LAUC-SB Travel Guidelines

Professional development funds can be used for research and creative activities including, but not limited to, professional meetings, conferences, seminars, and workshops. Below are guidelines for travel.

Travel Request Forms | Professional Development Funding Guidelines | Transportation | Travel Insurance

LAUC-SB Travel Request Form

Use the Librarian Request for Leave form (also found on the L-drive under "lauc/travel/"). Save a copy of this form under a different name on your C or M drive.
When traveling, fill in the form, print it, and submit it to your department head or supervisor. The department head will approve the form as appropriate, then forward it to an AUL, who will sign it and send it to RPD. Include the meeting announcement or registration form with your application. Include estimates for any costs for which you will seek reimbursement.
Submit your travel request as soon as you know you will be traveling, preferably four weeks before travel. For insurance purposes, you must submit a travel request form even if you are not seeking reimbursement.
If requesting Administrative Funds, consult with your department head or AUL before submitting a travel form. Administrative Funds are reserved for times when you are the official representative of UCSB, or are attending training mandated for your job. The expectation is that travel on Administrative Funds to one-day meetings will be completed the same day (these are typically UC systemwide meetings held in California). Before making your travel arrangements, check the state rates available at UC Travel Center via the the Connexxus portal. If these rates are lower, please use the Travel Center. Overnight lodging the previous night will not generally be approved. If there are circumstances that require an overnight stay, please state this reason in writing and attach it to your travel request.

LAUC-SB Professional Development Funding Guidelines

Every LIBRARIAN will receive $1,500 for fiscal year 2013-2014 for professional development purposes. This is a combination of the $750 base allocation mandated in the MOU and $750 in additional funds provided by the University Librarian.
Note: For those librarians covered by the MOU, the $750 base allocation is protected. However, in future years the $750 provided by the University Librarian may be adjusted as the budget dictates. Professional development funds for librarians not covered by the MOU are not protected.
There is no more "supplemental" funding. The $1,500 can be spent for any professional development expenses as long as they comply with all UC travel regulations.
Effective April 3, 2013, librarians may use their professional development funds to cover professional membership fees. These fees will be reimbursed with appropriate verification (receipt). Fill out the Request form print it, and submit it with the corresponding receipts to your department head or supervisor.
There is no carry-forward of professional development funds. However, the use of professional development funds alloted in one year may be expended in the next fiscal year if the professional development activity is occuring within the final three (3) weeks of the fiscal year [per policy, reimbursement requests are to be made within three weeks of the activity]. For professional development activities that straddle the fiscal year (as ALA Annual often does), either year's allocation may be used.
All of the $1,500 will be tracked by LAUC-SB RPD.
When all the funds you are qualified to receive have been expended, any further expenses will be out-of-pocket. Librarians who have special professional development expenses exceeding $1,500 should discuss their requests with their supervisor and AUL.
At the end of the fiscal year the unspent base allocation funds of those librarians covered by the MOU may be redistributed by LAUC-SB RPD to other covered librarians for authorized professional development costs.
If travel is covered by the University of California Office of the President, see the UCOP travel page. Expect the reimbursement process to take longer than local reimbursement.
If travel is covered by LAUC, see LAUC Travel and Reimbursement Policy and Procedures.
University employees who travel for professional development or administrative travel are eligible to apply for and use the UCSB U.S. Bank Visa Corporate Card. The cardholder, not the University, is responsible for any balance, and the card is only to be used for University or work-related expenses.

