All employees of the Health Department shall receive approval for all official Health Department business requiring travel and/or administrative leave for attendance of meetings, workshops or conferences. Advance approval shall be required for all out-of-state travel, travel involving airfare or travel involving overnight stay.

Definitions:

Employee—any regular, project or temporary employee, including volunteers.
Official business—includes officially assigned duties, travel for approved public purposes, meetings concerning Health Department business, training and education seminars, attendance at conferences and other sessions involving Health Department affairs, and other activities concerning the business of the Health Department.

Responsibility:

1. Employee, supervisor and the business manager shall approve travel not involving overnight stay, airfare or out-of-state travel.

2. Travel involving overnight stay, airfare, or out-of-state travel requires advance approval by the supervisor, director of health, and business manager.

3. The chairman of the Board of Health, or his/her designee, will approve overnight, airfare or out-of-state travel for the director of health.

4. Managers will promote employee safety while engaged in travel on Health Department business.

5. All employees driving an automobile on official Health Department business are to be familiar with and practice defensive driving techniques and safety measures.

6. Employees driving their own vehicles on official business will carry automobile liability insurance.

Procedure:

I. Travel not involving an overnight stay, airfare, or travel out-of-state:

A. Employee must obtain authorization from supervisor for travel and any expenses incurred during said travel, that is required to carry out officially assigned duties as a condition of employment. This includes meetings, workshops, and conferences.

B. Employee must obtain authorization from their supervisor for travel not routinely required carrying out officially assigned duties.

II. Travel Authorization/Training Request

A. Employee completes the "Travel/Training Authorization" form when attending a course, seminar, conference, retreat, or meeting within ______ County, by checking the "Training/Retreat Only" box under the "Comments" section, signing on space provided for employee's signature and requesting supervisor to sign and complete appropriate section in the "Approvals" box granting or denying the request. If granted, a purchase order is prepared attaching the "Travel/Training Authorization" form.

(This form is required for payment authorization and to allow the employee eight (8) hours or less of administrative leave while attending the course, seminar, conference, retreat, or meeting.)

III. Travel involving an overnight stay, airfare, or travel out-of-state:

A. When attending a course, seminar, or conference outside a 50-mile radius of ______ County or the State of Washington (Washington Administrative Code Part 4- General Administration 50-Mile rule), and the employee is allowed to earn credit hours, employee completes the "Travel/Training Authorization" form by checking the "Travel Authorization for CE Credit" under the "Comments" section. Four (4) signatures are required: employee, supervisor, business manager, director or health.

B. If not earning any credit hours, employee checks "Travel Authorization Only" box under the "Comments" section, and four (4) signatures are required: employee, supervisor, business manager, director or health. (Business Manager signs approval as to the availability of funds in the budget in the "Approvals" box.)

C. After obtaining all appropriate signatures on "Travel/Training Authorization" form, a copy is made for employee, while the original form is attached to a purchase order. After the purchase order is approved, the original "Travel/Training Authorization" form is kept by the accounts payable account technician to be used for processing payment and/or reimbursement of costs.

D. Employee retains copy of completed and approved "Travel/Training Authorization" form for submitting expense claims (if necessary) after completion of travel.

E. If expenses are incurred for other than registration, i.e., travel, parking, food, etc., a "Claim for Expenses" form is required after the travel has taken place. (See procedures for "Claim for Expenses" form)

DOH Home | Access Washington | Privacy Notice | Disclaimer/Copyright Information

Contact Information for the Department of Health

Last Update : 10/07/2004 03:15 PM
Send inquires about DOH and its programs to Local Health Financial Coordinator or
Steve Russman at 360-236-3950
Comments or questions regarding this web site? Send mail to Thu Pham