GUIDELINES FOR AIHA ASSOCIATION-SPONSORED MEETINGS AND TRAVEL

Transcription

1 GUIDELINES FOR AIHA ASSOCIATION-SPONSORED MEETINGS AND TRAVEL AIHA's travel guidelines are an expression of our mission and corporate culture. AIHA always appreciates it when employers fund volunteer travel, and we encourage you to request funding from your employer. If employer funding is not available, all AIHA volunteers (with the exception of AIHA Board of Directors who are covered by separate policy) who seek reimbursement from AIHA for approved travel to AIHA events (to participate in committee, board, task force or other group functions) or events and meetings of other organizations, are subject to the following guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is to: 1. Ensure AIHA volunteers accomplish their AIHA tasks by putting in place structures and procedures designed to save the volunteer both time and effort; 2. Provide AIHA volunteers convenience while ensuring AIHA s fiscal responsibility; It is the policy of the association that volunteers should not experience either financial hardship or financial gain due to expenses incurred in carrying out volunteer duties. The guidelines below will cover routine situations in which volunteers are reimbursed for expenses. For situations not covered by these guidelines, please see the AIHA Treasurer, your staff contact or applicable Policy Manual section for details. Association Sponsored Meetings AIHce related travel and meetings: Staff will work with volunteer groups to determine what is needed for travel to and meetings held at AIHce. For reimbursements specific to your group meeting, please see the staff liaison or Policy Manual for details. The basic guidelines are as follows: AIHA offers limited funding for travel to meetings that occur during AIHce. Generally, AIHA will only cover costs where you would be required to travel outside of the normal AIHce conference timeline (i.e., meeting is held before or after AIHce) or if you had not planned to attend AIHce. Meals offered during meetings are covered by AIHA. Meals provided will be appropriate to the time of day the meeting is scheduled and proportional to the number of regular members attending the meeting. o If there is a business reason to include other persons (e.g., corresponding members, visitors) in the AIHce meeting, the meal menu may be adjusted to accommodate the additional persons. Staff liaisons will coordinate such meals with the volunteer group chairs. o Alcoholic beverages will not be provided by AIHA at meetings (NOTE: Alcoholic beverages may be provided at AIHA sponsored dinners and receptions if approved through the budget process see your staff liaison or the Policy Manual for details). Social gatherings, informal lunches or dinners not related to specific AIHA business are not funded through budgets or reimbursed by AIHA. Leadership Workshop: Hotel lodging is covered by AIHA for invited attendees at Leadership Workshop; airfare is also covered for one representative of each Volunteer Group and for Local Section Regional Representatives. Other necessary travel expenses (e.g., parking, ground transportation) related to attendance at the Leadership Workshop will also be reimbursed. Generally, this expense is covered under a separate Leadership Workshop budget and there is no need for a volunteer group to request separate funding for travel to the Leadership Workshop. Please contact your staff liaison or see the Policy Manual if you have questions.

2 General, Administrative and Project Team Meetings Virtual Meetings: With the exception of AIHce meetings and regular Board meetings, the Board and all other AIHA volunteer groups are encouraged to hold virtual meetings (conference calls, e-meetings, online collaboration). The AIHA staff liaison will coordinate the setup of the virtual meeting for you. Face-to-Face Meetings: We recognize that there are times when face-to-face meetings are necessary. Requests (with clear justification) for face-to-face meetings are to be submitted to and approved through the annual budget request process. If the need for a face-to-face meeting develops after the budget has been approved, the request (with clear justification) is to be submitted to the board coordinator for review and approval and then to the AIHA Treasurer for final approval. Staff liaisons can assist volunteer group leaders in developing the appropriate costs and budget requests. Budget requests for meetings need to include all costs meeting room space rental, audiovisual costs, provided meals, etc. If staff, guest volunteers and/or outside consultant will be attending the meeting, their cost for travel must be included in the justification and cost computation. Approved face-to-face meetings are to take place at the AIHA headquarters unless it can be demonstrated that it is more cost effective to hold the meeting elsewhere. It is AIHA policy that a staff person be present at all volunteer group meetings, either in person or via teleconference. If a meeting cannot be held at AIHA headquarters, the meeting should be held in cost effective locations convenient to a majority of participants as approved by the AIHA Treasurer. The volunteer group may find it useful to arrange meetings in conjunction with other association meetings or conferences that are related to or cosponsored by the group, or have a large number of volunteer members attending. FOR