Office of Accounting Services Accounts Payable & Travel

Office of Accounting Services
Accounts Payable & Travel
SPECIAL TRAVEL EDITION
July 2008
2 1 7 T h o m a s B o y d H a l l B a t o n R o u g e , L A 7 0 8 0 3 ( 2 2 5 ) 5 7 8 - 1550
w w w . f a s . l s u . e d u / A c c t S e r v i c e s
PM-13, Travel Rules and Regulations, has been revised to reflect the policy
changes effective 7/1/08. It can be found at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/AcctSer
vices/travel/procedures. The following are some significant highlights:
Mileage has increased to 52 cents a mile.
Travel funds will not be advanced to cover incidental costs.
Employees operating a fleet vehicle or using their personal vehicle for
official university business must complete form DA2054, Authorization
and Driving History Form. The form must be submitted to Property
Management to be maintained in the University’s central file. The form
can be found at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/purchasing/PDFs/da2054.pdf.
Charges for navigation equipment (GPS) in a rented vehicle may be
reimbursed with prior approval from the department head.
The meal reimbursement limits for meal per diem for single day travel
have been increased to a maximum of $26.
Meal per diems have been increased by approximately 10% across the
board.
The 25% additional reimbursement for meals has been eliminated.
A department head has the authority to approve actual lodging costs
not to exceed 50% over PM-13 current listed rates. Documentation as
to necessity and cost effectiveness must be included with the Travel
Expense Reimbursement Request.
Tier III Meal & Lodging Reimbursements - Austin, TX; Galveston, TX;
and Sacramento, CA are now included.
Tier IV Meal & Lodging Reimbursements - Arlington, VA is now
included.
Routine lodging costs have been increased - see the schedule included
in PM-13.
Conferences lodging costs can be reimbursed at actual rates; travelers
must provide documentation designating the official conference
hotel(s).
Luggage charges from airlines will be reimbursed – limited to one bag
for a trip of 5 days or less, two bags for a trip of 6 to 10 days.
This monthly newsletter is
printed and distributed to
each office around the 5 th
of each month. Thanks to
Campus Federal
for their support
in printing the monthly
newsletter.
~~~~~~~
To be added to or deleted
from the newsletter mailing
list, please email Danita
King at dcking@lsu.edu.
578-1550
Inside this Issue
LA Travel Service 2
Emergency Assistance 3
Vehicle Rental 4
Authorization Forms 5
Travel Staff Contacts 6

Accounts Payable & Travel continued...
Carlson Wagonlit, d/b/a Louisiana Travel Service remains the state contracted travel agency. State and University
policies mandate that all airfare must be purchased through the state contracted travel agency.
LA Travel Service has recently moved and is now located at 451 Florida Street, Suite P101, Baton Rouge, LA
70801. Please contact 225-930-6700 (direct assistance); 888-930-6700 (toll free assistance); 225-930-6666 (fax) or
information@latravel.com (e-mail).
Travelers may have noticed that the service provided by LA Travel Service has not been up to par for the last few
weeks. The travel agency has recently moved locations, installed a new telephone system and installed new booking
software. In the long run, these changes will provide more efficient service to the state. However, in the shortrun,
more problems were encountered than anticipated. LA Travel Service has hired several new agents and
brought in additional agent support for this conversion. LSU and LA Travel Service sincerely apologize for any and
all issues encountered while planning state travel.
Although the majority of problems have been resolved, there are still some issues with e-mailed itineraries. To be
certain that your travelers receive their itineraries in a timely manner, please contact LA Travel Service.
If you have not received an e-mail itinerary, please do the following:
1. Check your Junk E-Mail folder to ensure the e-mail is not being directed to this folder. Look for e-mails
with the subject line beginning with:
REFUNDABLE PRE-TRIP AUTHORIZATION NOTICE
NON-REFUNDABLE PRE-TRIP AUTHORIZATION NOTICE
CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL OFFICIAL AIRLINE TICKET RECEIPT
If such an e-mail is found, allow this message and any future e-mails to be considered as approved e-mails.
2. If you continue to have problems, or our e-mails are not appearing in your Junk E-mail, please check with
your IT department and have them contact Michael Fairchild at 504-616-4229 or Michael@latravel.com.
