It Is the Policy of Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District (TVHD) to Reimburse Employees

POLICY

It is the policy of Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District (TVHD) to reimburse employees who incur expenses associated with seminars, conferences, training programs and other TVHD business, provided such expenses are approved by Administration in advance. Generally, travel to meet continuing education requirements or to attend meetings will not be approved during an employee’s probationary employment (usually the first three to six months of employment). Exceptions must be approved by the Chief Executive Officer.

PROCEDURE

1. Employee requests travel using,Travel Authorization Form.
2. Supervisor recommends approval or denies request
3. If recommending approval, supervisor forwards “up the chain”.
4. Executive Staff may approve In-State Travel.
5. CEO must approve Out-of-State Travel.
6. Board of Directors must approval International Travel.
7. Upon returning, employee must file, Travel Expense Voucher within two weeks.

LOCAL AREA TRAVEL

Employees should use District vehicles for local area travel whenever possible. When District vehicles are not available, employees may be reimbursed for local area travel without requiring preauthorization on the TVHD Travel Request Form so long as the Travel Expense Voucher is clearly marked “Local Area Travel.”

REIMBURSABLE EVENTS

1. Seminar, conference and meetings, if the program content is directly related to the employee's work and such event(s) is preapproved by the Department Manager/Director and Chief Executive Officer.

1. Business directly related to the employee's work, such as marketing a new service, attending a trade exhibition, recruiting fair or speaking engagement. The nature of such business must be approved by Chief Executive Officer.

1. Training programs and meetings where continuing education hours/credits/units are earned towards credentialing or re-credentialing in a professional association or licensing organization requires such attendance by the employee to be so licensed or credentialed. Such trips are limited to one per year for each license and/or credential held by the employee.

REIMBURSED EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH PREAPPROVED EVENTS:

1. Personal Auto: If traveling by car, the owner (if employed by Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District) will receive mileage reimbursement for travel directly to and from the event site. Mileage will be from usual workplace (Hospital or Clinic) to the event or from home to event if shorter distance. The amount of reimbursement will equal the amount allowable by the IRS.

All employees utilizing personal automobiles for TVHD business are required to follow ALL State of California automobile laws and regulations. This includes, but not limited to, laws of the California Vehicular Code, use of mobile devices while driving, insurance coverage, etc. Additionally, employees are required to have valid proof of insurance when using personal autos for TVHD business and may be required to show proof of insurance to TVHD administration upon request.

1. Auto Travel: Car Rental
   Employees may rent a car to get to their destination when driving is more cost effective than airline or rail travel. Employees may rent a car at their destination when it is less expensive than other transportation modes such as taxis, airport limousines and airport shuttles or when entertaining customers. Whenever multiple employees are traveling together, every effort to rideshare or carpool must be made.

Employees must reserve a car in the compact rental car category. When picking up a rental car, check with the rental car agent for any promotional rates, last-minutes specials or free upgrades. At the time of rental, inspect the car and be sure that any damage found is noted on the contract before the vehicle is accepted. When plans change, employees are responsible to cancel rental car reservations.

Employees may book a car rental class of service one level higher when:

• The traveler can be upgraded at no extra cost
• Two or more company employees are traveling together
• Entertaining customers
• Cars in the authorized category are not available
• Transporting excess baggage such as booth displays.

Domestic travelers should always accept the collision insurance offered by rental agencies but should decline all other offered insurances. International travelers should accept all insurances offered. Additionally, whenever possible, the prepaid gas option should be declined.

Should a rental car accident occur, employees should immediately contact the rental Car Company, local authorities (as required), and the TVHD Human Resources Department.

1. Temporary Surface Transportation: Taxi and airport limousine service may be reimbursable if proven to be the most convenient and/or economical mode of temporary surface transportation available. Employees are expected to use hotel bus or limousine service, if possible, since such transportation is usually much less expensive than a taxi.

1. Commercial Aircraft: Employees opting to travel by aircraft will be reimbursed the lessor of the aircraft expense or the equivalent of mileage reimbursement. However, the Chief Executive Officer will have the discretion to require travel by aircraft if doing so is deemed most time efficient. Employees required to travel by air will be reimbursed for the most economic rate; usually tourist/economy. In the event an employee cannot fit between the armrests of a coach/tourist/economy ticket and is required by the airlines to occupy two seats the second seat will also be reimbursable.

