglala Lakota College, in encouraging staff to assume leadership roles in their profession and community involvement, supports board membership participation insofar as that participation enhances job responsibilities and significantly furthers the college's public relations or presentation to other professional colleagues. Depending on the nature of the board, the procedures outlined in letters b and/or d apply. Funding: All travel is subject to availability of funds and supervisor approval. MILEAGE a. For all college staff, other than district personnel, the primary work location is Piya Wiconi. i) If a district staff member travels to Piya Wiconi from their center of business, he/she is eligible for round trip mileage. Similarly, other business trips for district center personnel from the center accrue mileage with the supervisor's approval. ii) Staff members whose primary work location is Piya Wiconi are eligible for mileage for the round trip from Piya Wiconi to the location of business. A staff member going to a location will be eligible for any mileage over and above the round trip to their primary work location. This applies to one trip a day whether during working hours or not except for weekends when mileage will be accrued from the person's home to place of business and back. iii) Faculty traveling for the expressed purpose of instructing a class of students are eligible for mileage calculated from the district center closest to their residence to the location where the class is held, except for those faculty residing off reservation who when traveling for the expressed purpose of instructing a class of students are eligible for mileage calculated from the point they enter the reservation to the location where the class is held via the shortest distance, as per standard mileage chart. Non-faculty traveling for the purpose of instructing a class are subject to 4 i and ii as appropriate. iv) Adjunct Faculty Mileage: Adjunct Faculty traveling from home to the site of instruction, for the purpose of instructing a class, will be paid mileage for the entire round trip. In the instance the adjunct faculty travels from their work site, the adjunct faculty will be paid for the additional mileage beyond their work commute. (passed by BOT on 9/27/00) v.) For all staff whose primary work site is Piya Wiconi, mileage will not be paid for Friday's or classes at Piya Wiconi. vi) To receive mileage, employees must show proof of car liability insurance. REGISTRATION FEES A paid receipt for registration must be attached to the voucher. If meals and/or lodging are included in the registration fee; 1 quarter must be deducted for each meal provided. DEFINITIONS a. Meals Per Diem Allowance - is the allowance to cover meals, tips, and other miscellaneous incident expenses such as local phone calls that are incurred while on travel status. b. Mileage Allowance - is the per mile allowance for use of one's personal vehicle in the performance of required duties or assignments for the college. c. Other Travel Costs - are those costs such as parking fees, taxi, etc., that are often required while on travel status and are not included in the above categories but are reimbursable to the traveler and are reasonable under the circumstances of travel. MILEAGE RATE Mileage for the use of privately owned vehicles for authorized travel is reimbursed based on the current Federal mileage rate. Claims for reimbursement will be based on mileage allowances between points of travel that have been established by the college. The use of private vehicles to points of authorized travel that normally would be reached by air travel will be reimbursed for the lower total cost between: a. the air travel, MIE per diem and lodging, and b. the mileage, MIE per diem and lodging. The cost of air travel to be computed by coach booked seven days in advance. When an employee chooses to travel by private vehicles instead of the normal air travel, the employee will need to take annual leave for the additional time the employee needs to travel above and beyond what it would require the employee to travel by air. TRAVEL ADVANCES Travel advances may be made in the amount of 90% of the estimated amount of per diem and mileage and/or commercial fare to be expended by the traveler. The Vice President of Business, Office Manager or designee will maintain accounting records of all travel advances. Each traveler will be required to submit a travel expense report upon completion of travel and his/her travel advance account adjusted as appropriate. Airfare arrangements may be made through an approved travel agency to be paid directly by the college. LODGING COSTS With the exception of lodging for conferences and workshops, lodging will be reimbursed for actual costs that do not exceed the maximum federal lodging rate allowed by the Standard Government Travel Regulations. For lodging costs at conferences and workshops, lodging will be reimbursed for actual costs that do not exceed the conference and workshop lodging rate. When two or more employees share a motel/hotel room, only one person will be reimbursed for the lodging. (BOT Oct. 01) TRAVEL REPORTS Travel reports with necessary records of travel (lodging receipts, parking receipts and receipts of other allowable expenses claimed) will be submitted to the Vice President of Business within 10 days after completion of properly authorized travel. Travel receipts shall be in the name of the person requesting the advance. Failure to file travel reports will result in either no payment (for people who received no advance) or payroll deduction. Normally, the deduction will be made 10 days after written notice has given to the employee. The Vice President of Business shall certify all travel vouchers as to amount authorized for payment in accordance with college regulations. No travel will be authorized unless travel reports are current. This policy will apply to Board member with deductions being made from stipends and mileage. AIR TRAVEL All air travel shall normally be by coach and first class shall not be used except under those circumstance where less than first class accommodations a) would require circuitous routing, b) require travel during unreasonable hours, c) greatly increase the duration of the flight, d) result in additional costs which would offset the transportation savings, or e) offer accommodations which are not reasonably adequate for the medical needs of the traveler. GROUND TRANSPORTATION A reasonable amount of taxi fares, subways, etc., during travel to locations necessitating such public transportation conveyances shall be allowed. Actual expenses of up to fifteen dollars ($15) per day up to a maximum of forty-five ($45) per trip is authorized, wherein receipts are not required. Amounts in excess of these may be claimed if documented by receipts. MEAL AND INCIDENTAL ALLOWANCE A meal and incidental allowance for off reservation travel will be provided to employees utilizing the maximum federal allowable rate under the Standards Government Travel Regulations when travel time exceeds twelve hours. When meals are provided at meetings, workshops, and conferences, a quarter will be deducted for each meal provided from the total quarters allowed. Whether the person on travel attended them or not. (Continental breakfast is not a meal under this section.) COMPUTATION OF MEAL ALLOWANCE When travel is 12 hours or less there is no allowance. When travel is more than 12 hours but less than 24 hours, you receive 75% of the applicable M&IE per diem rate. When you are in travel status for more than 24 hours, you receive 75% on the day of departure, 100% for full days of travel, and 75% on the last day of travel. If a meal is provided by the conference, you will deduct from the per diem amount per the following chart: Total per diem for the day is 46 51 56 61 66 71 Deduct the following Breakfast 7 8 9 10 11 12 Lunch 11 12 13 15 16 18 Dinner 23 26 29 31 34 36 PRIOR written approval must be received from the appropriate Vice President or the President.