Travel expenses on temporary duty (TDY) should be at the best value to the Government. The JFTR/JTR provides a guide for contractors, but should be considered as the maximum allowable claim without special approval. Travel Request/Order Form (Pre-approval Process) Pre-approval: Travel must be pre-approved and submitted for authorization prior to actual travel. All travel MUST be pre-approved by the SFPD/Designated Point of Contact and the Regional Program Manager before travel occurs. Travel over $500 must also be approved by the ing Officer Representative (COR) at NGB. Although Leads do not have a signature line in the approval process, they should be cc d on ALL Coordinator travel for visibility, program coordination, coverage and travel budget management purposes. If travel is being approved by a Designated Point of Contact who is not your SFPD, please make sure you have reported to your RAPM and the NGB COR who this person is and their title The pre-approval process may take 2-4 weeks, depending on the current volume of travel requests and the level to which they need to be approved. Authorizations under $500 normally take less time. Employees should make every effort to submit a COMPLETE authorization request as soon as the travel requirement is identified, as incomplete requests add unnecessary delays Complete travel Request will include: o Travel Request Form o Travel Checklist o Mapquest or like analysis of POV mileage, if applicable o Hotel Pre-Authorization Form, if applicable o Event Agenda, if applicable Failure to submit travel requests in a timely manner and in accordance with procedure may result in denial of travel or in disciplinary action. POV Mileage: If travelling on a duty day, the starting and/or ending location(s) for mileage will normally be your duty station, unless your home is closer to the TDY location or transportation start point (e.g., airport). If you are traveling on the weekend or a non-duty day, the starting and/or ending location(s) will be your home of record.
When POV mileage is proposed as the primary mode of travel, the employee must submit with the travel authorization the following: A MapQuest (or like) driving directions query mapping POV mileage to/from physical addresses A cost analysis must be performed comparing alternate travel modes (rental car and flight). This cost analysis must be submitted with your travel authorization and should be included in Section A of the Travel Request. Validation of the most efficient mode of transportation will be done by the RAPM as part of the authorization process. In order to provide the best value to the Government, CYPCs in the same state, traveling to the same TDY location via POV for the same dates must consider car-pooling. To ensure verification of the latest available federal rate for mileage, please see http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/100715?utm_source=ogp&utm_medium=printradio&utm_term=hp_01_requested_povmileage&utm_campaign=shortcuts Air Travel: In order to minimize excessive flight costs, travel requiring airline flights must be APPROVED two weeks prior to travel. In the event that air travel is necessary, travel request documentation must be SUBMITTED NO LATERTHAN four weeks prior to TDY start date. If a travel request MUST be submitted with LESS than 4 weeks notice, justification for short notice must be provided. Authorizing signature will not be provided without adequate justification for delayed submission. If the purchase price of the requested air travel increases by more than $100.00 from the original request, a updated request must be sent to the RAPM and/or NGB COR as applicable for final approval before purchase. While every attempt will be made to accommodate the needs and/or wants of the traveler, the flight which is the best value to the Government will be the priority when booking. If booking your own flight and filing for reimbursement, proof of utilizing the most cost effective method will be required. There may be times when the cost difference between flying or driving, either a POV or rental car, may be minimal. In those cases, please consult with your RAPM as loss of staff time may not be worth the minimal cost saved in mileage vs. flying. Employees should plan to return from the TDY location on the first available flight after completion of event/training requirements in order to minimize hotel and M&E charges to the Government. As a general rule, employees should not stay an additional night if they can reasonably travel home on the last event/training day without missing substantive training and/or risking their safety. TDY may not be extended for personal reasons if this results in additional cost to the Government. Any extension of travel for personal reasons cannot be charged as duty time to the contract, and additional costs (more expensive flight, additional hotel nights, additional perdiem) are at the employee s expense.
