ABOUT

The State of Louisiana travel regulations (PPM 49) are located in the annual Louisiana Travel Guide. This guide is updated annually and is located on the Office of State Travel website at https://www.doa.la.gov/doa/ost/. The current Travel Guide is located at https://www.doa.la.gov/media/n10b4oil/ppm49-2022-07-01.pdf.

Instructions for a PPM 49 Phone App are located at https://www.doa.la.gov/doa/ost/ppm-49-travel-guide/mobile-access/.

A Spend Authorization should be processed for employees, students, prospective employees, visitors, and other travelers that are traveling for University business.  The Spend Authorization must be processed and approved prior to incurring any travel expenses and prior to departure.

Workday will prompt the user to enter required information which includes travel dates, name of traveler(s), destination, account to be charged, and estimated charges by expense line item.

Special permissions including rental vehicle, personal vehicle (limited to 99 miles reimbursement except for students), motor pool vehicle use, weekend travel, and 50% overage on lodging should be included in the memo line of the Spend Authorization.

For group travel, a numbered list of travelers or participants must be attached to the Spend Authorization as documentation.

Spend Authorizations should be updated if travelers, dates or account numbers change.

If the Spend Authorization is for international travel, then a memo to be approved by the President should be attached to the Spend Authorization.  The memo should include detailed information on the purpose of the trip, funding source and estimated travel costs.

Spend Authorizations are processed in Workday by logging in to workday.latech.edu.  Workday training information can be found in the Workday classroom in Moodle.

Spend Authorizations can be edited after approval, but any updates to the Spend Authorization must go through the electronic approval chain for additional review and approval.  Approved Spend Authorizations are located in the Expenses Application in Workday. 

Yes, unless the individual requesting reimbursement is not the traveler and is only paying for the traveler’s expenses. Examples of exceptions include an employee paying the expenses of a guest speaker, prospective employee, or athletic student recruit.

All travelers are required to purchase commercial airline tickets through the state contracted travel agency (currently Christopherson Business Travel).  This requirement is mandatory unless approval is granted from the Office of State Travel prior to the purchase of the airfare. See next question for information concerning exceptions.

If a traveler seeks approval to purchase an airfare outside the state contracted travel agency, the request must be submitted prior to purchasing the airfare to the Office of the Comptroller, not directly to Office of State Travel or the Division of Administration. The Office of the Comptroller will review the request and determine whether to recommend approval to the Office of State Travel. The request should be submitted on a memo signed by the employee. Quotes from the state contracted travel agency and the alternative agency (other travel agency or online travel site) must be attached. These quotes must be comparable quotes with same dates and destinations. Any request must result in significant savings to the University or result in better travel times or shortened layovers (usually for international travel).

Travelers are required to purchase the ‘best value” ticket which is usually the lowest logical (nonrefundable) fare. Airfares will not be reimbursed in excess of the lowest logical airfare when it has been determined to be the best value. If there is a likelihood that the itinerary could be changed or be cancelled, the “best value” ticket may be a refundable ticket, due to the costs associated with changing a non-refundable ticket. If a traveler chooses a higher cost ticket due to required travel times or the likelihood of cancellation, the reason should be documented. The Office of the Comptroller is responsible for monitoring airfare costs and may be required to provide a justification for a higher priced fare to the Office of State Travel.

Airfare should not be purchased until after the travel authorization has been approved. Airfare should be purchased at least ten to fourteen days in advance of the travel date when possible to ensure the lowest fares are available.

The cost of a preferred or premium seat is not reimbursable. To avoid these charges or to avoid being bumped, a traveler must check-in as early as possible. A traveler should check­ in online 24 hours prior to a flight or check-in at the airport several hours prior to departure to obtain a seat assignment. Please be aware that it is a strict airline policy that a traveler must check-in, at a minimum, prior to 30 minutes of departure. The airlines are very strict about this policy. Airline rules typically state that if the traveler does not arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, he may forfeit his reservation. The earlier a traveler arrives at the gate increases the chances of retaining the original reservation and assurance of a seat on the flight purchased.

The University will reimburse the traveler for airfare and/or penalties incurred for a change in plans or cancellation when the change or cancellation is required by the University or other unavoidable situations such as weather conditions. Justification for the change or cancellation fee must be attached to the travel expense account. Any penalty resulting from a change or cancellation required by the University must be approved by the traveler’s appropriate supervisor (department head, dean, and or vice president) and the Office of the Comptroller.

The traveler must purchase the airfare with a personal credit/debit card or a University issued travel card (See No. 47). The University’s CBA account may be used to purchase airfare for student group travel or recruiting travel. If the use of the CBA account is requested, contact the Office of the Comptroller prior to the booking of the airfare.