1. Airport and Train Station Parking: When parking at an airport or train station is part of business travel, it is expected that employees will utilize Long Term parking lots. Short Term parking fees will not be reimbursed.

1. Out of State Travel: Out-of-State Travel must be preapproved by the immediate supervisor, senior administrator, and the CEO.

1. International Travel: International Travel will generally NOT be authorized. In the rare event that such travel is requested, it must be preapproved by the immediate supervisor, senior administrator, the CEO and the TVHD Board of Directors. The Travel Request Form must include a separate letter, explaining why the international travel is being requested, why is considered appropriate, and how it will benefit the District.

TELEPHONE EXPENSES:

1. Business Phone Calls: Employees will be reimbursed when using their

personal cellular telephone, calling cards or home phone for business related phone calls:

• Which are reasonable and necessary for conducting business
• With an original copy of the bill attached to the expense report form.

1. Personal Phone Calls While Traveling: Employees will be reimbursed for personal telephone calls while traveling on business:

• Not to exceed $20.00/day

In all cases, employees are responsible for securing and utilizing the most reasonable long-distance calling option available.

MEALS:

Meals may be reimbursed for preapproved events if the employee travels directly from home to the event and travels home directly after the event. Meals may be reimbursed for actual expenses up to a maximum ofbreakfast $20, lunch $30, and dinner $50.

For seminars which do not last at least an entire day, current IRS guidelines will be used to determine allowable meal reimbursement.

Reimbursement for consumed food and beverage will only be made for the attending employee. Alcoholic beverages are non-reimbursable.

LODGING:

Motel and/or hotel room charges may be reimbursed if attending the event causes the attending employee to be out of town, and returning home directly after the event is deemed unreasonable by the CEO. Lodging is reimbursed for single rooms, normally at the host site of the seminar.

MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES-REIMBURSEMENT

All individual expenses exceeding $5.00 must be accompanied by an invoice or receipt. Business expenses, business telephone calls, and one personal telephone call will be reimbursed. Civil fines and parking violations are examples of expenses which will not be reimbursed under any circumstances. Other examples of expenses which will not be reimbursed include, but are not limited to: towing, laundry/dry cleaning, personal services, any expenses incurred by any person other than the attending employee, any nonreceipted expenditures more than $5.00, personal amusements, gifts and/or donations, unauthorized trips and/or rental not approved in advance.

Actual mileage will be reimbursed only when starting and ending actual mileage are recorded and reported, otherwise mileage will be calculated using Google Maps, MapQuest or other “official” mileage calculations. A mileage map to and from the event, i.e. MapQuest-type document, should be attached to the Travel Expense Voucherif odometer readings are not recorded and reported.

Entertainment Expenses: Entertaining Customers

Entertainment expenses include events such as nightclubs, theater and sporting events, whereby a business discussion takes place during, immediately before, or immediately after the event.

Approval for reimbursement of entertainment expenses can only be granted by the CEO and will only be reimbursed when they were preapproved for a specific purpose of clear business interest to the District. Such approvals are expected to be EXTREMELY rare.

CONTROL

Employees are expected to use prudence, discretion and good judgment when incurring travel and business related expenses. A fraudulent claim for expense reimbursement could result in termination from employment.

Upon return from the event, a Travel Expense Voucher must be submitted with attached receipts to the AccountingOfficewithin two weeks of the completion of the travel. The expense reimbursement check will be issued in the next normal weekly accounts payable cycle. On limited occasions, there may be a travel advance before the trip; however, advances must have the approval of the CEO.

Administration will have the discretion to approve or deny any requests for travel/business expenses. Factors which may cause a denial of expense reimbursement requests include, but are not limited to: Relevance of the event to the employee's position as determined by the Chief Executive Officer; an excessive amount of prior travel/business expenses incurred by the requesting employee as determined by the Chief Executive Officer; lack of Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District benefit to have the requesting employee attend the event as determined by the Chief Executive Officer/Administration; lack of available funds to permit reimbursement for attendance at the event as determined by the Chief Executive Officer.

RESPONSIBILITY

The overall day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the Travel/Business Reimbursement Program lies with the AccountingOffice. Employees requesting travel/business expense reimbursement are responsible for accurately filing the proper forms, securing receipts for expenses incurred, and otherwise following the procedures described.

Additional audits or review of the Travel/Business Reimbursement Program may be performed at the request of the CEO or TVHD BOD.

See forms: Travel Expense Voucher

Travel Authorization Form

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