Travel Policy
Meal Reimbursement
Viterbo University will reimburse employees and independent contractors for meal expenses incurred for out-of-town travel. Such travel must be for an approved University purpose, and must be properly documented in regard to date, time, place, and purpose. The Travel Expense Report (TER), obtained in the Business Office, should be utilized to request reimbursement, and should be authorized by the appropriate budget officer.
Reimbursement for individual meals will be made at an amount not to exceed the following rates (effective 1-1-08):
| Breakfast | $6.00 |
| Lunch | $9.00 |
| Dinner | $15.00 |
These reimbursement rates should be indicated on the appropriate line of the TER. University employees are not required to substantiate actual meal expenses (i.e. meal receipts are not required to be submitted with the expense reimbursement form) under the per diem plan. However, employees may desire to minimize the impact of per diem reimbursements on their department budget by electing reimbursement for actual meal expenses only, not to exceed the per diem rates. If actual expense reimbursement is desired, indicate actual expenses on the appropriate line of the TER.
To be eligible for breakfast reimbursement, departure for out-of-town travel must occur prior to 7:00 a.m. To be eligible for lunch reimbursement, departure for out-of-town travel must occur prior to 11:30 a.m. To be eligible for lunch reimbursement, arrival from out-of-town travel must occur after 12:30 p.m. To be eligible for dinner reimbursement, arrival from out-of-town travel must occur after 7:00 p.m. No claim may be made for meals provided as part of a business conference.
Hotel Accommodations
The standard rate for hotel accommodations is $70/night for travel within Wisconsin and Iowa. Regardless of the specific hotel/motel chosen for overnight accommodations, and how much is paid by the traveler for the overnight accommodations, the maximum reimbursement by Viterbo University to the traveler will be no more than $70/night. Exceptions to that standard rate are as follows (effective 1-1-08):
| Lodging in Des Moines, IA | $80.00/night |
| Lodging in Door County, WI locations (5/15--10/15 only) | $80.00/night |
| Lodging in Racine, Kenosha, and Waukesha Counties, WI locations | $80.00/night |
| Lodging in Lake Geneva, WI (9/5--5/31 only) | $80.00/night |
| Lodging in Lake Geneva, WI (6/1--9/4 only) | $100.00/night |
| Lodging in Milwaukee County, WI | $90.00/night |
| Lodging in Wisconsin Dells, WI (6/1--9/30 only) | $110.00/night |
For lodging outside Wisconsin and Iowa, use rates identified at:
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?programId=9704&
channelId=-15943&ooid=16365&contentId=17943&pageTypeId= 8203
&contentType=GSA_BASIC&programPage=%2Fep%2Fprogram%2Fgsa
Basic.jsp&P=MTT
Travelers may utilize http://www.lodging.com/as a source for hotel accommodations at the destination city.
Telephone Expenses
The maximum reimbursement for long-distance telephone calls while traveling is $5.00/night. As such, travelers are encouraged to purchase prepaid phone cards to minimize telephone expenses.
Process for Booking Travel
- The traveler will call the Carlson Wagonlit Corporate Department at 800-657-4528 or 791-8375 to receive travel information and pricing, and book reservations.
- The traveler will prepare a purchase order, and request appropriate supervisor authorization.
- The Business Office will verify budget availability and supervisor authorization.
- The Business Office will call Carlson Wagonlit with a purchase order number, indicating the traveler, destination, and range of dates, and the reservation will be guaranteed.
- Carlson Wagonlit will provide appropriate tickets and invoice information to the traveler and to the Business Office. Carlson Wagonlit will not guarantee a reservation without a current TRAVELER PROFILE on file, or if the Business Office has not provided a purchase order number.
- Carlson Wagonlit will contact Viterbo University daily with booked reservations that have not been guaranteed because they lack an authorized purchase order number or TRAVELER PROFILE.
PLEASE NOTE: For air travel accommodations, Viterbo University does not permit first class travel, unless there is no differential in fare in comparison with coach class.