The Office of the Comptroller is required to monitor the unused airfare each month and provide a report to the President for his review. The Office of the Comptroller will notify an employee if an unused ticket is expiring soon. If a traveler has an unused ticket, it is the traveler’s responsibility to determine if he will be utilizing the unused ticket. If it is determined that the ticket will not be utilized prior to expiration and there is a possibility to transfer the ticket, the traveler must immediately advise the Office of the Comptroller that the ticket is available for use by another employee. If the unused ticket is in the name of a non-employee, it is often difficult for the Office of the Comptroller to identify the department that purchased the airfare. Travelers or the employee that arranged the travel for a non-employee are responsible for ensuring that an unused ticket is considered when planning future travel arrangements.

A traveler may drive their personal vehicle for university-related travel; however, the reimbursement is limited to 99 miles per round trip in a personal vehicle. To be reimbursed, an employee or student driver must have completed Driver Safety Training (See Question No. 30).

Effective July 1, 2013, an exemption to the 99 mile limitation has been granted for students only. Students who are traveling on a grant, scholarship, or any other occasion where use of the personal vehicle is the best and/or only method of available may receive actual mileage reimbursement.

Annually, the University requests an exemption to the 99 mile limitation for vehicle travel for prospective employees who are traveling to the University to interview for a faculty or staff position.

An exemption request to the 99 mile reimbursement limitation must be attached to the travel authorization or submitted directly to the Office of the Comptroller for review. This exemption request should include an explanation of the type of travel and the reason that the traveler cannot utilize a state or rental vehicle. The Office of the Comptroller will review the request and submit it to the Commission of Administration for approval. A department is not permitted to directly request an exemption from the Commissioner of Administration.

The mileage allowance is currently mirroring the U.S. General Services Administration rates found on https://www.gsa.gov/travel#tab–pov-mileage.

Mileage is computed by one of the following options:

• Odometer readings included on the travel expense account form, or
• Website mileage calculator. The traveler is required to print the page indicating the mileage calculation and attach it to the travel expense account.

Enterprise, Hertz, and National Car Rental can be used for all rentals initiating in the state of Louisiana. The In-State Vehicle Rental Prices are located on pages 31-33 of the Louisiana Travel Guide. (https://www.doa.la.gov/media/n10b4oil/ppm49-2022-07-01.pdf)

The State of Louisiana’s contracts for out-of-state vehicle rental are mandatory. The contracted vendors are Enterprise, National, and Hertz. One of these three vendors must be used for out-of-state vehicle rentals initiating outside the state of Louisiana. The rental prices for the out-of-state contracted vendors are located on pages 31-33 of the Louisiana Travel Guide. (https://www.doa.la.gov/media/n10b4oil/ppm49-2022-07-01.pdf)

Only compact or intermediate model is reimbursable. (Exceptions: non-availability is documented or vehicle will be used to transport more than 2 travelers on official university business)

Detailed receipts required for gasoline (receipt must state the number of gallons and price per gallon)

Only regular unleaded gasoline or diesel when applicable. If a traveler utilizes anything other than regular unleaded gasoline, unless the vehicle requires diesel or any other manufactory mandated grade, without justification and prior approval, the traveler must reimburse the University the difference between what was paid and the state average gasoline rate.

Pre-paid fuel options are not allowed

Insurance coverage is not reimbursable unless traveling outside the United States. Driver Safety Training is required (See Question No. 30).

All Enterprise vehicle rentals are paid directly by the University. Employees will no longer pay Enterprise when they pick up or return a vehicle. Instead, the University will pay Enterprise using the University’s state liability credit card (CBA). The vehicle rental should be booked on Enterprise’s customized reservation website for Louisiana Tech University: https://legacy.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?bid=028&refId=LOUTECHU.”

The traveler should pay for a Hertz vehicle rental with a personal credit card or a state travel card (if applicable).

If staying at a designated conference hotel or an overflow hotel, the traveler may not rent a rental vehicle unless prior approval is granted. A request for an exception should be included on the travel authorization.

The cost of public ground transportation such as buses, subways, airport shuttle/limousines, and taxis are reimbursable when the expenses are incurred as part of approved state travel. Airport shuttle/limousines, taxis and all other public transportation where a receipt is available, require a receipt for reimbursements. All other forms of public ground transportation, where a receipt is not possible and other than those listed above, are limited to $10 per day without a receipt; claims in excess of $10 per day require a receipt.

