3.1 -
Headquarters - For purposes of travel reimbursement,
each employee of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture shall have a
designated workplace as the official headquarters of the employee. For most
employees, the official headquarters will be at the Guthrie Agriculture Center.
Those employees who do not have Guthrie Agriculture Center as headquarters
shall file a properly executed headquarters justification statement with the
Department's Administrative Services Division. The official headquarters shall
be shown on all expense accounts. An employee's home may be officially
designated as an employee's headquarters only if there is no other location
available. All employees using their homes as headquarters must secure the
written approval of the Commissioner to do so. In no case will commuting to an
employee's headquarters be allowed as a cause for reimbursement without
specific written authorization from the Commissioner. Specific exception to
this will occur where the employee is required to return to headquarters from
home after completing a normal day's work schedule or is called out on what is
normally a non-work day or holiday for that employee.
3.1.2 -Headquarters Single
Location - Headquarters shall not be multiple stations. Personnel
who work multiple stations which necessitate automobile travel are in travel
status from the moment of departure of the official headquarters until return
to official headquarters. If an employee does not return to the headquarters
station at the end of a day or a trip, the employee shall not be eligible for
mileage on personal car in excess of the mileage to return to official
headquarters.
3.1.3 -
Transfer/Relocation of Assignment - When an employee
is assigned an official headquarters other than Guthrie Center that requires
the relocation of the employee's residence, such employee will be allowed sixty
(60) calendar days relocation travel expenses. Provision does not apply to
unassigned voluntary relocation. If the employee elects not to move the
residence, the employee shall not be allowed expenses related to the change in
headquarters after the 60 calendar day relocation period.
3.2 -
Expense
Accounts - The standard form issued by the Department of
Agriculture as an Expense Account form will be used for settlement of and
reimbursement for all travel expenses. The form must show detail of expenses
incurred by day, and will be summarized by day and by category as provided for
on the forms.
3.2.1 -
Itemization - Original itemized receipts should, if at
all possible, accompany the travel expense forms to include, as a minimum, all
lodging receipts, airlines or common carrier receipts, registration receipts,
parking charges, toll charges (excluding West Virginia Turnpike toll charges),
baggage charges. If original documents are not available, a certified copy may
be submitted. The certification on each document submitted for reimbursement
must read as follows:
"I certify that this is an original invoice and that payment
has not been received".
Signature:______________
Title:__________________
Date:__________________
This certification must be completed once each by the
employee, employee's supervisor or employee's division director. (NOTE:
The submission of documents requiring certification as originals will delay
reimbursement.)
3.2.2.-
Verification/Approval - All expense account forms will
be signed by the employee and approved by the Division Director. No employee,
except the Commissioner of Agriculture, may approve the employee's own expense
account form. The approval of expense accounts is more than a formality and
should be treated with due seriousness. Approval of expense account indicates
that expenses submitted for reimbursement have been reviewed, and found to
comply with department policies regarding authorized travel expenses.
3.2.3.
-Time of
Submission - Employees shall submit all requests for reimbursement
of travel expenses, including receipts, to their division director on a
bi-weekly or monthly basis, or within three (3) working days from trip return
date. The only exception to this is for reimbursement requests that total less
that $50.00. These requests should be submitted only after 30 days has elapsed
since the last date of travel. It is the responsibility of the division
director to review and approve employee's expense accounts within two (2)
working days of receipt and forward to the Administrative Services Division,
which will submit appropriate transmittal within three (3) working days to the
appropriate executive agencies of state government. Travel expenses incurred
during June, must be submitted within ten (10) work days of the last date of
travel.
3.2.4. -
Commissioner's Approval - Written permission must be
received from the Commissioner of Agriculture, or his designee, as required in
the following situations.
a) Out-of-State
travel.
b) Travel for events having
a registration fee in excess of $150.00 per registrant.
c) Travel requiring use of chartered
aircraft.
d) Travel outside the
continental United States.
e)
Attendance at meetings and events involving lodging at resort class facilities,
such as The Greenbrier.
3.3 -
Meal Allowance
3.3.1 - In-State Meal
Allowance - Reimbursement will be made for the actual cost of
meals while absent from official headquarters, on overnight status with a
maximum of twenty-five dollars ($25) per day for travel within the State of
West Virginia where the distance from the official headquarters is over
twenty-five miles. Meals are allowed when lodging is listed as "gratis" or "no
charge".
3.3.2. -
Out-of-State Meal Allowance - Reimbursement will be
made for the actual cost of meals while absent from official headquarters and
on overnight status, with a maximum of fifty dollars ($50) per day. Meals are
allowed when lodging is "gratis" or "no charge".
3.3.3. -
Extended
Hours - On overnight trips, departure from official headquarters
before 8:00 a.m. entitles a traveling employee to a frill meal allowance. On
overnight trips, departure before noon entitles the traveling employee to lunch
and dinner, while departure before 6:00 p.m. entitles the traveling employee to
dinner.
On the return trip, arrival at the official headquarters
before 8:00 a.m. entitles the traveling employee to no meal allowance, arrival
before noon entitles the employee to breakfast only; arrival after 12:00
entitles the employee to breakfast and lunch, while arrival after 6:00 p.m.
entitles the traveling employee to a full meal allowance. Arrival and departure
time must be stated on the travel expense account form.