LAUC-SB Professional Development Funds cover:

Registration to conferences and workshops
Transportation
Lodging
Meals and incidental expenses

Reimbursement:

Registration to conferences and workshops
You must attach an original registration receipt when you submit your Domestic Travel Reimbursement Worksheet or Foreign Travel Reimbursement.
Transportation
LAUC-SB base allocation funds cover airfare, bus, train, car, taxi, and parking. E-tickets must be accompanied by documentation showing your name, ticket number, trip date, destinations, total amount, and method of payment.
If you expect to claim reimbursement for ground transportation or parking, put an estimate of these costs on your application and submit receipts when you return. The amount granted for travel is based on the application and will not be increased after travel is completed.
For reimbursement for personal car use, see below.
Lodging
Receipts for lodging must show a zero balance. This is most easily done by officially checking out at the desk. Please be aware that if you use a hotel's "express checkout" your receipt will not show a zero balance. Accounting will not accept this, and you will be required either to call the hotel and request a faxed copy of your hotel bill, or submit your credit card statement. This can significantly delay your reimbursement.
For hotel receipts, travelers should have a hotel receipt in their own name, showing their individual costs for each night. If two people share a room and the total cost of the room per night is $100 and they stay for 4 nights, each traveler should have a receipt indicating a $50 cost per night. It is not acceptable for the receipt to show one guest paying for two nights and the other guest paying the other two nights. It is also not acceptable to have a total bill for $100 for each night.
Lodging with a friend or relative
When a traveler stays with a friend or relative while traveling for professional development or official business for the University, a non-cash gift such as flowers, groceries, or a restaurant meal, may be provided to the host. The actual cost of such a gift may be reimbursed up to $75. You must provide a receipt. Only one gift per stay may be provided to a host.
Meals and incidental expenses
Meals and incidental expenses (defined as expenses including laundry, cleaning and pressing of clothes, and tips and fees for services, e.g., for waiters and baggage handlers) will be reimbursed based on the actual amount spent, up to a maximum daily reimbursement cap of $71 (note that this is not a per diem). Itemized receipts are required for meals. Domestic Travel Reimbursement Worksheet.
Travel of 24 hours of less
When the entire length of a trip is 12 hours or less, meals and incidental expenses will not be reimbursed. An exception may be allowed when a meal is an integral part of a business meeting (e.g., actual luncheon costs at an organized conference or working meals served at a meeting site.) The business purpose of the meal must be explained on the Travel Expense Voucher or substantiated by other documentation (e.g., an agenda), which should be attached to the Voucher.
For a trip that lasts more than 12 hours but less than 24 hours, a daily maximum of $33.00 is allowed.
Personal phone calls may be reimbursed up to $5 per day.
Canceled trips
If you must cancel your travel plans, please contact your booking agent or airline to explain your situation. Many airlines will allow you to cancel for a small fee. If your reason for canceling is due to a personal tragedy or illness, it is possible that the sponsoring organization of the conference will refund your registration money. UCSB does not reimburse its employees for travel expenses if the trip was canceled.
Travel Packages from Online Vendors
In July 2006, Accounting Services and Controls sent out a memo titled Travel Packages Purchased from Online Vendors. The memo included this warning:
"The Office of the President has recently made a determination that travel packages purchased on the internet for University-related business trips would not be allowed for reimbursement to the traveler unless there is sufficient itemized documentation."
You are encouraged to read the memo in its entirety before purchasing travel packages that combine hotel and airfare.

TRANSPORTATION

University or Rental Cars

Costs for renting a University vehicle are charged against your LAUC-SB professional development funds. See current rental rates. If you are requesting a University car, consult with your department head or AUL before prior to submitting a travel request form. Contact Mary Kohler at least a month in advance to reserve a car. Checking "University Vehicle" on the travel request form is not a request for a reservation. You must email Mary Kohler and request the reservation through her. You will know that your reservation has been confirmed when you receive a copy of the "Transportation Service Request." When requesting a university car from M. Kohler, please provide the following information:

Date and time you will pick up the car
Date and time you will return the car
Destination
Number of passengers

It is easier to reserve a car and cancel the reservation than to reserve a car with less than a month's notice.

If you are using a rental car for UCSB business travel, please be aware of the rental car agreements for 6 rental agencies. They all have UC contract rates. You need to use the special phone number and ID number to receive these rates. Consult the list of agencies that have contracts with UC, and the corresponding ID numbers for each campus. If your car reservation is not made through the UC-covered rate phone# or ID#, the rental agency will charge you LIS (supplemental liability insurance) and LDW (Loss Damage Waiver), which is already covered in the UC agreement for all UC campuses. Accounting will not reimburse you for this coverage when the rental car company used by the traveler has a UC rental agreement.