If utilizing Uber or Lyft type services, only a standard size vehicle is reimbursable with an itemized receipt. Premium or larger vehicle sizes are not reimbursable.  Any additional charges other than standard fare rates are not reimbursable (i.e. wait time fees).  Travelers should utilize the most economic ground transportation without occurring additional markup fees.

A driver’s tip for shuttle/limousines and taxis may be given and must not exceed 20% of total charge. The amount of tip must be included on receipt received from driver/company.

When travelers utilize a free shuttle service, a $5.00 tip may be allowed. This is not an automatic tip reimbursement, as travelers must show proof that the service was utilized.

All employees and students must have completed the Driver Safety Training Program to be reimbursed for any vehicle-related expenses (personally-owned, state-owned, or rental vehicles). Information regarding this requirement is located on the Office of Environmental Health and Safety’s webpage.

The lists of faculty/staff and student certified drivers are located on the Office of Environmental Health and Safety’s webpage.

All non-official state employees riding in a vehicle owned or rented by the University must sign an Acknowledgement of Non-State Employees Utilizing State Vehicles form. This form replaces the Hold Harmless Agreement. This form is located on the Office of State Travel Website at https://www.doa.la.gov/media/jcfji2il/nse-acknowledgement.pdf or accessed through links on the webpages of the Office of the Comptroller and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

The State of Louisiana has contracted for hotel services with HotelPlanner. The HotelPlanner portal may be accessed at https://louisiana.hotelplanner.com/index.cfm. The use of HotelPlanner is optional.

Routine lodging (all lodging except conference lodging) will be reimbursed at the allowable tier rate, plus tax and any mandatory surcharge. An itemized hotel receipt is required for reimbursement.  For travel prior to 10/1/22, the allowances for each tier are located on pages 25 and 26 of the Louisiana Travel Guide.  For travel occurring on or after 10/1/22 the state is adopting the federal GSA rates for lodging.  All rates can be found through https://www.doa.la.gov/doa/ost/ppm-49-travel-guide/

On a case-by-case basis, the University has the authority to reimburse routine lodging at up to 50% over the allowable tier rate. To request an exception to the allowance, the following information must be provided:

• Include a request for 50% overage on the travel authorization (See Question No. 5) and
• Include the following statement in the remarks section of the travel expense account: “I made a reasonable attempt to secure the state/best rate in obtaining lodging in compliance with PPM 49 Section 1506. B. 1.” The traveler should maintain documentation in their files that an attempt was made to receive the best rate.

Conference lodging is defined as lodging at a conference designated hotel(s) at the published conference rate. Documentation that the hotel is the conference hotel is required (conference brochure, email, conference agenda, or equivalent required) and must be attached to the traveler’s travel expense account.  Training courses which are several days and have a designated hotel and rate, can be considered a “conference hotel” and the designated rate can be allowed.

The traveler may be reimbursed the actual lodging rate, plus tax and any other mandatory surcharge when staying at the designated conference hotel. If there are multiple designated conference hotels, the conference hotel with the lowest rate should be used, if available. Documentation that the hotel is the conference hotel is required (conference brochure, email, conference agenda, or equivalent required) and must be attached to the traveler’s travel expense account. An itemized hotel receipt is required for reimbursement. Resort fees are not allowable unless attending a conference (staying in a conference-designated hotel) and/or if a traveler is staying in a city that all hotels are charging a resort fee.

In the event the designated conference hotel(s) have no room availability, travelers may be reimbursed the actual cost, not to exceed the conference lodging rate, for other hotels located in the immediate vicinity of the conference hotel. Documentation of “no availability” is required. This documentation may include an email from the conference or the hotel or a printout from the online hotel reservation system stating that no rooms are available.

When traveling in the state of Louisiana, the traveler should always attempt to use a tax exempt form for their hotel lodging. The signed hotel tax exemption form is located on the University’s website.

For travel prior to 10/1/22, meals will be reimbursed at the allowable tier rates located on pages 25 and 26 of the Louisiana Travel Guide. Times of departure and return determine the traveler’s meal eligibility. These times are located on page 23 of the Louisiana Travel Guide.  For travel occurring on or after 10/1/22 the state is adopting the federal GSA rates for per diem.  All rates can be found through https://www.doa.la.gov/doa/ost/ppm-49-travel-guide/.”

Receipts are not required for reimbursement of the routine meal allowance. However, travelers attending a conference are required to provide a conference agenda that indicates meals provided by the conference (See Question No. 43).

No, meals are not eligible for reimbursement for single day travel and Louisiana Tech University does not grant exceptions to this regulation. This means that a traveler will not be reimbursed for meals when there is no overnight stay.

