Management Services Division - WA State Dept. of Health

To establish a policy that provides for the process, requirements, and authorizations necessary when reporting and/or requesting reimbursement for travel and other expenses incurred while at work for or on behalf of the Health Department/District.

Persons Affected:

All persons serving in classified and unclassified positions who have received authorization for reimbursement of expenses by the Hiring Authority responsible for the work activity or department sponsored event. Clients from programs may also seek reimbursement of expenses when approved by the Hiring Authority for reasonable and customary expenses.

References:

Fair Labor Standards Act

Federal Publication 1542

CONUS Regulations

Definitions:

Address —Either the actual United States Postal Service (USPS) address or the closest cross streets to the location shall be recorded for each segment. In an effort to preserve client confidentiality, street intersections shall suffice for address.

Classified Service—A position held by an employee of the Health Department irrespective of employment status, e.g., project, regular, temporary.

Unclassified Service—A position, appointment or status held by a Board of Health member, Commission member, ad-hoc committee member, appointive employee, volunteer or contractor acting on behalf of the Health Department.

Efficient Trip—The most cost efficient means possible of travel from destination to destination. In the situation of multiple destinations throughout the workday, the employee shall minimize the total distance for the most cost-effective outcome possible.

Presumptive Distance—The distance between two cities or other landmarks shown on either the official state map or the Health Department's supplement to the state map (i.e. grid).

Recipient—An eligible person who may claim reimbursement under this policy.

Segment—The part of a larger journey between any two consecutive stops.

Hiring Authority—Department Director, Deputy Director, Public Health Manager, Commission Director, or authorized designee.

Policy:

All persons subject to this policy who have received prior authorization from the Hiring Authority for expenses incurred within the scope of their job, departmental activity, or department sponsored event may submit a claim for reimbursement within the guidelines provided herein.

All authorized expenses claimed by persons eligible under this policy would be for reasonable, factual, and necessary activities that were approved by the hiring authority prior to the person incurring the expense. Requests for reimbursement of expenses must be submitted no later than two months from when the expense was incurred. Due to year-end financial requirements, requests for reimbursement of expenses incurred in the month of December, must be filed no later than the last work day of the first work week in January.

The Director of Health may waive in writing, prior to a person incurring an expense and for good cause, the maximum allowable expense for transportation, meals, lodging, and other miscellaneous expenses to be incurred as a result of a departmental work activity, job, or department sponsored event. In addition, the Director of Health may approve the disbursement of funds reasonably calculated and projected for a person's travel, lodging and meal expenses, which shall also be known as an 'advancement of travel' funds.

Although detailed travel logs may not be required under certain circumstances approved by the hiring authority for travel claim/reimbursement, all recipients shall be required to maintain such logs to substantiate their claim should it be further questioned by the department, the auditors or the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, receipts shall also be maintained for all travel related expenses. Receipts must contain only those pre-authorized business expenses incurred; not personal expenses as a result of travel, e.g., business-related books, tapes, materials, etc.

As a condition of employment, appointment, or status with the department; a person may be required to utilize their private vehicles in the performance of their departmental duties, activities or sponsored events. A person that is required and authorized to use their private vehicle on Department business shall be reimbursed at the current IRS approved rate per mile. In addition, a person that uses a private vehicle in the performance of Health Department business must maintain adequate vehicle insurance as required by law.

The Health Department will investigate complaints of non-compliance with this policy promptly; and, will take appropriate corrective, disciplinary and/or possible legal action against persons found to be in violation of this policy.

Procedures:

A. Transportation -Documentation & Allowable Amounts.

In General, Recipient shall list in chronological order the address of each destination reached and the time staff reached that location during travel. If the recipient's inspection forms or other reports list the address, then adding the time of arrival at the destination will meet this requirement. The Department requires documentation for all mileage claims. To support this requirement, such logs as work orders, clinical logs, personal travel logs, appointment calendars, or any other system that adequately captures the travel from destination to destination (inclusive of time) shall be acceptable. This documentation does not have to be submitted with the travel reimbursement claim, but must be made available upon request to the hiring authority, auditors, and/or IRS personnel. Failure to not maintain adequate documentation to support a mileage reimbursement request will result in non-payment of the request and/or possible progressive disciplinary action.

(1) Departmental Vehicles. The Health Department will pay for tolls and parking expenses incurred during travel in Health Department vehicles during the ordinary course of work. The recipient must record the beginning and ending odometer readings for each segment of travel in a Health Department vehicle in the vehicle's logbook.

(2) Private Vehicles. The Health Department will pay for mileage, tolls and parking expenses incurred during authorized travel in private vehicles during the ordinary course of work. Each recipient using a private vehicle must claim actual distances from odometer readings or presumptive distances calculated from the official state map, (or the Health Department's supplemental mileage grid).

For intra-city travel, a person may report actual mileage. An address should be listed for each destination. If the recipient elects to claim presumptive distances calculated from the official state map, then the claim must represent an efficient trip. It is the responsibility of the hiring authority/designee to approve or disallow the miles reported and claimed for reimbursement based on a reasonability test. The hiring authority or designee is authorized to waive the address requirement for staff under their supervision provided there is sufficient documentation kept by the staff person within the program to support the mileage claimed for reimbursement.

In cases where a recipient's home is closer to a meeting destination than their work station is, and where prior approval has been granted by the hiring authority or designee, the person shall not need to stop at the department/work station. The recipient can proceed directly from home and use their home as the official start point for mileage.

(3) Sound Transit. The Health Department will pay the full out-of-pocket cost of authorized travel on Sound Transit. If the Health Department already provides the recipient a monthly pass for Sound Transit, which applies to the authorized travel, then the out-of-pocket cost will ordinarily be reduced by the amount covered by the monthly pass.