Once a travel request including flight is approve, if the employee would like the flight to be paid up front by the Cognitive Credit Card, it is the responsibility of the employee to contact the travel office to make arrangements to have a flight booked. The employee should forward the approved travel request to the travel office (via e-mail, cc ing the appropriate RAPM) requesting a flight is booked on their behalf, with all the necessary details. Once a flight is booked, a confirmation email from the appropriate airline will be sent to the employee confirming their flight date, time and cost. This e-mail should be SAVED as the receipt to be submitted when the trip is vouchered post travel. ALL follow through with the travel office to confirm travel details and confirmations is the responsibility of the employee. If confirmations are not received in a timely manner, it is the responsibility of the employee to follow through to confirm the details of their own travel arrangements or to seek assistance in doing so in a timely manner. Hotel: As a general guide, overnight lodging is authorized for single-day events with POV travel of greater than 150 miles one-way and greater than 6 hours of planned work performance. Overnight lodging for POV travel of less than 150 miles one-way will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be supported with justification from the SFPD, at a minimum. Please consult with your RAPM for guidance and possible exceptions. BEFORE making lodging reservations, please check the maximum allowable lodging rate for your destination. To ensure verification of the latest available federal rate for lodging, please see http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/100120. Any charges that exceed that rate will not be reimbursable to you without pre-approval. If you wish for lodging expenses to be covered by the Cognitive Credit Card, please make your own reservation first and ask the hotel for a Credit Card Authorization Form. Once you have made your reservation, submit the CC Authorization Form with the reservation information (including your name, dates of arrival/departure and confirmation #) along with your signed Travel Authorization Form to the Travel Department at travel@cog-ps.com. Make sure to verify with the hotel that this form has been received and payment information is updated BEFORE you check-in. This is the responsibility of the traveler. Meals & Incidentals Per Diem (M&IE): BEFORE submitting a Travel Request, make sure to check the maximum allowable M&IE for your TDY location at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/100120. The M&IE rate for travel days is 75% and 100% for Duty Days (non-travel). Be sure to adjust M&IE requests should meals be provided during events such as conferences or camps. The M&IE breakdown of daily rates can be found at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101518.
In the case of day travel, where no overnight stay is required, and 12-24 hours of work is performed, 75% M&IE may be claimed IF the traveler was required to travel more than 50 miles, one way, from his/her duty station. If LESS than 50 miles one way is travelled in the course of business, mileage may be claimed, but M&IE may not. Short Distance Travel: Short distance travel will be defined as mileage totaling less than 50 miles round trip. Short Distance Travel will not require a Travel Request, but will require verbal approval from your SFPD/Designated Point of Contact to maintain awareness regarding travel budget spending. Back-to-Back TDY Travel: Employees may have a situation where they travel to a second TDY location directly from the first TDY location, or return home only to begin the next TDY trip on the return day of the first trip. In these situations, the employee may only claim the second travel day on ONE of the TDY trips (the return day for TDY #1 and start day for TDY #2), but may claim 100% M&IE for that day. For example, the employee attends a conference in Washington, DC 3-7 May and must travel to Orlando, FL 7-10 May to support a Youth Camp. In this situation, 7 May is a travel day for both TDY trips, but can only be CLAIMED AS A TDY DAY FOR M&IE for one of these trips. One or both of the Travel Request (depending on the timing of the submission of each) AND the travel voucher must note the back-to-back TDY situation. Travel Cancellations Should you have confirmed airline or hotel reservations associated with a pending approved trip and the trip is subsequently cancelled, it is the express responsibility of the traveler to cancel the hotel and/or flight reservations, whether they were booked on a personal credit card OR on the Cognitive company credit card. Should costs be incurred due to a failure to cancel reservations in a timely fashion, those costs will be the responsibility of the employee. Signatures: ALL forms should be completed electronically and signed digitally when possible; handwritten signatures are permitted as required. Handwritten documents are not acceptable and will delay the travel authorization process. The Travel Request Form requires signatures in the following order: 1) Employee 2) SFPD/Designated Point of Contact 3) RAPM 4) NGB/COR (if travel exceeds $500) Digital signatures are preferred.