The Office of the Comptroller staff reviews the contents of the agenda to determine the name of the “official hotel” of the conference and to verify that the hotel used by the traveler was the conference hotel. The conference agenda is also used to determine which meals were included in the conference registration fee. If a meal is included as part of the conference, the traveler cannot receive additional reimbursement for that meal.

All recruits, game officials, and guest speakers traveling to Ruston, should be considered In-State Travel because the expenses happen in Ruston.

Yes, for example, if the travel expense account includes a claim for a meal for 21 people and there are 20 people plus the bus driver numbered on your roster, this additional information speeds up the review process for the Office of the Comptroller.

GSA rates are determined by the county or parish in which a city/suburb are located.

The University participates in the State of Louisiana State Liability Travel Card Program. The State Liability Travel Card (“Travel Card”) is a VISA account issued by the Bank of America for the State of Louisiana. The Travel Card may be used by Louisiana Tech University employees to purchase specific, high-cost travel expenses, incurred during travel for official state business. Cards will be distributed only to frequent travelers based on the request of their Dean or Vice President.

Additional information regarding the card program is located on the Office of Comptroller website. This information is also included in the University’s online policies and procedures (Policy 5410).

The state travel regulations apply to reimbursement from all university accounts including operating, grant, gift, auxiliary, student-fee funded accounts, and endowed chairs and professorships funds.

The state travel regulations apply to routine and conference travel for athletics personnel. Athletic team travel and recruiting travel for prospective athletes must comply with the separate University of Louisiana System Athletic Travel Policy. Athletic personnel should contact the Athletic Business Office for a copy of this policy.

Yes, prepaid expenses may be reimbursed on a travel expense account prior to travel. Allowable prepaid expenses include airfare, conference registration, and prepaid lodging (if required by hotel and an itemized invoice is available). Other expenses should be submitted for reimbursement after the travel has occurred.

An expense report should be submitted immediately upon return from the travel. Travel reimbursements must be requested and recorded during the fiscal year the travel occurred. The Office of the Comptroller may deny requests for travel expenses incurred during a previous fiscal year.

Depending on the approvals required by a college/division and University Research (for grant accounts), it may be several days before an expense report can be reviewed by Comptroller’s Office.  Reimbursements can be made either through direct deposit or by check, and they are typically issued between eight to ten working days after the expense report is received for review.  Delays can result from incomplete documentation, failure to respond promptly to a request from the Office of the Comptroller, and during peak reimbursement request times such as December and June.

Approval of the Spend Authorization indicates that the permission to travel has been granted by the appropriate departments and that there are available funds for the account indicated on the Spend Authorization. However, all reimbursements must be in compliance with the State of Louisiana travel regulations (PPM 49) (See Question No. 1). There are many reasons that an expense report reimbursement may be reduced. The most common reasons for the deductions include the booking of an airfare outside the contracted travel agency; non-compliance with the Driver Safety Program; lodging over the allowed rates; unallowable meals claimed; mileage over 99 miles in a personal vehicle; total cost exceeding departmental limitation on Spend Authorization; missing itemized receipts for lodging, vehicle rental, and gasoline; and failure to submit a conference agenda.

Items prohibited on aircraft are listed on these web sites: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/prohibited-items and https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/#tabs.  These prohibited items include aerosol (except for personal care or toiletries in limited quantities) and any flammable material. Individual airlines and other nations may also have more restrictive rules on what passengers can carry aboard the aircraft. Certain exceptions are made for travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. A list of these exceptions is found at: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/special-procedures. The U.S. Department of Transportation can provide guidance on how to transport certain prohibited items by other means.

Employees may retain hotel reward points and frequent flyer miles earned on official state travel. However, if an employee makes travel arrangements that favor a preferred airline/supplier to receive these rewards points and this circumvents purchasing the most economical means of travel, they are in violation of this travel policy. Costs for travel arrangements subject to this violation are non-reimbursable.

Explain and document all unusual transactions such as:

• One-way vehicle rentals
• Special meals – attach a Supplemental Meal Form
• Explanation for non-conference lodging when attending a conference
• Number of travelers in hotel room
• Airline charges for additional baggage (conference presentation materials, equipment, etc.)
• Airfare penalties

When receipts are required by travel regulations, original itemized receipts, not copies, should be submitted.

• Contact the Office of the Comptroller for assistance:
• Ask questions before you travel
• Contact us before booking airfare outside of Christopherson Business Travel (See Question No. 9)
• Respond quickly to our requests for information
• Contact us about the state liability travel card for new employees if needed Dean approval is required. (See Question No. 47)

Know the travel regulations before you travel