340.1 Policy 340 Local Agency Travel Reimbursement July 01, 2025 POLICY Local agency staff will follow the appropriate process to be reimbursed for travel to attend state approved trainings, meetings, and conferences. PURPOSE To support local agency staff professional development and ensure local agencies receive the appropriate funds in a timely manner. RELEVANT REGULATIONS DAS Statewide Travel Policy 40.10.00—Oregon Accounting Manual PROCEDURE Mileage Rate

Mileage rates are reviewed annually and set by Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and changes are effective each year on January 1. Refer to DAS Travel Matrix and Information for reimbursement rates and additional details.

Mileage rate is the reimbursement per mile allowed for staff approved to travel in personal or local agency vehicles, to cover gas and vehicle wear and maintenance.

Mileage will be paid for 1 vehicle for every 4 WIC staff traveling on the same day to attend the training or meeting.

Training or meeting site is defined as the location of the training or meeting attended by the staff person, including videoconference reception sites.

Local agencies may request reimbursement for alternative travel (such as air, train, or rental vehicle) rather than mileage. 1.4.1. They must complete the Exemption Request for Travel Expenses form and submit it to their state nutrition consultant at least 4 weeks before the first date of their planned travel. 1.4.2. The completed and approved form must be submitted with the reimbursement request. Meal Per Diem

Meal per diem rates are set by the federal US GSA (General Services Administration) and are effective October 1 each year, in alignment with the beginning of each new federal fiscal year. Meal per diem allowance is a fixed amount of reimbursement for meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), based on location, and rates vary from the “standard” rate to higher rates for high-cost cities/counties.

Local Agency Travel Reimbursement, Continued 340.2

WIC/State of Oregon distributes the daily meal reimbursement at 25% each for breakfast and lunch and 50% for dinner. For example, when the Meals and Incidental (M&IE) Total reimbursement for a travel destination is $66, meals will be reimbursed at $16.50 each for breakfast and lunch and $33 for dinner. 2.1.1. Meals provided as part of a conference registration fee or seminar should be deducted from the reimbursement claim, at the rate of 25% for breakfast and lunch and 50% for dinner. Complimentary meals provided by a hotel/motel do not affect the per diem meal allowance (no need to deduct for hotel/motel meals). Receipts are not required for meals. Overnight and Non-Overnight Travel

Meals claimed during an overnight stay are not taxable.

On the first day of travel, the traveler may be reimbursed for all meals if travel status starts before 6 a.m., or for lunch and dinner if travel begins after 6 a.m.

On the last day of travel, the traveler may claim all meals if travel status ends after 6 p.m., or breakfast and lunch if travel status ends before 6 p.m.

When travel does not include an overnight stay, meals claimed and reimbursed are taxable income to the traveler. The local agency is responsible for reporting taxable meal income.

An example of non-overnight travel may include staff who travel from Salem to Portland for training; the one-way travel distance is 70 miles or less and staff do not incur an overnight stay.

Lunch may not be claimed during travel that is not overnight, however, there are circumstances where breakfast and dinner may be claimed. 4.2.1. If on travel status two hours or more before the beginning of their scheduled work shift, local agency employee may claim 25% of the meal per diem for breakfast. 4.2.2. If the employee is on travel status two hours or more beyond the end of their scheduled work shift, the employee may claim 50% of the meal per diem for dinner. Lodging Per Diem

Reimbursement for hotels can be provided if staff travel more than 70 miles (one way) to attend the training or meeting. Receipts for lodging must be submitted with the request for reimbursement. Travelers are not allowed to collect reward points for state-funded travel.

Lodging per diem rates are set by the federal US GSA and are effective October 1 each year, in alignment with the beginning of each new federal fiscal year.

The amount that can be reimbursed per room varies based on the location of the training or meeting. See the State Travel Matrix and Information document for specifics on rates of reimbursement.

If the event location is in a high cost county, use the high cost lodging rate specified on the federal US GSA chart; if the event is not in a high cost county, use the “standard” lodging rate, set by the federal US GSA.

Local Agency Travel Reimbursement, Continued 340.3

Lodging per diem rates do not include city, state and county taxes, which will be reimbursed in addition to the lodging cost.

If non-commercial lodging (staying overnight with a friend or relative) is used, no receipt is required and $25 per night may be claimed.

If a room is shared with another local agency employee, each traveler is reimbursed the maximum per diem lodging amount, up to each employee’s share of the receipt.

If a room is shared with someone who is not a local agency employee, then the traveler may claim the single room rate, up to the maximum per diem rate allowed. Receipt Requirements, Deadlines and Process

Receipts are required for lodging, car rental, taxis (including Uber, Lyft and other transport), parking fees, air travel, baggage check fees, and other related travel expenses. Receipts are not required for meals.

Eligible travel reimbursements of local agency staff should be submitted to the State WIC Office/Fiscal Analyst within 4 weeks of the last travel date, using the Travel Expense Reimbursement Form.

Reimbursement requests may be denied if they are not received within 60 days of the last day of travel due to federal reporting requirements. 8.1.1. Claims submitted more than 60 days after the last travel date may not be eligible for reimbursement, unless staff provide adequate justification, and the justification is approved by a WIC manager.

The following are examples of eligible travels:

Regularly scheduled meetings (e.g. OWCA)

State sponsored training (TWIST, Breastfeeding, etc.)

Oregon WIC Statewide Meeting

Other conferences or trainings (on a case-by-case basis) upon pre-approval of the State WIC Director, such as approved conference attendance once per biennium Extending travel beyond the scheduled days of the conference, training or meeting is allowed, but cannot result in any increased or additional cost to the state WIC program. Upon receipt of the reimbursement claim at the State WIC Office, the claim will be reviewed and processed by the fiscal analyst. The fiscal analyst obtains written approval from the State WIC Director. Upon WIC Director approval, the fiscal analyst submits the claim electronically to Public Health Office of Financial Services for payment. Travel reimbursements are paid directly to the Local Agency and cannot be reimbursed directly to the individual staff completing the travel. Local agency staff should submit personal travel reimbursement claims to their respective local agency fiscal office following their agency’s procedure. The

Local Agency Travel Reimbursement, Continued 340.4 individual staff claim is reimbursed by the local agency organization at the local agency rates. If WIC/State processes a claim which results in the local agency receiving a higher reimbursement from WIC than the local agency reimbursed to the individual staff, we suggest that the local agency record the excess reimbursement as “Miscellaneous NSA WIC Grant Funds” or in an account with a similar title. Travel expenses are not included in quarterly expenditure reports.

POLICY HISTORY Date * Major Revision, Minor Revision 1/10/2020 Major 7/1/2025 Minor Revision

The date located at the top of the policy is the implementation date unless an “effective date” is noted on the policy. Policies will become compliance findings 6 months from the implementation date. Release notes can be found in the corresponding document on the Policy and Procedure Manual page. *Major Revisions: Significant content changes made to policy. Minor Revisions: Minor edits, grammatical updates, clarifications, and/or formatting changes have occurred. Date of Origin: Date policy was initially released

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