ALL AIHA-SPONSORED MEETINGS, THE STAFF LIAISON AND AIHA MEETINGS DEPARTMENT WILL COORDINATE THE MEETING LOGISTICS (INCLUDING MEETING LOCATION SELECTION). No volunteer is authorized to commit AIHA to any lodging, meeting space, or food service arrangement. The volunteer group chair should contact the staff liaison no less than eight weeks, but preferably 12 weeks, prior to the meeting date to make the necessary arrangements. Whenever possible, we urge you to request your employer to fund member travel to volunteer group meetings. If funding is not available from your employer, AIHA may reimburse volunteers for travel to non-aihce related meetings, assuming AIHA financial resources permit such support and the budget request has been approved. If in doubt, check first with the staff liaison prior to your travel. If members are traveling at AIHA s expense and choose to stay an extra day to take advantage of reduced fares, AIHA will reimburse the volunteer the extra cost of room and food, provided it is less than the airfare savings. (Expense savings should be clearly documented on the expense report.) Other Volunteer Travel: Other volunteer-related travel may be funded as appropriate. Funding requests for volunteer travel must be reasonable, fully justified and included in the annual budget request form, following the Policy Manual and AIHA guidelines. Reimbursement Guidelines: AIHA reimburses volunteers traveling on behalf of the Association based on rates and formulas used to cover all prudent expenses incurred in support to the Association. Many of the rates and formulas are dictated by Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations ( ) that require a traveler to record as taxable income the dollar amounts received above certain levels or not supported by appropriate receipts. AIHA s goal is to shield you from any taxable income by reimbursing you for actual expenses using approved IRS rates and formulas and your provision of receipts. The AIHA Expense Report form, available on AIHA s web site, lists at the bottom of the form the details that you need to document your expenses. Your staff liaison will provide any additional guidance in advance of the meeting so that you can plan your travel and other requirements well in advance. You are encouraged to review these and all related guidelines (available on prior to initiating meeting planning. Reimbursement requests should be submitted within 45 days of the date of travel. If not submitted within 45 days, your reimbursement request may be denied. When you have questions, please inquire as soon as possible with your staff liaison.

3 Travel Reimbursement Policy: AIHA travelers MUST use AIHA's travel partner, Maupin Travel, when making/securing travel arrangements. Although individual ticket prices may at times appear higher than those on some alternative travel websites, Maupin provides a means to track volunteer travel costs, an opportunity to control ticket prices for volunteers who have special travel needs, and an opportunity for AIHA to earn free tickets to help offset higher fares to long distance locations. However we recognize that there are times when you may have special travel needs (your company is reimbursing part or you are traveling with a family member) or it is significantly more cost effective (over $250 savings) to use an alternative travel booking system. In these situations, prior approval by the AIHA Treasurer must be obtained. Maupin Travel can be reached through several means of communication: Volunteers who anticipate repeated travel on behalf of AIHA are requested to use the online services ( or ) for making travel arrangements. (For AIHA authorized/paid volunteer travelers, please use If you are not sure if you qualify as an AIHA authorized/paid volunteer traveler, please contact your staff liaison).there is a significant fee difference between using the online service and booking through a Maupin representative by telephone or fax. However, if you will only be traveling on behalf of AIHA one or two times or if you have special travel needs, you may call MAUPIN TRAVEL directly. MAUPIN TRAVEL representatives are trained to help you attain the best travel arrangements and still follow the parameters set forth as part of these travel guidelines. It is their responsibility to assist you in securing the most cost efficient travel itinerary based on your travel needs. You will be informed if your travel plans fall outside of these guidelines, at which time approval by the AIHA Treasurer for domestic travel and President for international travel will be necessary to book your arrangements. First time AIHA travelers who use the online booking service will need to register with MAUPIN TRAVEL ( prior to making travel arrangements. Once you register (or log on for return users), you will be able to start using the travel services. Your information will remain strictly confidential and will only be used to build your travel profile in MAUPIN TRAVEL's computer system. Telephone: MichelleStewart@maupintravel.com Fax: When possible, please use the hotel shuttle to/from the airport and to/from the hotel (Many hotels across the country offer this as a complimentary service) or ride share in taxis with other AIHA volunteers. You may also find it convenient and more cost effective to use the local public transportation system (e.g., light rail, subway, trolley or bus). Please obtain receipts