LA Travel Service Agent Contact Information
Name Phone #/Ext E-mail
Baton Rouge Office
Kathy Higginbotham (225) 930-6700/1809 Kathy@latravel.com
Debbie Harold (225) 930-6700/1814 Debbie@latravel.com
Vanessa Craven (225) 930-6700/1817 Vanessa@latravel.com
Carolyn Mouton (225) 930-6700/1822 Carolyn@latravel.com
Stacy Wells (225) 930-6700/1826 Stacy@latravel.com
Cammie Bishop (225) 930-6700/1818 Cammie@latravel.com
Tim Walton (225) 930-6700/1828 Tim@latravel.com
Sabrina Marchand (225) 930-6700/1804 Sabrina@latravel.com
New Orleans Office
Michael Fairchild (504) 565-5145/2226 Michael@latravel.com
Yoshiko Page (504) 565-5145/2288 Yoshiko@latravel.com
Shreveport Office
Shaleen Landry * (318) 675-4390 Shae@latravel.com
Group Agent
More agents are available through the telephone system at 225-930-6700 by selecting ## from the main menu.
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EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE HOTLINE
There is a 24-hour Emergency Travel Service available as part of the State contract with LSU. The 24-
hour Service is free of charge, but only in the case of a true emergency. If you find after 5 pm on weekdays, weekends,
or holidays that you must travel within 24 hours – or before the next business day – you may call the Emergency
Service. While you are traveling and you have to make alternate travel plans, or if your flight is canceled or
delayed at night or on the weekend the Emergency Service is a great way to “beat the crowd” at the airport.
The 24-hour Service is designed to support our travelers in the event of an emergency only. For instance, the
service should not be used to:
Make travel plans during normal work hours;
Check to see if you were issued a paper or electronic ticket;
Cancel or change hotel reservations – the hotel information is included on the itinerary provided by LA Travel
Service;
Cancel or change rental car reservations – the rental car information is included on the itinerary provided by LA
Travel Service;
Check flight times – the airline should be called.
In the event the 24-hour Service is used for any nonemergency transaction, or contacted during normal office
hours, a non-reimbursable fee will be billed to the traveler. The amount of the fee varies depending upon the
service provided - ranging from $4 to $39. The after-hours vendor is ATLAS 24-hour Emergency Service. The
phone number is 1-800-215-7653. The phone number can also be found on the travel itinerary provided by LA
Travel Service.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the state contracted vendor for in-state car rentals. Enterprise should be used for all
in-state rentals unless it is determined that Enterprise does not have the appropriate size fleet in stock for the date
of use. When using Enterprise, a compact vehicle should always be requested. The rental for a compact vehicle is
$30/day in-state ($35/day out-of-state). If a compact vehicle is not in stock at the date of use, but a compact vehicle
was requested initially, Enterprise will honor the $30 rental if an alternate vehicle class is used. If a traveler
requests an upgrade, the traveler will be subject to the difference in cost charged for the upgrade. The Office of
Risk Management covers all insurance on cars rented for official university business. Travelers will be responsible
for the costs of any optional insurance elected.
ENTERPRISE CAR RENTAL: National Account Number: NA1403
RESERVATIONS (24/7) 1-800-RENT-A-CAR OR ENTERPRISE.COM
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Accounts Payable & Travel continued...
Out-of-State Vehicle Rental Companies & Corporate Discount Numbers
Out-of-State Vehicle Rentals
Avis
Budget
Dollar
Enterprise
Corporate Discount Numbers
A628000
T243800
TA8565
NA1403
Hertz 70592
National 5004172
Thrifty 0010176533
The 2008-2009 Vehicle Rental Rates and Enterprise Rent-A-Car locations in Southern Louisiana can be found on
the Accounts Payable & Travel website at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/AcctServices/travel/contracts/default.htm.
Vehicle Inspection
When renting a vehicle, the vehicle should be inspected for damage both before and after operating the vehicle.
When inspecting the vehicle, it is best to have a rental company employee present. Rental companies are becoming
more aggressive in seeking payment for damage to the rented vehicles.
Mileage for moving expenses is reimbursed at the federal rate in effect at the time of the move. The Internal
Revenue Service made a special adjustment to increase the federal rate to 27 cents, up from 19 cents, for moving
expenses for the period of 7/1/08 – 12/31/08. The rate increase is in recognition of the recent increase in gasoline
prices. The IRS normally updates the mileage rates once a year in the fall for the next calendar year.
Luggage Fees charged by Airlines
Airlines are now charging a fee for checked luggage/baggage. Please see the Accounts Payable & Travel website to
see Carlson Wagonlit’s matrix of current baggage fees. Please be aware that the airline’s policies are subject to
change at any time. Carlson Wagonlit travelers should refer to the air carrier’s website prior to travel to be certain
of the current policy in effect. Please refer to page 1 of this newsletter regarding how PM-13 addresses the reimbursement
of such charges.
