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Alaska Bulletin AK250-8-1Date: October 1, 2007 Subject: FNM – Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Travel Authorizations, Travel and Travel Voucher Guidelines Purpose: To advise all employees of Fiscal Year 2008 Travel Guidance and provide employees procedures, information and guidelines for temporary duty travel and travel vouchers Expiration Date: September 30, 2008 In an effort to eliminate travel voucher errors and to facilitate payment, the following general Travel Authorization/Voucher Procedures, information and guidelines for temporary duty travel are to be followed: In State (Alaska) Blanket Travel Authorizations have been processed for Fiscal Year 2008. In State (Alaska) Blanket Travel Authorizations are for travel within the state only and not to be used for out of state travel. All travel outside the assigned duty station must be pre-approved by supervisor BEFORE going into travel status. Below are the Blanket Authorization numbers for employees. Please pay careful attention as the numbers have changed. If you are unsure of which “group” you are assigned, please be sure to ask your supervisor. BM1602000010 Soils DO NOT USE THE ACCOUNTING CLASSIFICATION CODE INDICATED ON THE AUTHORIZATION. Contact your immediate supervisor, Budget Analyst or Budget Officer for the correct accounting classification code as this will vary with each individual. A government issued travel credit card is required to book all airline tickets and should be used for other government travel related expenses such as lodging and meals. Employees are required to use the Government contractor-issued travel card for all official travel expenses. When the government furnishes meals at nominal or no cost (or meals are included in registration fees or lodging costs), the appropriate amount should be deducted from M&IE. Contact the Budget Analyst for the correct amount to deduct as this will vary between in and out of state travel. Complimentary meals offered by hotels and airlines are not deducted. It remains the employee’s responsibility to ensure a travel authorization is in place prior to travel. Out of State Travel Authorizations must be requested a minimum of one week prior to travel or one week prior to requesting travel arrangements through FedTraveler. A. Procedures for requesting Out of State Travel Authorizations:
Employees are responsible for ascertaining applicable per diem rates for travel locations prior to traveling. Per diem is lodging costs plus a fixed rate for meals and incidental expenses such as tips. The maximum lodging rate is the basic lodging charge before taxes. Employees accompanied by family members sharing the same hotel room are limited to reimbursement for a single room. Itemized statements and credit card receipts are required for lodging and for any expenses over $75. Any receipts under $75, such as parking, taxi cabs, ATM fees, etc. will be accepted as documentation for expenses claimed on the AD-616. A special travel authorization is required to authorize higher lodging rates exceeding the allowable rate. Approval must be obtained in advance and will be on a case-by-case basis. Please submit written requests, justification, and documentation that the traveler has tried at least three other hotels, with a statement of overwhelming need to stay at that particular hotel. The need for “networking” does not constitute an overwhelming need, however, a management conference that has been arranged where lodging must be procured at a prearranged place that ALL participants are REQUIRED to stay there is justification for lodging at a higher rate. Employees are required to use the NRCS contract travel management center FedTraveler (see the FedTraveler website: http://www.fedtraveler.com/) for booking common carrier transportation, hotel accommodations and rental cars except in the following situations:
Promotional items, including frequent flyer miles earned on official travel, may be retained for personal use if such items are obtained under the same conditions offered to the general public at no additional cost to the government. Each traveler is responsible for handling personal frequent flyer mileage accounts. Travelers may not select airlines or other travel services based upon frequent flyer programs or other promotional items. Travelers are still expected to select the method of travel most advantageous to the government. Laundry, cleaning and pressing of clothing may be charged as a reimbursable miscellaneous expense. A minimum of four consecutive nights lodging is required to qualify for reimbursement. Use of Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) must be determined advantageous to the Government and authorized, in writing, by supervisor. Reimbursement for telephone calls of a personal nature are authorized when an employee travels for more than one night, i.e., two or more nights on government business, to the employee’s residence to speak to members of the immediate family. The total amount that may be approved for each travel period cannot exceed an amount equal to $5 multiplied by the number of lodging nights. The $5 phone call is not an automatic entitlement for employees on travel status. Travelers are to be prudent with government funds. Attached are step by step travel voucher processing instructions for completing AD-616 Travel Vouchers. If you have any questions regarding travel, please do not hesitate to telephone Yvonne Magnuson, Budget Analyst, at (907) 761-7745 or email yvonne.magnuson@ak.usda.gov /s/ JULIE A.
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