Business Services - Travel/Employee Reimbursements

Effective - September 1. 1994, the County agrees to reimburse a full time faculty,, member for expenses up to Four Hundred (S400.00) Dollars for attending one or more professional conferences of his/her choice with the recommendation of the appropriate administrative Officer from September I to August 31 each academic year. Expense reimbursement shall be in accord with the applicable County guidelines per conference: regardless of the location of the conference or the date of application for conference attendance. Recommendation shall not be refused for a conference professionally connected to the faculty member’s discipline or his/her professional responsibilities or retraining program. Permission shall not be refused for faculty members who do not have scheduled duties on the date of a conference which would otherwise be proper under the above rules. The appropriate Administrator shall have discretion to approve one or more members, who have scheduled duties if this seems desirable. If application for conference attendance is submitted at least six (6) weeks in advance of such conference, the faculty member shall receive at least two weeks prior notice from the administration concerning the application.

The faculty member shall have the option to take a College car or his/ her personal vehicle or travel by mass transit. Mileage claims for use of personal vehicle or mass transportation, will be in accordance with County guidelines.

The County agrees to set aside Four Thousand($4,000.00) Dollars per year to reimburse Unit III faculty whose total allowable expenditures for an approved professionally related conference. exceed Four Hundred $450.00) Dollars. Additional reimbursement shall be evenly distributed among the eligible faculty in an amount not to exceed actual expenditures. In the event that after such distribution, funds are still available, faculty who have incurred extraordinary conference expenses shall be equally reimbursed up to the amount allowable by the balance of the fund for the fiscal year. Application for additional conference attendance reimbursement must be made at the same time that the original conference request is submitted.

PURPOSE. This SOP details how employees can obtain approval for conference attendance and meetings with an overnight stay.

SCOPE. This SOP applies to all County Employees.

PROCEDURE. Conferences:

1. Only two persons from a department will be permitted to attend a conference. Certain exceptions will be granted if a conference has programs with conflicting hours which require more than one person to attend or if special circumstances warrant more attendees (mandated training).
2. No reimbursement will be made for an overnight stay in New York City, Nassau or Suffolk County. Employees will be required to commute to conferences in these locations.
3. An application for conference attendance, Executive Form 10, must be submitted so that it arrives at the Budget Office at least two weeks prior to the conference date. If an emergency need to attend a conference arises, the form should be faxed to the Deputy County Executive for Finance for approval. In no circumstance should an employee attend a conference before the conference form has been approved. There will be no reimbursement for conference attendance forms submitted after the date of the conference or for individuals who attended conferences prior to receiving an approved Conference Attendance Form.
4. Supporting information such as brochures, applications, etc., should be submitted with Executive Form #10.
5. The Rules and Regulations governing travel orders and accounts, promulgated by the Department of Audit and Control, should be followed in preparing Executive Form #10.
6. The box indicating “Total Cost of this Conference” and the section at the bottom indicating “Travel Cost” and “Total Cost” should be filled in on all copies.

Meeting Attendance

1. If an employee attends a meeting out of the County and there is not a conference registration fee and/or an overnight stay, a conference attendance form is not required.
2. If there is a conference registration fee and/or an overnight stay, the employee must submit a conference attendance form as described under A.3, A.4 and A.6.
3. Elected officials are exempt from this procedure on meetings

All applications for conference attendance will be returned to the respective department if any of the above procedures have not been adhered to.

Conference Travel

What is Conference Travel? Attendance at a conference or meeting by college business or professional.

Travel Expenses Not Reimbursable. Following is a list of expenses which are not reimbursable. Note: The list is not all inclusive.

• Alcoholic beverages, spouse or family member’s travel costs Telephone calls which are non business-related
• Lost/stolen cash or personal property
• Personal items and services, e.g., toiletries, luggage, clothes, haircuts, shoe shines, etc.
• Expenses which are not college business related
• Laundry, cleaning, pressing costs for trips of three days or less
• Avoidable expenses for non business-related activities, such as sightseeing tours, etc.
• Traffic citations, parking tickets and other fines
• Additional charges incurred for personal reasons involving vehicle rentals
• Locksmith charges on either fleet, rental or personal vehicle, except when fleet or rental vehicles experience mechanical problems
• Excess cost of circuitous or side trips for personal reasons
• Parking costs at the assigned workplace
• Repairs, towing service, lubrication, etc., for personal vehicles
• Meals included in the cost of airfare or registration fees
• Pay for view movies in hotel/motel room
• Personal entertainment
• Extra costs for additional person(s) in room
• Additional charges for late checkout or non canceled guaranteed reservations (unless justified)
• Lodging cost at unlicensed facilities unless there is a substantial cost benefit to the college
• Lodging within 50 miles of the headquarters city (unless properly justified and approved)