Personal Car

Mileage is reimbursed at a rate of 56.5 cents per mile effective January 1, 2013, as indicated in Business and Finance Bulletin G-28, Policy and Regulations Governing Travel. Gasoline is not a separate expense, and is included in mileage. For officially recognized distances from UCSB, see chart below.

Official Mileage from UCSB (One-Way)

Anaheim	122	Fresno	258	Oakland	339	Sacramento	409	San Luis Obispo	106
Bakersfield	150	Irvine	150	Ontario	140	San Bernadino	149	Santa Cruz	300
Berkeley	355	Long Beach	130	Palm Springs	199	San Diego	220	Santa Maria	74
Bishop	327	Los Angeles	100	Reno	530	San Francisco	339	Santa Rosa	388
Chico	489	Merced	309	Riverside	183	San Jose	293	Ventura	27
Davis	365	Monterey	250

General Travel Information

Expedia- Microsoft Network's travel site
Orbitz- Combined travel site of the world's leading airlines -- please note that not all airlines are represented by Orbitz
Travelocity- Fares, reservations, maps, etc.
Weather Channel- Weather conditions at your destination.

Airlines

Connexxus portal
If you are supported by administive funds or fully funded by your professional development fund, you can take advantage of the State fare and no-penalty cancellation policy through the Connexxus portal. Some airline reservations may be made at the UC Travel Center via the Connexxus portal. You need to set up a profile and register first. See Connexxus: UCSB Travel Program for details. For LAUC funded travel, see LAUC Travel and Reimbursement Policy and Procedures.
American Airlines
America West Airlines
Delta Airlines
Horizon Air
United Airlines
Santa Barbara Airport

Rail Travel

Amtrak

TRAVEL INSURANCE

The University provides travel insurance for employees traveling on official University business, as well as their spouses, domestic partners, and children traveling with them. Coverage is worldwide, 24 hours a day when traveling out-of-state or overseas. In addition to the typical coverages, this policy includes coverage for emergency medical evacuation, out-of-country medical expenses, loss of personal effects, and security extraction. The carrier, ACE USA, is highly rated and provides insurance products and services throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Registration

The new coverage is provided at no cost to University employees. To deliver the services and protections offered by this coverage to the thousands of its employees traveling around the world at any one time, the University needs accurate information about where its employees are. Therefore, the University requires all employees traveling out-of-state or overseas on University business to register their travel plans prior to departure. This includes librarian travel, whether to conferences or for other purposes, and whether funded by administrative, professional development, or other funds.

To register your travel, go to www.uctravel.org and complete the online Business Traveler Insurance form. On the form under "Purpose of Trip," you may check Other when you are traveling to a conference. To submit the form, just click "Save Changes" at the bottom. Then be sure to print or save a copy for your records.

When you register, you will obtain a Confirmation of Coverage card. The Card will facilitate the your ability to obtain services and you should carry it you return from your trip. Upon registration, you will also receive a list of telephone numbers for medical emergency care or travel assistance.

Coverage Benefits

Emergency Medical Evacuation - if you are injured or become ill and cannot be treated locally ACE will provide emergency transportation to the nearest hospital where you can be treated.
Out-of-Country Medical Expenses - if you are overseas and need to be treated because you are sick or injured, this coverage will pay your medical expenses minus a $50 deductible.
Security Extraction - if you are in a dangerous situation outside of your control, ACE will work to get you out of danger.
Travel Assistance Services - if you need to find a hospital, lose your passport, need temporary financial assistance, you can call ACE and they will help.
Loss of Personal Effects

Information

If you have questions or require additional information about the travel insurance, you may contact the campus Risk Management office at 893-2860. See also BUS-74 from UCOP.