for all travel expenses over $25, including taxi or shuttle fares, and submit original receipts with your travel reimbursement claim. You can add a reasonable tip to the fare that is reported. Local shuttle drivers should also be tipped. Air Travel: a. In order to take advantage of the advance-purchase or capacity-controlled fares, AIHA travelers must make their arrangements, when possible, a minimum of 21 days prior to the date of travel. Reimbursement for flights booked less than 21 days prior to date of travel may be limited to cost of 21-day-prior fare if the cost is significantly higher than the cost if booked 21 days prior. b. We ask you to use, where possible, MAUPIN TRAVEL. However, in the event that the fares offered through other carriers, outside of MAUPIN TRAVEL, are more than $250 lower, AIHA travelers can request approval from the AIHA Treasurer to book on those carriers accordingly. For those who would like to fly on Southwest, MAUPIN TRAVEL provides a hot link to Southwest s web site at the top of the page under the Travel Planner tab. Once you find a flight on Southwest s site you would like to book, you then call MAUPIN TRAVEL and they will book the flight for you. c. Coach/economy is the required class of service for all AIHA related travel. AIHA travelers may request the option of using business class travel on international flights when attending events as an AIHA representative, if the flying time is over eight (8) consecutive hours for a single segment or over twelve hours flying time where a layover is required, subject to approval by the AIHA President and Treasurer. Travelers must receive approval for business class travel before booking their flight. Before booking business class on international flights, AIHA may ask the traveler to use miles and/or miles plus a fee to upgrade their ticket, the latter expense of which AIHA will reimburse. d. MAUPIN TRAVEL representatives will seek the lowest fare available within time periods surrounding the requested departure/arrival times and length of stay. When a stay over a Saturday night would result in an overall

4 lower cost (airfare & hotel fees combined), AIHA travelers are encouraged to consider such. d. To ensure lowest possible fares, travelers should purchase penalty and nonrefundable fares ONLY. In the event a traveler wishes to purchase a refundable fare, AIHA Treasurer approval is required prior to ticketing. e. AIHA travelers are allowed to take direct flights unless the cost savings to take a connecting flight is $250 or more. f. Travelers are allowed to use preferred departing city airports. With new airline charges taking effect, we encourage you to take advantage of carry-on luggage where possible. If you need to check baggage, AIHA will cover the cost of the first checked bag. The cost for any additional checked bags will be the responsibility of the traveler. AIHA will not cover the additional cost for preferred seat selection (aisle or window). Any additional fees for seat selection are the responsibility of the traveler. g. To prevent loss of tickets and save on processing and postage costs, AIHA travelers are required to travel on electronic tickets where applicable. In the event a traveler has need for a paper ticket, MAUPIN TRAVEL will provide the traveler with the paper ticket. However, in the event the ticket is misplaced by the traveler, the paper ticket will have to be replaced at the traveler's expense. AIHA reserves the right to require any AIHA traveler to travel on an earned or consolidator-priced ticket, in the event that the total ticket price exceeds $800. Earned/consolidator tickets offer the same travel options to AIHA travelers, however, travelers will not receive frequent flyer mileage for trips taken on an earned/consolidator ticket. Bus/Train Travel: a. AIHA travelers must make their bus/train arrangements, when possible, a minimum of21 daysprior to the date of travel in order to take advantage of cost-saver fares. For travel on AMTRAK, you can call MAUPIN TRAVEL and they will make the reservations for you. b. In the event train/bus fares are $250 more than an airline fare, Treasurer approval is required. Car Travel: a. Those travelers wishing to travel by personal car will be reimbursed for all expenses (tolls, parking, mileage at the current reimbursement rate) UP TO the total cost for air travel to the same location (including airline fare, airport parking, and transportation to/from the hotel). b. Car rentals will only be authorized for trips when readily accessible transportation is required to get to and from AIHA events that are more than 30 miles from your hotel, airport or train station, or the cost of the rental plus hotel parking is lower than the cost of taxi or shuttle services. Otherwise, taxi or hotel shuttle services must be used. c. AIHA s has special discounted rates through MAUPIN TRAVEL. In most cases, MAUPIN TRAVEL will offer the lowest fare based on our negotiated rates. However, in the event that the car rental rate offered through other car rental companies is $15/day cheaper, AIHA travelers are encouraged to use the services of those car rental companies. d. AIHA travelers will be reimbursed for intermediate-sized cars only. This class of service allows reasonable comfort at the most practical cost and best safety rating. e. AIHA travelers are requested to re-fill the gas tank whenever possible in order to avoid costly