Travel Reimbursement

VIVA reimburses all members of the VIVA public institutions for travel on VIVA business. Reimbursement for the representatives of the private colleges is provided in the following circumstances:

All travel reimbursement is in accordance with George Mason's interpretation of the Commonwealth's regulations regarding travel.

Mileage Reimbursement

NOTE:

The Virginia personal mileage rate has been increased to $0.585/mile as of July 1, 2008. The fleet rate remains at $0.246/miles. (6/30/08)

The Virginia Office of Fleet Management Services has just announced a statewide agreement with Enterprise Rent-a-Car to provide short term rental cars for all state agencies. This agreement requires significant changes to the Commonwealth’s travel regulations affecting mileage reimbursement for VIVA travel. (5/29/07)

TRAVELERS FROM PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

TRIPS LESS THAN 100 MILES TOTAL PER DAY: For travelers from public institutions, trips of less than 100 miles total per day (averaged over the number of days of the trip) will be reimbursed at the personal rate (currently $0.585/mile) when the traveler uses a personal vehicle.

LONGER TRIPS:  For trips of more than 100 miles total per day (averaged over the trip length), travelers from public institutions will be reimbursed

  • EITHER for the cost of an Enterprise rental vehicle and gas (with receipts)
  • OR for mileage at the fleet rate (currently $0.246/mile.) If an Enterprise vehicle is not available, travel in a personal vehicle will be reimbursed at the personal rate, provided that the correct documentation is submitted with the traveler’s reimbursement request.
When planning travel of more than 100 miles total per day, travelers should take the following steps:
    1. Access the Enterprise Trip Calculator at http://tinyurl.com/2yb2mh. (scroll to the bottom of the page.)
    2. Print the Cost Comparison page (to be attached and submitted with the Travel Reimbursement request.  Travelers who do not attach the Cost Comparison page can only be reimbursed for mileage at the fleet rate.
    3. If the Personal Vehicle cost is within $20 of the cost of the Enterprise Vehicle, travelers may choose to use their own vehicle and will be reimbursed at the personal rate.
    4. If the Personal Vehicle cost is over $20 greater than the cost of the Enterprise Vehicle, travelers should click on “Go to Enterprise” to arrange for a rental car. If the Personal Vehicle cost is more than $20 greater than the cost of an Enterprise vehicle, travelers who choose not to use the rental car option will be reimbursed for mileage at the fleet rate.
    5. From the list of agencies, select “George Mason University.”
    6. On the following page, select “Business Use – All Locations”
    7. Enter the requested information on the reservation form.
      • Please request the smallest vehicle that will accommodate your needs. Most of the time, this should be a compact car. A larger car should be requested only if you are carpooling for the VIVA event.
      • Travelers will be covered under the state’s insurance policy – supplemental insurance is not necessary (and will not be reimbursed).
      • When finalizing the sale, be sure that sales tax is not included.
    8. If an Enterprise vehicle is not available, print the service denial to attach to the Travel Reimbursement Request. If an Enterprise car is not available, travelers may use their own vehicle and will be reimbursed at the personal rate.
    9. When submitting the reimbursement request form , the following must be attached:
      • Printout of the Cost Calculator
      • Service denial, if applicable

Travel Reimbursement requests submitted without the appropriate documentation will be reimbursed for mileage at the fleet rate.

TRAVELERS FROM INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS

Travelers from our independent member institutions are exempt from the requirement to use the Enterprise Vehicle program and will be reimbursed for mileage in a personal vehicle at the personal rate (currently $0.585/mile.)

Travelers with special circumstances should contact the VIVA Office before making travel arrangements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Complete information regarding the new mileage reimbursement policies is available from the GMU Office of Fiscal Services, here: http://fiscal.gmu.edu/Departments/Travel%20Office/2007MileageReimbursmentChanges.pdf

If you have questions about the mileage reimbursement policies, please contact the VIVA Office.

One Day Trips

One day trips only qualify for mileage, parking and tolls. Exception: if you leave home before 6:00 a.m. or arrive home after 8:00 p.m., you may be reimbursed for breakfast or dinner at the per diem rate. Original receipts are required for these meals only if you leave home before 6:00 a.m. or arrive home after 8:00 p.m.

Overnight Trips

Please note that overnight trips must be pre-approved by the VIVA Office. Travelers planning overnight trips should submit a Travel Authorization request prior to travelling. Lodging reimbursements for one-day events are typically only approved when the traveler resides more than a two and a half hour drive from the event venue. If this presents a significant obstacle to your ability to attend an event, please contact the VIVA Office - we will do our best to accomodate travelers as needed.

Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE)

Travelers receive a per diem for meals when traveling overnight based on GMU's M&IE and Lodging Table. The standard in-state M&IE rate is $39. Several locations are identified as having higher M&IE rates. If your travel destination is not listed, use the standard rate.

Partial Per Diems

Partial days, aka travel days, are reimbursed at 75% of a location's per diem meal allowance plus the $3 incidental allowance (see Table 1). Note: The return day allowance is based on the rate at the location where the traveler spent the prior night.

Provided Meals

The per diem amount must be reduced when meals are "free" or covered in conference registration. Note: continental breakfasts or in-flight snacks are not considered official meals.

Table 1
Calculating your per diem
Daily Rate per the M&IE and Lodging Table $39 $44 $49 $54 $59 $64
Breakfast value (deduct if provided) 7 8 9 10 11 12
Lunch value (deduct if provided) 11 12 13 15 16 18
Dinner value (deduct if provided) 18 21 24 26 29 31
Full day meal per diem 36 41 46 51 56 61
Partial day meal per diem (Full day * 75%) 27 31 35 39 42 46
+Incidentals (always add full amount) 3 3 3 3 3 3
Full day per diem 39 44 49 54 59 64
Partial day per diem 30 34 38 42 45 49

Travel Calculator

For your convenience, we have created an Excel worksheet that can be used to calculate per diem and mileage reimbursement.

Lodging

Lodging rates are specified in the M&IE and Lodging Table. Reimbursement will be for the actual cost of the room and cannot exceed established maximums. You must submit the original "zero balance" receipt(s).

  • Note: High cost rates are 50% more than the rates shown in the table, but must be pre-approved through the use of the Travel authorization form. The most common reason for requesting a high cost rate is that the hotel is the conference host.
  • Lodging rates in the M&IE and Lodging Table do not include taxes and surcharges. Lodging taxes and surcharges are reimbursable.

Air/Train Reimbursement

Air or rail travel always require a Travel authorization form. Reimbursement can be handled in the following ways:

  1. The airline tickets can be purchased directly by the VIVA Office.
  2. Travelers can pay the air or rail fare using a personal credit card and be reimbursed.
      Note: travelers must turn in an original ticket receipt (not an electronic ticket) and evidence of payment with your travel voucher if you use your own personal credit card. Please use this option carefully; you will only be reimbursed after your trip regardless of how far in advance you purchased the airline tickets. You also need to show cost comparison information for the airfare.
  3. If your own institution arranges and pays for the travel (airlines, trains, car rentals, etc.), you should submit a request to the VIVA Office for reimbursement immediately following the trip (using an IAT or local billing procedures).

Travel Forms

Reimbursement voucher forms may vary from school to school. Representatives from public institutions may use their school's state form, or may use the forms provided below. Representatives from private institutions should use the forms below.

Please submit all forms to VIVA, Fenwick Library B222, MS 2FL, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444. Please do not send forms directly to the GMU Travel Office.

Requirements

Forms must include the following to assure full and timely reimbursement:
  1. Traveler's institution
  2. Traveler's name and full mailing address
  3. Traveler's Social Security Number or G# (GMU employees)
  4. Personal Vehicle Use: Travelers from public institutions must attach a printout of the Cost Calculator and a denial of service from Enterprise (if applicable).
  5. Traveler's signature and date signed. Note: Since VIVA authorizes all fund expenditures, there is no need to have your supervisor sign.
  6. Date of Trip with time of departure and return.
  7. Reimburseable Miles traveled (for mileage reimbursements)
  8. Auto expense. Rental receipts, gas receipts, and a printout of the Cost Calculator for the Enterprise Vehicle program. Please not that GMU requires original receipts for parking and toll expenses.
  9. Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE). (see Overnight trips for more information)
  10. Lodging: Must be actual costs with original "zero balance" receipts and cannot exceed established maximums.
  11. Purpose of the trip: please identify which VIVA meeting you attended.
  12. Be sure to total columns across and down.
  13. Mail your form with original receipts to:

    VIVA, George Mason University
    MSN 2FL
    Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
    Attn: Liz Wright

The VIVA project appreciates the time and effort of all VIVA participants, and wants to help VIVA travelers receive their rightful reimbursements as expeditiously as possible. If you have any questions about a particular trip, please don't hesitate to contact Liz Wright, Executive Assistant at 703/993-3039.