(4) Commercial Carriers. If the Director of Health authorizes both the journey and the mode of travel, the Health Department will pay the cost of travel by plane, train, or bus.

B. Meals—Documentation & Allowable Amounts

The Health Department will pay for a recipient's meals during authorized attendance at a group meeting either indirectly if the meal is provided as part of the registration cost or directly if paid by the recipient. The recipient must provide documentation in the form of a receipt or other evidence for the cost of a meal during a group meeting, paid directly by the recipient. During a group meeting means that the meal is eaten with the group and that meeting work continues through the meal. The Health Department will pay for a recipient's meals other than at group meetings during authorized travel outside _______ County. If the recipient's authorized travel begins before 7 a.m. and continues past 7 p.m., then the Health Department will pay a per diem determined by federal government CONUS Rates Federal Publication 1542 or CONUS per diem homepage.

(1) If the recipient will be in authorized travel for less than an entire day, then the Health Department will pay for meals as follows:

(a) To be paid for breakfast, the recipient must have left ___________ County before 7 am and not have returned before 10 am. The Health Department will pay 20% of the per diem meal amount.

(b) To be paid for lunch, the recipient must have left ___________ County before 11 am and not have returned before 2 p.m. The Health Department will pay 30% of the per diem meal amount.

(c) To be paid for dinner, the recipient must have left ___________ County before 5 p.m., and not have returned before 7 p.m. The Health Department will pay 50% of the per diem amount.

(2) The recipient must be able to document the times of travel but need not document actual expenditures for meals other than during authorized attendance at a group meeting.

(3) If the duration of travel entitles a recipient to the full per diem, but one of the meals is an authorized, group meal, then the recipient may receive the actual expense incurred for the group meal and the partial per diem reimbursements for the other meals.

(4) Under no circumstances will the Health Department reimburse recipients for alcoholic beverages. Staff employed by the department who consumes alcoholic beverages while on work time shall be subject to disciplinary action.

C. Lodging—Documentation & Allowable Amounts.

If a group meeting held at a hotel requires an overnight stay, the Health Department will pay the cost of lodging at the available group rate at the host hotel. If authorized travel otherwise requires lodging, then the Health Department will pay for the documented cost of lodging outside ___________ County but not more than federal CONUS Rates (CONUS per diem homepage or Federal Publication 1542) for the site or the nearest listed location.

D. Pre-Paid Registration Fees—Documentation & Allowable Amounts.

If a meeting that a person attends on behalf of the department within that person's authorized duties and travel has a registration fee payable in advance of the meeting, the person may either

a. Request the Health Department to prepay the registration fee or,

b. Prepay the registration fee and submit proof of payment with the person's regular expense form. If a meeting that a person shall attend within that person's authorized duties and travel has a registration fee not payable in advance of the meeting, the person shall pay the fee and submit proof of payment with the person's regular expense form. If the meeting is a certification or training session then the person needs to provide documentation of successful completion.

E. Purchases—Documentation & Allowable Amounts.

If the catalog for the Health Department's primary supplier does not list a minor expendable item, e.g., bottled ink or a particular style pad, then the person may purchase the expendable item in reasonable quantities at reasonable prices and claim reimbursement via the person's regular expense form after obtaining the approval of the employee's hiring authority or person's appropriate program manager. Unauthorized expenses will not be approved for reimbursement.

An employee may purchase an urgently needed item if all of the following conditions are true:

a. The employee's hiring authority has approved the purchase in writing;

b. The employee's hiring authority has found that the Health Department's purchasing office cannot timely obtain the item(s);

c. The total purchase will not exceed $300 before sales tax, if any;

d. The purchase will provide a receipt showing only the urgent purchase for the Health Department and no other items;

e. The employee can accept reimbursement via the employee's regular expense form.

F. Overtime— Documentation & Allowable Amounts.

Employees eligible for overtime, meaning they are non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act definition, may, at the direction of their Hiring Authority, receive overtime for travel subject to the following.

a. The travel must require the employee either to converse or read about work or to drive a vehicle or otherwise not permit the employee to relax.

b. The employee may claim only time in excess of forty hours for the workweek.

c. Home to work site if employee must travel a substantial distance to perform emergency call back.

G. Documentation Procedure.

Transportation in Health Department vehicles. All authorized persons shall report every trip segment in Health Department vehicles in the vehicle's log.

Other Expenses incurred directly by the Health Department. All authorized persons shall record expenses incurred directly by the Health Department on purchase orders or other such forms as the purchasing office may direct.

Other expenses eligible for reimbursement incurred by people within the scope of this document. All authorized persons shall obtain receipts for all expenditures and determine mileage distances for the use of the person's private vehicle as specified above. The person shall record each expenditure and journey on a regular expense form.

Claims. To claim reimbursement, any authorized person within the scope of this document shall submit a complete expense form listing all expenses incurred, journeys undertaken, and per diem claims made with each item dated. The expense form shall contain the following statement: By signing this expense report, I certify that each expenditure or activity for which reimbursement is claimed was authorized, necessary, reasonable, and actual, and that no payment has been received by me on account thereof. The Health Department may not process a claim without the claimant's legible signature.

Frequency of Claims. An authorized person within the scope of this policy may submit a regular expense form as often as once per pay period with pre-approved travel and expenses.

Requests for reimbursement of expenses must be submitted no later than two months from when the expense was incurred. Due to year-end financial requirements, requests for reimbursement of expenses incurred in the month of December, must be filed no later than the last work day of the first work week in January. The Health Department's obligation to reimburse an expenditure shall expire if these filing requirements are not met.

Payment. The Health Department shall pay all valid claims via the next available payroll cycle following the employee's submission of a signed, complete claim for reimbursement.

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