Airport Parking Contracts
Baton Rouge
$3.50/day (without a receipt) or up to $5/day (with a paid receipt) in outside fenced parking lot (not in
parking garage)
Must have itinerary issued by state contract travel agency
New Orleans
Park‘n Fly: $6/day or $36/week (without a receipt) or up to $8/day (with a paid receipt)
Must have itinerary issued by state contract travel agency or a form of State ID
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Accounts Payable & Travel continued...
Travel Expense Reimbursement Requests for personal “out-of-pocket” expenses should be submitted to the Travel
section within a timely manner upon returning from the trip. To ensure prompt travel reimbursements, please ensure:
The LSUID for the traveler seeking reimbursement is listed and correct. An incorrect LSUID or one not listed will
delay payment of the travel reimbursement.
When a traveler attends a conference, documentation such as a registration receipt or agenda must accompany
the Travel Expense Reimbursement Request to ensure the traveler can be reimbursed for actual conference lodging
rates.
Vehicle rental must be approved on the AS292 or AS516 before the expense can be reimbursed. Failure to request
vehicle rental will delay payment to the Travel Expense Reimbursement Request.
Authorization Forms
Before making any travel arrangements and charging the departmental CBA for airfare, departmental travel
coordinators should make sure the correct authorization form is completed and approved.
Form AS292 “Authorization to Travel” is required for in-state (excluding local Baton Rouge) or out-of-state travel
for employees. The AS292 form should be signed by the traveler’s Department head or Director. Also, whenever
foreign travel is being requested, the AS292 form also requires the Provost approval. Approval is also required
from the Associate Vice Chancellor of Accounting and Financial Services if the travel is greater than 30 days.
Form AS516 “Request to Reimburse Expenses” is required for approval of in-state or out-of-state travel for nonemployees
(i.e. visitors, interviewees, workshop participants, etc.). The AS516 form is also required for both the
Cook Hotel and Faculty Club lodging direct billings. If a special meal will be hosted for a guest, Form AS516-B
should also be completed.
Mileage documentation must be attached to the Travel Expense Reimbursement Request whenever mileage is
included on the reimbursement request. This includes mileage to and from the local airport. As referenced in PM-13,
University Travel Regulations, mileage shall be computed based on one of the following options (documentation
should be attached to Travel Expense Reimbursement Request):
1. On the basis of odometer from point of origin to point of return; or
2. A website mileage calculator such as Mapquest or a published software package indicating mileage.
The Cook Conference Center & Hotel cancellation policy requires all guests to provide at least a 72 hours of notice or
the department will be billed for one night of lodging. The invoices for one night of lodging will be sent directly to Accounts
Payable with the approved AS540 form to process for payment. For questions, please contact Charlene Eskine
at 578-3956 or ceskine@lsu.edu.
On-line Payments for Corporate Travel Cards
Bank of America has a website available for corporate travel cardholders to make on-line payments. Log on to the
Corporate Card Access at www.bankofamerica.com/corporatecardaccess. This web address can also be found on the
Accounts Payable & Travel website at http://www.fas.lsu.edu/AcctServices/travel/default.htm. Select the “Bank of
America” button and click on the Bank of America – Online Corporate Travel Card Payment link. At this same link, the
Corporate Card Access Quick Reference Guide is also available for cardholders to refer to if necessary when making
on-line payments.
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Accounts Payable and Travel continued...
International Travelers
The Bank of America places certain limits to prevent fraud on the corporate travel card, especially for international
travel. These limits are intended to protect the cardholders as well as the State of Louisiana. International
transactions are infrequent and may be blocked as potentially fraudulent activity. In order to make sure corporate
travel cards are not blocked while on international travel, travelers are encouraged to contact the Bank of America
Fraud Security directly at 877-451-4602 to inform them of the international travel dates prior to departure.
LSU Travel Staff Contact Information*
Name E-mail Phone
Donna Torres, Associate Vice Chancellor dtorres@lsu.edu 578-2016
Patrice Gremillion, Director pgremill@lsu.edu 578-3366
Charlene Eskine, Assistant Director ceskine@lsu.edu 578-3956
Jennifer Driggers, Travel Accountant jdrigg@lsu.edu 578-3699
Ashley Tate, Travel Accountant acleme6@lsu.edu 578-3698
Katherine Lowe, Travel Accountant klowe@lsu.edu 578-3697
* Any member of the Travel staff may be contacted at 578-1550.
The FY 08-09 Pocket Travel Guide (AS254) and Travel Expense Reimbursement Request (AS300) are currently
finalized and will be printed shortly. Please see next month’s newsletter regarding distribution.
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