13.20 / Out-of-State Travel

Effective: November 01, 2007Last Revised: August 08, 2019

  1. Purpose

    The purpose of this statement is to set forth University policy with regard to out-of-state travel by University employees.

  2. Preamble

    This policy has been developed and put in place to maximize utilization of financial resources allocated for travel expenditures and to provide University faculty and staff members with alternatives for making travel arrangements. State of Kansas Travel policies are found at the Travel Center for State Employees.

  3. Policy

    1. Any University employee proposing to travel out-of-state on behalf of the University must complete and submit a Pre-Approval report. The Pre-Approval will be reviewed by the employee's direct supervisor and approved by the funding Budget Officer. In situations where the traveler is also the funding Budget Officer, Budget Officer approval is implicit.
    2. Upon final approval of the Pre-Approval, the employee may begin incurring expenses in association with the travel event. Travel arrangements may be made directly by the traveler or through a travel agency.
    3. Travelers shall use the most advantageous or economical mode of transportation. This may include airfare, car rental, taxi, shuttles or other public transportation. Travelers electing to utilize transportation that cost more than a less expensive mode of transportation may be required to provide sufficient justification as to why the least expensive mode was not used. Should an employee choose to drive their personal vehicle rather than fly, the employee must attach a written airfare quote (printed from an Internet site) to the travel reimbursement document. This comparison should be made based on the most economical airfare rates available on the date the out-of-state travel request is approved. The comparison shall include round-trip mileage to ICT, parking and round-trip transportation to and from the hotel or meeting site. The traveler can be reimbursed for either the cost of flying (Airfare in Lieu of Mileage) or mileage, whichever is less. Charges made using the employee's personal funds will not be reimbursed until the trip is complete. For additional details, see section3003 and 3103 of the State of Kansas Employee Travel Expense Reimbursement Handbook at the Travel Center for State Employees.
    4. An employee may only exceed the State of Kansas daily Lodging maximums upon written approval by the employee's Vice President (Vice Presidential exceptions will be approved by the President). Exceptions will require documentation stating the reason for the exception. For additional details, see section 4200 of the State of Kansas Employee Travel Expense Reimbursement Handbook at the Travel Center for State Employees.
    5. Meal Per Diem for travel within the continental US is calculated using the most current per diem rates as published by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Meal Per Diem for travel outside the continental US is calculated using the most current per diem rates as published by Department of Defense (DOD).
    6. An itemized receipt is required for all expenses. However, no receipts are required for: meal per diem, parking meters, public transportation, tolls or unattended toll booths. For additional details, see section 5001 and 5100 of the State of Kansas Employee Travel Expense Reimbursement Handbook at the Travel Center for State Employees.
    7. All requests for travel reimbursements will be submitted via an Expense report in the online software Chrome River. Expense reports must be approved by the traveler and the funding Budget Officer. In situations where the traveler is also the funding Budget Officer, Budget Officer approval is implicit. All Expense reports will be audited by the Office of Financial Operations and Business Technology.

  4. Implementation

    This policy shall be included in the WSU Policies and Procedures Manual and shared with appropriate constituencies of the University.