Frequently Asked Questions:

TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENTS FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING EMPLOYEES

Q.  What happens if an employee changes bargaining units?

A. An employee who requests a travel reimbursement while in one bargaining unit but, prior to the travel, is promoted or transferred to another job (and thereby another bargaining unit) is still eligible for travel reimbursement.  The new bargaining unit�s account will be charged for the reimbursement of the travel.  If the employee becomes management or a confidential, the reimbursement is from the agency�s budget.  The exception is an employee entering the (NP-5) Protective Services unit.  For this unit the employee must complete the Protective Services request for reimbursement and submit it to the Educational and Training Committee.  The employee�s new agency should process the request when feasible.  

Q. What happens if an employee receives additional funds from a private source?

A. Employees receiving additional funds from other sources must report this on their travel reimbursement application.  The amount of reimbursement paid will be calculated on the amount of money the applicant actually had to pay (the amount of additional funds will be deducted).

Q. Must an employee have permanent status in order to be entitled to travel reimbursement?

A. Whether an employee must have permanent status to be entitled to travel reimbursement is outlined in the recognition clause of each collective bargaining contract.  .

Q. What is the maximum rate of reimbursement?

A. Many collective bargaining contracts set a maximum amount of reimbursement per employee.  Some guidelines base the rate of reimbursement on the current travel regulations.

Q. Are part-time employees eligible for travel reimbursement?

A. An employee who works 20 hours/week but less than 40 hours/week is eligible for travel reimbursement

Unless stated in the individual collective bargaining contract, an employee who works under 20 hours per week is NOT eligible for travel reimbursement.

Q. Are employees who are on leave of absence eligible for travel reimbursement?

A. Under current practice, any request for travel reimbursement from union funds will not be paid while an employee is on a leave of absence.

Q. Why are travel authorizations returned to the agency prior to travel?

A. Travel Authorizations may be returned to the agency if necessary information on the form is not completed or if:

- additional justification material is required
- in-state mileage is incorrect
- car rental agreement is not attached
- union funds for travel have been exhausted
- meal allowance does not follow union/travel regulations
- employee has exhausted the annual union allowance
- union approval is not obtained for the P-3B, P-4, NP-2, NP-3 and NP-5 bargaining units.

Corrections should be made and returned as noted.  Items that indicate union funds are exhausted should not be returned unless otherwise noted.

Q. Why are travel reimbursement requests returned to the agency after travel has occurred?

A. Errors for disallowance include, but are not limited to:

- lack of approved copy of travel authorization
- reimbursement does not agree with approved travel authorization
- lacks proof of payment for registration fee
- lacks proof of payment for expenditures exceeding $25.00
- requires authorized agency or employee signature
- addendum form required
- time of departure/arrival; from/to home required to verify meal allowance(s)
- requires correct coding..

Q. What is the amount of undocumented cost?

A. Undocumented cost is $5.00 if two or more consecutive full work days.   For the P-5 bargaining unit, the undocumented cost is $10.00 per day if two or more consecutive full or part work days.

Q. When are union funds committed?

A. Union funds are not committed until the travel authorization has been approved at the Comptroller's Office.

Q. Where can parking permits be obtained for state employee parking at Bradley International Airport?

A. Parking permits for state employee parking at Bradley International Airport must be used for official state travel only.   All requests are to be submitted to the Department of Transportation.  Please contact Angela D'Agata at (860) 594-3077 or Mario Torcia at
(860) 594-3080 for more information.

Q. When is it necessary to provide receipts?

A. Receipts are required for items exceeding $25.00.   (For example:   A receipt would not be needed if cab fare was $13 each way for a total of $26.   However, a receipt would be required if cab fare was $26 each way for a total of $52.)

Q. Are employees allowed to request reimbursement of in-state lodging?

A. If an employee is attending a conference in-state and is requesting lodging, justification as to why they are requesting lodging must be submitted with the travel authorization form.

Q. What is the General Services Administration (GSA) mileage rate?

A. The General Services Administration(GSA) rate is used as the mileage reimbursement rate for many State of Connecticut collective bargaining units. The "mileage reimbursement rate" under many State collective bargaining unit agreements is subject to adjustment within 30 days of revision to the Federal GSA rate.  Agencies are notified of changes in Comptroller's Memoranda.  The most recent issued is 2017-01.

Q. Where can we fine the State of Connecticut mileage chart?

A. The State of Connecticut mileage chart is available through the Department of Transportation, Public Transportation, (860) 594-2860, or http://www.cslib.org/milage.pdf. 

*Additional FAQ's are in the Union-Funded Travel Procedures Manual

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