An exception to overnight status meal qualification, is when
an employee who is away from headquarters has been required to be on duty at
least two (2) hours in excess of the "normal work day". The definition of a
"normal work day" is determined by the applicable division and is not limited
to the standard business day, or 8:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Employees claiming
reimbursement for this meal allowance must denote on their expense account
"WORKED 2 HOURS IN EXCESS OF NORMAL DAY" for each occurrence.
3.3.3(1) - Meal Allowance Determination - The
following meal allowances are to be used in determining the amount of
reimbursement to employees traveling on state business when the full meal
allowance cannot be claimed.
1) In-state
travel: Breakfast - $7.00, Lunch - $8.00, and Dinner - $ 12.00.
(Daily total cannot exceed
$25.00)
2)
In-State Travel-Extended Hours: Dinner - $12.00
3) Out-of-State travel - Breakfast - $10.00,
Lunch - $15.00, and Dinner - $25.00
3.3.4 - Meals as Part of an
Official Meeting - Advance approval must be secured from the
Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner when meals are an integral part of an
official meeting, and in excess of the allowable
reimbursement.
3.3A( 1) -
Soil Conservation District Supervisors shall be allowed to charge for a meal at
their official District meetings. This charge shall be limited to reimbursement
for actual expenditures not to exceed $12.00 per meal.
3.4 - Lodging -
Employees traveling on state business will be reimbursed in an amount equal to
their actual cost of lodging as shown on the lodging receipt. Reimbursement
shall not be allowed for personal services such as laundry, valet charges or
personal telephone calls. In the case of double occupancy, where one of the
occupants is not on state business, hotel reimbursement will be on the basis of
the least expensive available single rate. This information must be indicated
on the lodging receipt.
3.5 -
Transportation
3.5.1
- Airline or Common Carrier - Reimbursement will be
made for the actual cost of bus, rail or air coach travel or other common
carrier as evidenced by receipted bills which must accompany and verify the
employee expense report. Employees are required to travel at tourist or economy
rates when available. In order to take advantage of advance purchase tickets,
expense accounts for the airline ticket only may be submitted if the ticket is
purchased between 45 and 180 days prior to the beginning date of the first date
of business travel. For electronically obtained tickets only, an itinerary may
be submitted for ticket reimbursement prior to the travel dates.
3.5.2 -
Motor
Vehicle - Reimbursement for the use of employee's personal car in
connection with state business will be established by memorandum released by
the Commissioner of Agriculture. Such reimbursement rate shall apply between
the employee's official headquarters and the official destination. There will
be no reimbursement of expense for commuting purposes, unless an employee is
called out to work after the completion of a work day or required to travel on
a non-work day or holiday for that employee.
3.5.2.1 -
Commercial Rental
Vehicles - Automobile rental will be reimbursable to employees
when used in conjunction with common carrier travel, or when a state owned or
privately owned vehicle is not available.
In order to receive reimbursement, all commercial rental
vehicle requests are to be submitted on Form No. 02-F075 to the Administrative
Services Division ten (10) work days before the first date of travel.
Itemized receipts for reimbursable expenses must accompany
the applicable travel expense form and may include the daily rental fee for a
mid-size or smaller car, mileage fee, and gasoline costs. In all cases,
employees are expected to utilize the least expensive rental car available.
Collision damage waiver, or the rental company's equivalent, is a reimbursable
expense for rentals of seven (7) days or less; no other insurance or
insurance-like product is reimbursable for rentals used in the United States
unless required by law. However, vehicles should be rented using the corporate
travel card in order to obtain primary insurance coverage for loss due to
collision, theft, fire and vandalism. The rental agency's offer to provide
collision damage waiver (CDW) should be declined.
3.5.3 -Alternative Travel
Arrangements - In cases where an employee chooses to drive rather
than fly on state business, reimbursement will be limited to the amount of the
tourist or economy airline fare to such location. Meals, mileage and other
charges in connection with alternate travel will be allowed only to the extent
that such costs along with mileage charges do not exceed air fare.
3.5.4 - Other Transportation
Costs - Other transportation costs will be reimbursed on an
incurred basis as substantiated by receipts. Such reimbursement may include
toll road, toll bridges, subways, parking fees and garage storage charges for
vehicles used in connection with state business. Receipts are not necessary to
document WV Turnpike tolls.
3.5.5 -
State Vehicles - Employees should use state vehicles
whenever practical in their travel.
3.5.5.1 -
Operation of State-owned Vehicles - Operation of
state-owned vehicles shall be confined to state officials and employees while
on official duty. No passengers or other individuals are permitted unless they
are on the same business as authorized by the user of the vehicle, such as tour
groups. Smoking in state-owned vehicles is prohibited . Seat belt use is
mandatory.
3.6
- Registration Fees - Registration fees at meetings or
conferences must be supported by receipt. Employees shall not receive
additional allowance for lodging or food that has been included in the
registration fee.
3.7 -
Baggage Charges - Baggage charges will be reimbursed
on an incurred basis for the date of arrival and the date of departure, not to
exceed a total of 5% of the daily room rate.
