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APPENDIX E - Article 15 - Expense Allowances

1999-2001 MnSCU - MCCFA Employment Contract

(per the MnSCU Personnel Plan and DOER Managerial Plan)

General. The Appointing Authority may authorize payment of travel and other expenses and reimbursement of special expenses for managers in accord with the provisions of this Chapter, Chapter 8, and Administrative Procedure 4.4 for the effective conduct of the State's business. Such authorization must be granted prior to incurring the actual expenses.

Privately-Owned Vehicles and Aircraft. A manager shall be reimbursed for the use of privately-owned vehicles and aircraft under the situations and at the rates specified below. In all cases, mileage must be on the most direct route according to Department of Transportation records.

Situation	Rate Per Mile 7/1/99-6/30/01
Use of personal automobile when a State-owned vehicle is not available.	Federal IRS mileage reimbursement rate
Use of personal automobile when a State-owned vehicle is available and declined by the manager.	Federal IRS mileage reimbursement rate less $0.07
Use of personal van or van-type vehicle specially equipped with a ramp, lift, or other level-changing device designed to provide wheelchair access.	$0.50
Use of personal aircraft provided that the manager can demonstrate adequate liability coverage under the requirements of M.S. 360.59, subdivision 10, and the Appointing Authority has granted approval for the use of the aircraft.	$0.45
Use of personal motorcycle or similar two-wheel motorized vehicle.	$0.15

In addition to mileage, actual parking fees and toll charges shall be reimbursed. At the sole discretion of the Appointing Authority, managers who normally are not required to travel on state business may be reimbursed for parking at their work location on an incidental basis when they are required to use their personal or a state vehicle for state business and no free parking is provided.

Managers shall not receive mileage reimbursement for commuting between a permanent work location and their home. For each position, the Appointing Authority may designate no more than two permanent work locations, which must be within 35 miles of each other. For purposes of expense reimbursement for trips to temporary work locations, the Appointing Authority shall designate one of the two permanent work locations as the primary location. The Appointing Authority must provide advance written notice of the two locations and the primary location to anyone being appointed to such a position.

When a manager does not report to the permanent work location during the day or makes business calls before or after reporting to the permanent work location, the allowable mileage is: (1) the lesser of the mileage from the manager's residence to the first stop or from his/her permanent work location to the first stop, (2) all mileage between points visited on State business during the day, and (3) the lesser of the mileage from the last stop to the manager's residence or from the last stop to his/her permanent work location.

Managers accepting mobility assignments, as defined in Administrative Procedure 1.1, are not eligible for mileage reimbursement for the trip between their home and the mobility assignment.

Other Travel Expenses. Upon approval of the Appointing Authority, managers in travel status may be reimbursed for expenses described below in the amounts actually incurred not to exceed any maximum amounts specified below.

Where anticipated expenses total at least $50.00, the Appointing Authority shall advance the manager the amount of the anticipated expenses upon the manager's request made a reasonable period of time prior to the travel date. If the amount advanced exceeds the actual expenses, the manager shall return the excess within two weeks of return from travel. The Appointing Authority may issue the manager a state-owned credit card in lieu of a travel advance.

Reimbursable expenses may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Commercial transportation (air, taxi, rental car, etc.) provided that no air transportation shall be by first class unless authorized by an Appointing Authority; and that reimbursement for travel which includes more than one destination visited for State purposes and non-State purposes be in an amount equal to the cost of the air fare only to those destinations visited for State purposes.
• Meals including tax and a reasonable gratuity. Managers shall be reimbursed for meals under the following conditions:

1. Breakfast. Breakfast reimbursements may be claimed if the manager leaves home before 6:00 a.m. or is away from home overnight.
2. Lunch. Lunch reimbursements may be claimed if the manager is in travel status more than 35 miles away from his/her normal office or is away from home overnight.
3. Dinner. Dinner reimbursements may be claimed if the manager cannot return home until after 7:00 p.m. or is away from home overnight.
4. Reimbursement Amount. Except for the metropolitan areas listed below, the maximum reimbursement for meals including tax and gratuity shall be:
   
   

   Breakfast	$ 7.00
   Lunch	9.00
   Dinner	15.00

   For the following metropolitan areas the maximum reimbursement shall be:

   Breakfast	$10.00
   Lunch	12.00
   Dinner	20.00

   The metropolitan areas are:

   Atlanta	Detroit	New York City
   Baltimore	Hartford	Philadelphia
   Boston	Houston	Portland, Oregon
   Chicago	Kansas City	St. Louis
   Cleveland	Los Angeles	San Diego
   Dallas	Miami	San Francisco
   Denver	New Orleans	Seattle
   		Washington D.C.

See Appendix K for details related to the boundaries of the above-mentioned metropolitan areas. The higher meal reimbursement rates also include any location outside the 48 contiguous United States.

Managers who are in travel status for two or more consecutive meals shall be reimbursed for the actual costs of the meals including tax and a reasonable gratuity, up to the combined maximum amount for the reimbursable meals.

• Hotel and motel accommodations provided that managers exercise good judgment in incurring lodging costs and that charges are reasonable and consistent with the facilities available.
• All work-related long distance telephone calls provided that the manager does not have a State telephone credit card or is unable to bill the call to the office telephone number.
• Actual, personal telephone call charges. The maximum reimbursement for each trip shall be the result of multiplying the number of nights away from home by $3.00.
• Reasonable costs of dry cleaning and laundry services, not to exceed $16.00 each week after the first week a manager is in continued travel status.
• Reasonable costs and gratuities for baggage handling.
• Parking fees and toll charges.

Receipts. The Appointing Authority may require receipts for any reimbursement requested by a manager under the provisions of this or any other chapter in this Plan.