re-fueling expenses charged by the car rental company. AIHA will reimburse travelers for the cost of fuel. f. To avoid a costly one-way drop off charge, AIHA travelers are requested to drop off rental cars at the same location where the car was picked up. g. If your personal or business insurance or credit card does not/will not cover car rental (please check with your insurance representative or credit card company), AIHA will cover the cost of car rental insurance for Collision Damage Waiver and Loss Damage Waiver. h. You are responsible for any traffic, toll or parking violations. Hotel Charges: Generally, the Merrifield Dunn Loring Courtyard Marriott, Hyatt Mosiac and the Fairview Park Marriott are the hotels used for official AIHA business in the vicinity of AIHA s Falls Church VA offices. The Courtyard Marriott is directly across the street from the Dunn Loring Metro. The Fairview Park Marriott hotel is attached to AIHA headquarters and offers shuttle service from the Dunn Loring Metro Station. When attending

5 meetings at AIHA headquarters in Falls Church, your room fees and taxes may be paid centrally by the Association. If that is the case, you will be notified in advance by your staff liaison. We have special negotiated room rates when staying at either hotel. You may book your reservations either online at or by calling the hotel directly. If booking online, enter A5Z as the corporate code. If calling the hotel directly, ask for the AIHA or American Industrial Hygiene Association corporate rate. You are responsible for paying other incidental expenses, and as appropriate, noting them on your expense reimbursement forms. Meals charged to your room may be reported in the appropriate section of the reimbursement form. The Association will reimburse you for an occasional telephone call to your home or office (You are encouraged to use calling cards or cell phones where available, to avoid higher hotel phone usage fees). Appropriate tips for baggage handling and housekeeping staff will be reimbursed. In-room movies or courtesy bar expenses will not be reimbursed. If you have any questions, please ask your staff liaison. Please attach your original hotel bill to your expense reimbursement form. Meal Reimbursement (this is not a per diem): AIHA will provide meals or will reimburse you for meals when traveling in an official capacity for the Association. Unless otherwise provided in the Policy Manual, reimbursement is limited to $65 per day with receipts, less reductions for meals provided by the Association. Specific rates follow: For travel to all locations: 1. Without substantiation (no receipts)... $55.00 per day 2. With substantiation (receipts) $65.00 per day 3. Appropriate reductions made for meals provided by AIHA* *Reductions will be made as follows: Breakfast provided $10.00 per day Lunch provided.. $15.00 per day Dinner provided..$30.00 per day Reasonable purchase of alcoholic beverages may be included as part of your meal charges and would be considered part of the total allowable reimbursement within the guidelines above. For meetings at AIHA headquarters, your staff liaison will provide you with information on what meals will be provided onsite as part of the meeting. If you plan to miss one or more of those meals, please let AIHA staff know as soon as possible so proper adjustments can be made to the order. NOTE: Per day reimbursement rates may be adjusted for travel to more expensive cities. Your staff liaison contact will notify you if adjustments have been made. Expense Reimbursement Forms Please complete the Travel Expense Reimbursement Request form, found on as soon as possible and forward original with receipts to your staff liaison for initial review. Be sure to include all applicable original receipts to substantiate expense claims, as required by the IRS. The staff liaison will then forward an electronic copy to the appropriate reviewer for approval. The authorized reviewer will send notification of approval to your staff liaison, who will then forward the expense reimbursement request to the Accounting department for processing. Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 45 days of the date of travel. If not submitted within 45 days, your reimbursement request may be denied. AIHA s goal is to process expense reimbursement forms within five business days of their arrival in the Accounting department. However, lack of appropriate supporting documentation may delay the processing of your request until such support is provided. If you have a question regarding the status of your payment or a specific expense item, please contact your staff liaison. In addition to reimbursement, we use this form to charge expenses to programs/activities to track spending against approved budgets. Thus it is very important that you process your reimbursement request as soon as is practical. Summary AIHA s overall goal is to make your travel experience as efficient and effortless as possible, while ensuring that you are reimbursed for your travel in an accurate and prompt manner. We hope these guidelines, together with the information provided in advance of your meeting by your staff liaison and the information included at the bottom of the Travel Expense Reimbursement Request, will help us meet or exceed that goal. Please ask questions and provide suggestions! And thanks for all that you do in support of the profession and the Association.