UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ACADEMIC SENATE

TRAVEL POLICIES AND REIMBURSEMENT PROCEDURES

2009-2010

 

PART I: ARRANGING TRAVEL

 

The Systemwide Academic Senate will reimburse travel expenses for UCOC-approved Senate members (or their alternates) serving on Universitywide Academic Senate Committees. Travelers are responsible for making their own travel arrangements.  These Procedures provide step-by-step instructions for arranging travel and submitting claims for reimbursement, along with reference to the policies that govern what will and will not be approved. Important: Keep all receipts. File your Travel Expense Voucher within 21 days.

 

A convenient summary of the UCOP travel policy (Business and Finance Bulletin G-28) is available at

http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/g28summary.pdf.

The complete policy document is at http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/g28.html.

 

ARRANGING TRAVEL BY AIR

 

     Policy

 

1. Travelers who will be reimbursed by the Senate Office should use UC Travel Center to book flight reservations. Flights booked through the Center will be billed directly to the Systemwide Senate office, not to the traveler.
2. Travelers who book their flights without using UC Travel Center must charge the fares to their own credit cards and request reimbursement after the travel is completed. The following rules apply:

   a. The Senate will reimburse only the amount the same flight would have cost if booked  through UC Travel Center. The Senate will not reimburse costs of cancelling or changing reservations if a meeting is cancelled.

3. Unless the traveler has a medical condition requiring higher class seats, UC will reimburse only the most economical airfare. Upgrade fees, e.g., for Southwest’s “Business Select” fare, will not be approved. a.  In advance of the meeting, a traveler with a medical condition must submit to the Executive Director a doctor’s letter explaining why a higher class of travel is medically necessary.

   b.   No out of state travel will be reimbursed without prior approval by the Executive Director.

Procedure (how to)

 

1.     Call or email UC Travel to book your flight.

                Contact:     Gay Kurahashi, UCOP Travel Counselor

                Phone:       (800) 235-UCLA (Press option 1 and then 1 again.) (For urgent assistance after business hours, press option 3.)

                Email:         gkurahas@finance.ucla.edu

NOTE: Travelers can also make reservations through UC Travel Center's website: http://www.travel.ucla.edu/new/Res_Request_UCLA_UCOP.html.  Make sure to change “Nature of Trip” to “UCOP Business.”  Otherwise, the request will be routed to the wrong team and the reservation may not be completed in time for the trip.

2.  Provide your name, committee name, and meeting date. Tell the service representative that you are attending a meeting sponsored by the UC 

     Systemwide Academic Senate Office and that a PAC number* for the meeting has already been issued by UCOP’s Business Resource Center. UC Travel

     Center will confirm that you are an authorized Senate traveler.

3.    Once you have completed your reservation, UC Travel will email you an itinerary. To ensure that your reservation has been ticketed, click on the

      “Virtually There” link and verify that you have received an “ELECTRONIC TICKETLESS RESERVATIONS RECEIPT” with a confirmation number.

      You must have a confirmation number for ticketless check-in. (Please also forward the email to BRCBlue@ucop.edu if not already cc’d.)

4.     Keep a copy of your e-receipt.

* PAC stands for Purchasing and Accounts Component. A PAC number is a purchase order number. You do not need to know the PAC number, but you do need to state clearly that you are attending an Academic Senate meeting.

TRAVEL ON LAND

 

Policy

 

1.   When air travel is available, reimbursement for surface transportation may not exceed airfare plus the cost of transportation to and from airports.

2.   The current standard mileage reimbursement rate for a personal vehicle is $0.55 per mile (effective 1/1/09).

3.   If you choose to use a Campus Fleet Car, the Senate will not assume responsibility for any liability or damage. Please note that some campuses have

     designated parking areas for Campus Fleet Cars. Unless you park in those areas you must obtain a parking permit to avoid a parking violation ticket.

4.  A car rental will be reimbursed only when the traveler can show that it was more economical than other forms of transportation. No charges for

     insurance or car upgrades will be reimbursed.

 

Procedure (how to)

 

1.    The Office of the President has negotiated contracts with the following rental car agencies for employees traveling on University business: Enterprise,

       Hertz and National.

2.    Call or email UC Travel Center to reserve a rental car.

                Contact:     Gay Kurahashi, UCOP Travel Counselor

                Phone:       (800) 235-8252 (Press option 1 and then 1 again.)

                Email:        gkurahas@finance.ucla.edu

3.   Alternatively, make your own reservations directly with the rental car agency. Details can be found at http://www.ucop.edu/travel/car.html.

4.   When renting a car, do NOT accept the agency insurance coverage or an upgrade. You will NOT be reimbursed for these charges. (For more

      information about insurance and liability: http://www.uctrips-insurance.org/.)

5.    Trains, Shuttles and Taxis: Keep your original receipts or ticket stubs.

6.    BART and Buses: Station-to-station BART and local bus tickets are the only expenses that do not require a receipt.

ARRANGING LODGING

 

Policy

 

1.     For one-day meetings, lodging is only allowable if approved in advance by the Executive Director (mwinnack@ucop.edu) and if one of the following

       conditions is met:

        a.     The traveler is on travel status prior to 6:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m.;

        b.     Health-related reasons (documented);

        c.     Traveler will attend another Senate approved function the day before or the day immediately following the meeting; or

        d.     Traveler will attend another non-Senate function the day before or the day immediately

                following the meeting, and the other party will share the cost.