Requirements for Submitting Travel Reimbursements. At Suffolk County Community College there exists four forms of travel classification s for reimbursement. All fours travels forms requires specific forms to be submitted when requesting reimbursement for the travel. The following are the four classifications of travel with the specific requirements necessary to get the reimbursement for the travel.

1. Conference Travel: Conference travel reimbursement needs to submit a conference attendance form to the central business office. On the conference attendance form include the mileage travels with the statement of automobile travel. Include the signed voucher along with the conference attendance form with the appropriate signatures for approval.
2. Contractual travel: Contractual travel can be reimbursed by submitting a reimbursement form along with a signed claim voucher for payment. The individual submitting the reimbursement would require the appropriate signatures and approvals to receive proper reimbursement for business travel.
3. Business travel reimbursement: Reimbursement for business travel would require the submission of travel expense vouchers, along with the form for automobile travel. The proper department head and provost signatures are required when submitting for automobile travel reimbursements. The travel expense voucher, and lone with the statement of automobile travel will be submitted to the central business office for payment.
4. Basic travel out side of the usual commute for college business is reimbursable form the college: The reimbursement rate for 1996/97 is 31 cents a mile. A travel expense voucher along with a statement of automobile travel needs to be submitted for reimbursement. The proper signatures of department heads needs accompany the travel expense voucher. The completed forms and paper work would be submitted to the central business office for processing.

Guidelines

1. Money must be available in department budget. If funds are not available a transfer must be done through the appropriate business office. when possible, application should be made at least 5 weeks prior to travel.
2. Conference travel for college business is where the employee has been asked to participate by the college and all costs will be paid by the college. All such requests approved by the College President. (Refer to “Request for Travel for College Business” - Black lettered form). Every attempt should be made to minimize expenses, such as using the least expensive mode of transportation. (See #8 below)
3. Conference travel for professional growth is where the employee chooses to utilize funds as stipulated in the Faculty Association or Guild contract. These requests need to be approved by the Provost, appropriate Vice-President (Refer -P 1 form) to “Request for Contractual Travel Additional (supplemental) reimbursement is available under the provision of the FA or Guild contracts. (See #9 below)
4. When preparing application forms, documentation is needed to substantiate the following: name of conference, dates, location, registration fee, meals (if included), cost of travel, hotel, rental car, etc. Meals within Suffolk County can not be reimbursed.
5. For travel in New York State a tax exempt form should be secured from the business office. The College is exempt from paying NYS sales tax, which will not be reimbursed. The College is not exempt from the hotel occupancy tax which will be reimbursed.
6. Please notify the appropriate business office if you do not attend an approved conference.
7. When traveling on College business every attempt should be made to use a College car.
8. For contractual travel, if the one-way distance is over 300 miles, repayment will be limited to the cost of economy air fare unless other authorized passengers are involved. (driver only - 300 miles, 1 passenger - up to 400 miles, 2 or more passengers - up to 500 miles).
9. Faculty or Guild members requesting supplemental reimbursement for conference travel (expenditures greater than $450) must submit a copy of their travel expense voucher (marked supplemental reimbursement) when initially submitting voucher for payment.
10. Suffolk County does not allow reimbursement for overnight lodging in Suffolk or Nassau. Reimbursement for lodging in New York City depends on circumstances involved, and is approved on a case by case basis. Call your Business Office to request approval.
11. Meal allowances are stipulated in AME contract.
12. Books and other materials that may be purchased at a conference will not be covered. They must be purchased using other means (e.g. college purchase order, direct claim, petty cash, etc.)