Once all signatures are obtained, RAPM will send a signed copy back to the travelling employee, validating authorization for travel. Submitting Documents: All travel forms must be completed and submitted electronically. Handwritten documents are not acceptable and will delay the travel authorization and reimbursement processes. All travel must be submitted on the Travel Request Form and should be saved (along with any necessary supporting documentation) to one PDF document. The most updated version of all travel forms and procedures may be found on the Cognitive CYSS website. Instructions for accessing the website can be found below under the Travel Voucher Section. Use of old or outdated forms will not be accepted. When submitting a request for travel to a conference or training event, please attach flyer/posting for event so that event details, such as negotiated hotel rates, meals provided, stipulated travel days, etc., are readily available. Also attach the conference or event agenda, if available. Multiple travel requests should not be combined in to one document as they cannot be effectively forwarded for authorization. Each Travel Request should be saved and uniquely named such that, when electronically filed, it will be easily found should it become necessary (ie: S.Jones.5.7.12.CPRTrng.Request ). Travel Voucher (Submitting once travel is complete) To begin a new voucher go to the CYSS website http://cyssprogram.com/ and click on the Enter CYSS site button (password is harcyss12). Under Rules and Regulations you will find the Travel Tab and the Travel Claim Form. For each reimbursement request, go to the website for a clean copy of the Travel Request Form. Do not use a previous form and type over due to risk of compromising the formulas. Ensure Verification of the latest available rate for Mileage, Per Diem, and Lodging from the GSA website at http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/100120. The M&IE per diem rate is 75% for Travel Days and 100% for Duty Days (non-travel). This form automatically populates after the per diem rate and number of days of travel is entered. Mileage and mileage rates will also need to be entered on the form. For short travel trips, you may use one form listing multiple trips and mileage associated with those trips. Section 13 of the Travel Voucher should be completed for all TDY that is claimed. The date of departure should be noted (column a), the location of TDY (full address), name of event (column b) and POV miles (column c) traveled on each date to each location during TDY episode. Once travel has been completed, vouchers should be signed and turned in to the RAPM for review and signature within 5 days of return. Vouchers submitted beyond the 5 day return window will require legitimate justification for delayed submission to be processed for payment. Those vouchers submitted
beyond 2 weeks after the completion of travel will risk non-payment of expenses and/or discontinuance of privileges to access to the Cognitive company credit card for PRE-Payment of travel expenses. ALL forms should be completed electronically, to be read and signed digitally. Handwritten documents are not acceptable and will delay the travel reimbursement process. Travel Vouchers should be submitted per episode of travel EXCEPT when claiming mileage only and combining multiple short distance travel trips on one voucher. Travel Voucher packages should be saved and uniquely named such that, when electronically filed, it will be easily found should it become necessary (ie: S.Jones.5.7.12.CPRTrng.Voucher ). Travel Voucher Packages should be submitted with documents in the following order, in ONE PDF, and saved and named as noted above: 1) Travel Voucher 2) Travel Checklist 3) Travel Request/Authorization with required signatures 4) Supporting Documentation and/or Receipts *If travel voucher package is not in this format, it will be returned for further editing. Receipts are required for ALL expenses noted on the Travel Voucher, even if paid by Cognitive. It is the responsibility of the traveler to obtain hotel receipts upon checkout, provide airline confirmation email printouts and rental car receipts for any expenses covered by the Company AmEx to be filed with the appropriate Travel Voucher upon return from travel. Per contract requirements, receipts shall be submitted for ALL expenses claimed by the traveler. The RAPM will submit the completed and signed voucher to CPSI for processing by fax, 703-637-1320, or email at travel@cog-ps.com. Travel will be paid within 21 days of review and approval by CPSI. It will be paid on the 8 th or 23 rd of each month. Reimbursable Expenses: If Airfare, Lodging, Rental Car or any other transportation expenses are paid out of your own personal funds (cash, check, or personal credit card) please make sure that you mark it under the Reimbursable Expense column and include the receipts with the travel voucher. If Airfare, Lodging, Rental Car or any other transportation expenses are paid using the Corporate American Express Credit Card, the charges need to be submitted under the Official Expense column and receipts submitted with your travel voucher. Please include a description of the purchases on the travel form.
Sample Voucher: Please note this is an example of one section of the travel voucher. 14. TRAVEL EXPENSES DATE Jane Doe s Travel Voucher (C&Y Coordinator) NATURE OF EXPENSE (All expenses except those not reimbursable by the government) Payment Method (Cognitive AMX, Cash, or Personal Card) Official Expense (Paid with Company AMX or Company Check) Reimbursable Expense to Employee (Paid Cash or Personal Charge Card) Personal Charges on Company AMX Card 7/1/13 Airline charge (No First Class) Southwest Airlines $249.00 7/1-7/3/13 Lodging (Approval required if above Per Diem rate) Holiday Inn $149.00 7/1/13 Rental Car (No premium cars) Enterprise $72.00 Rental Car Fuel (Separate purchases/not on rental car invoice) Exxon $16.00 Transportation to Airport - Taxi/Bus/etc. Transportation from Airport - Taxi/Bus/etc. MISC - List all Other Charges Below (E.g., Equip handling) individual meals, & other travel costs if Per Diem is not claimed) 7/2/13 Partial Per Diem Breakfast and Lunch Provided 38.00 7/2/13 Toll Charges $5.00 7/1 & 7/3/13 Baggage Fees ($25 both ways) $50.00 List authorized company charges not government reimbursable (Eg. - Customer Meals & Entertainment) NA NA