2.    For two-day meetings, one night’s lodging is automatically approved for members on travel status. Any additional nights must be approved by the

      Executive Director in advance of the meeting.

3.     If approved, lodging is not to exceed $180 per night (excluding taxes). UC has negotiated favorable rates with the following hotel chains:

                Marriott

                Starwood Hotels

                Wyndham Hotel Group

Direct links to their reservation sites are available at http://www.ucop.edu/travel/agreements.html.

 

  Procedure (how to)

 

1. Preferred: Call or email UC Travel Center to book your hotel at UC or government rate.

   a. Provide a personal or corporate credit card number. Your hotel cannot be prepaid, and no PAC number is necessary.

Alternatively, traveler may book directly with the hotel, using your credit card.

MEALS

 

Policy

 

1.  Under University travel policy (BFB G-28, Policy and Regulations Governing Travel, revised September 2008), travelers will not be reimbursed for

     meals during a trip of less than 24 hours unless the traveler provides documentation that he or she was away from home overnight. Please refer to the

     policy on “Arranging Lodging” above for information on when overnight stays are authorized.

2.   For those meals that are reimbursable, travelers will be reimbursed the ACTUAL COST OF THE MEAL, as documented on an original ITEMIZED

      receipt. The maximum amount for meals as set by UC policy is $64 for each overnight stay.

3.     Alcoholic beverages will not be reimbursed.

4.     Only the traveler’s own meals will be reimbursed.

5.  A morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack are provided at most Senate meetings. For such meetings, no individual claims for lunch will be

     reimbursed.

 

Procedure (how to)

1.     Keep all original receipts.

2.     When two or more attendees at the same meeting eat together, each traveler must request their own receipt and reimbursement. Keep your receipts.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA ACADEMIC SENATE

TRAVEL POLICIES AND REIMBURSEMENT PROCEDURES

2009-2010

 

PART II: GETTING REIMBURSED

 

The Systemwide Academic Senate will reimburse travel expenses for UCOC-approved Senate members (or their alternates) serving on Universitywide Academic Senate Committees. Travelers are responsible for making their own travel arrangements.  These Procedures provide step-by-step instructions for arranging travel and submitting claims for reimbursement, along with reference to the policies that govern what will and will not be approved. Important: Keep all receipts. File your Travel Expense Voucher within 21 days.

 

A convenient summary of the UCOP travel policy (BFB G28) is avalailable at http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/g28summary.pdf.

The complete policy document is at http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/g28.html.

 

SUBMITTING REIMBURSEMENT CLAIMS

 

Policy

1. UC travel policy requires that all Travel Expense Vouchers (TEVs) must be submitted within 21 days after completing a Senate-approved business trip. UCOP policy is not to reimburse TEVs received more than 21 days after the trip.
2. Original receipts are required to document all expenses submitted for reimbursement. The only exceptions are station-to-station BART and local bus trips.
3. Payment will be issued directly to the traveler. UCLA Accounting cannot make payments to credit card accounts.

Procedure (how to)

1. Obtain a campus or Senate Travel Expense Voucher (TEV) form. The Senate form is downloadable at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/resources/tev.2008-09.xls.
2. Sign your TEV.
3. Complete the TEV, including all of the following:

   a.  Purpose of the trip (e.g. name of the committee meeting), date, and location.

   b.  Your complete mailing address.

   c.  Receipts

   i.       Original airfare receipt or ticketless confirmation statement and amount paid. Method and proof of payment (e.g., credit card

            receipt) must be included. For trips booked through UC Travel Center, submit only the e-receipt.

   ii.       For mileage, provide the round number of miles.

   iii.      For rental cars, provide the original receipt. No insurance or upgrade fees will be reimbursed.

   iv.      For trains, shuttles, and taxis, provide original receipt or ticket stub.

   v.       For preapproved lodging, provide the original hotel bill, showing zero balance.

   vi.      For meals, provide original itemized receipts. No charges for alcoholic beverages will be reimbursed.

    

       4.   Forward the signed TEV and your original receipts to:

          Business Resource Center - Team Blue

University of California Office of the President

1111 Franklin Street 9th floor

Oakland, CA 94607-5200

 

UCLA FACULTY ONLY: In addition to the above, UCLA faculty are required to log on to the UCLA Express System (www.express.ucla.edu) to review and submit claims after the Systemwide Senate Office has input them into the system.

 

COMBINED TRAVEL

 

1.     When travel combines more than one business purposes, the Senate office will reimburse only

        those expenses relating to Senate business.

STUDENT TRAVEL

 

1.  The Senate office does not handle reimbursements for student representatives. Students claiming travel expenses should contact Eric Heng, UCOP

     Student Academic Services, at (510) 987-0239 or email eric.heng@ucop.edu.