Procedures

1. Application for conference attendance should be completed as per instruction on page and submitted to immediate supervisor.
2. Required approvals will be determined by Campus Provost. When approved forms have been received in the appropriate Business office, and have been processed, notification of approval will be sent to the individual involved.
3. After conference has been attended,, submit travel expense voucher, conference report and receipts to appropriate business office for review. (If travel is on a contractual basis and limit has been reached, submit a copy of voucher marked “supplemental reimbursement”)
4. Campus business office forwards claim to Central business office where expenses are checked. Payment is entered into the system and then voucher is signed by designated Financial Affairs Officer.
5. When voucher is separated for distribution to Budget and Finance Dept. , general backup material (such as brochure, etc. ) is discarded. Pertinent backup, receipts, original conference application and posting copy are attached to white copy of claim voucher.
6. Conference reports are forwarded to Personnel Dept. by transmittal to be filed in payee’s personnel file.
7. Duplicate vouchers will be considered for supplemental reimbursement. These vouchers must be at— -the Central Business office by the end of July as they are processed in August.

Instructions for Completing Application for Contractual Conference Attendance (College Business application differs in approvals only)

1. Enter first name, middle initial, and last name of applicant
2. Enter applicant’s social security number.
3. Enter applicant’s title at the college (such as Professor, Director of..., etc.)
4. Enter Title of Conference (such as “Dimensions in Academic Leadership 195”)
5. Enter City & State in which conference is located
6. Check off appropriate answer as to whether or not this is applicant’s first conference in the academic year
7. Enter time period of conference
8. Check off appropriate box denoting applicant’s bargaining unit
9. Enter number of “travel” days needed
10. Enter travel method (such as: personal car, airfare, etc.)
11. Enter estimated mileage if personal car is used
12. Estimate cost - multiply number of miles by current rate per mile and enter total
13. Enter number of days applicant needs lodging
14. Enter estimated daily lodging rate
15. Estimate cost - multiply number of days by daily rate and enter total
16. Enter number of days applicant must purchase meals
17. Multiply number of days by 1, 2, or 3 and multiply that total by the current meal allowance as stated in the Faculty or AME contract
18. Estimate cost - multiply number of days by the cost per day and enter total
19. Enter cost of Registration fee
20. Enter estimate cost of tolls if personal car is used
21. Enter estimated cost of parking if personal car is used
22. Enter estimated cost of any other allowable expenses that will be claimed
23. Enter total of estimated conference costs
24. Write a short explanation to justify the reason applicant will attend conference and attach backup material (brochure, letter, etc. showing name of conference, dates, registration fee, etc.)
25. Applicant must sign full name and enter date
26. The individual who controls the budget for the applicant’s area must affix signature and date
27. Provost for applicant’s area must affix signature and date
28. Applicant’s business office must enter total of allowable reimbursement for this claim
29. Applicant’s business office assigns campus encumbrance number at time of posting
30. Applicant’s business office must see that correct appropriation has been entered here
31. Applicant’s department or business office enters current total which is not to exceed contractual limitations
32. Business office personnel in charge of reviewing conference applications should affix signature
33. On all “Request for Travel for College Business” applications, the central business office must obtain the signature of the President and date.

Instructions for Completing County of Suffolk - Travel Expense Voucher

1. Enter claimant’s name and current address
2. Enter claimant’s social security number
3. County Department - Enter Suffolk Community College
4. Enter dates of expenditures
5. Enter list of expenses (such as: transportation, registration fee, daily meals, lodging per night, etc.)
6. Enter time claimant left starting point for meeting, etc.
7. Enter time claimant returned from meeting, etc.
8. Enter amount of reimbursement claimed for mileage if personal car was used. (amount of miles X current rate per mile.)
9. Enter current contractual meal allowance rate for any breakfast, lunch, and dinner not included in conference
10. Enter current contractual meal allowance rate for any breakfast, lunch, and dinner not included in conference
11. Enter current contractual meal allowance rate for any breakfast, lunch, and dinner not included in conference
12. Enter daily lodging rate
13. Enter any tolls, taxi fare, parking fees, etc.
14. Enter total of daily claims
15. Enter campus of claimant’s official duty station
16. Enter grand total of claim
17. Enter date
18. Obtain claimant’s signature
19. Enter claimant’s title (such as: English Professor)
20. Central Business office enters date
21. Central business office obtains signature of Associate Dean of Financial Affairs
22. Enter correct appropriation number