Section 1.

A. Employees shall be reimbursed for travel on official business in accordance with law, regulation, and this Agreement in the maximum amounts permissible.

B. The parties agree that any changes in rates or reimbursement to Federal employees by law or regulation during the life of this Agreement are hereby made part of this Agreement.

Section 2.

A. For the purpose of this Article, a "regular duty station" is defined as the specific work location (e.g., geographic location.) to which an employee is assigned permanently or as part of a predetermined rotational schedule. Repeated travel to another specific work location (either within or outside an agency, etc.) will be treated as travel to a temporary duty station.

B. For the purpose of this Article a "temporary duty station" is defined as any job site which is not the employee's regular duty station. The parties agree that the definition of temporary duty station is applicable for determinations of mileage and other related travel expenses subject to reimbursement (excluding per diem) in accordance with existing federal travel regulations.

Section 3.

A. To the maximum extent practicable, the Employer shall schedule the time to be spent by an employee in a travel status away from their regular duty station within the regularly scheduled workweek of the employee. When travel is required outside the regularly scheduled workweek, the official involved shall furnish the employee, upon request, written reasons for their decision.

B. Time spent in a travel status away from the regular duty station of an employee is not hours of employment for pay purposes unless:

1. The time spent is within the days and hours of the regularly scheduled administrative workweek of the employee, including regularly scheduled overtime hours; or

2. The travel:

a. Involves the performance of work while traveling;

b. Is carried out under arduous conditions;

c. Incident to travel that involves the performance of work while traveling; or

d. Results from an event which could not be controlled administratively. Local Travel

Section 4.

A. After an employee places himself at their regular duty station, the cost to the employee of any local travel required for official purposes during regular hours of work or on overtime shall be reimbursed by the Employer. In this regard, once an employee arrives at their regular duty station, they will receive full mileage reimbursement for any subsequent travel to any temporary duty station.

B. When an employee travels from their residence to a temporary duty station and or from a temporary duty station to their home, the employee will be reimbursed for any mileage in excess of their normal round trip from their home to their regular duty station.

C. Examples of the rules set forth in Subsections A and B above include:

1. When an employee travels from their residence to a temporary duty station and then returns home, the employee shall be reimbursed for actual mileage and expenses in excess of the normal round trip distance between their residence and their regular duty station.

2. When an employee travels from their residence to their regular duty station, then travels from their regular duty station to a temporary duty station, then travels from the temporary duty station back to their home, the employee shall be reimbursed for the distance between the two (2) duty stations. If the distance between the employee's final temporary duty station and their home exceeds the distance between the employee's regular duty station and their home, the employee shall be reimbursed for the excess expense.

D. Subsections A and B above do not apply to or cover established rotational assignments through different duty stations. The site of each rotational duty assignment shall be the employee's regular duty station for the duration of the employee's rotational assignment at that specific job-site.

E. The local travel reimbursement policies set forth in Sections 3 and apply to overtime assignments as well as assignments during regular work hours of A & B above.

Section 5.

A. Employees shall be eligible for per diem or actual subsistence allowance only when they travel to an assignment outside the local commuting area.

B. Employees traveling outside the local commuting area for a period of more than twelve (12) hours without incurring lodging costs are entitled to partial per diem.

Section 6.

A. When use of one privately owned vehicle is made by two (2) or more employees on official business, mileage reimbursement will be made to one employee.

B. When travel on official business could be performed by two (2) or more employees riding in one privately owned vehicle, and the employees elect to travel in separate automobiles, mileage reimbursement will be made only to one (1) employee.

C. When joint use of one (1) privately owned vehicle would be impracticable or cause unreasonable personal hardship, each traveler shall submit a written justification for the use of more than one (1) automobile. The Employer shall approve mileage reimbursement for separate vehicles when such justifications and requests are in accord with applicable law and regulation and this Agreement.

Section 7.

A. In the case of a voluntary return of a traveler to their regular duty station (or their place of residence from which he regularly commutes to their regular duty station), the employee will be reimbursed for the cost of the round trip home and back to their temporary duty station or the cost of per diem if he had remained at this temporary duty station, whichever is the lesser.

B. If an employee elects to remain at the site of their temporary duty assignment rather than return to their regular duty station for non-workdays, the employee will be reimbursed for the cost of the round trip home and back to their temporary duty station or the cost of per diem he incurs by remaining at their temporary duty station, whichever is the lesser.

Section 8.

A. When the Employer makes lodging available for an employee on official travel, the employee will have the option of remaining in the Employer-provided lodging or of securing other lodging.

B. If the employee elects to secure their own lodging, the Employer will reimburse the employee for the cost of the lodging provided by the Employer or the cost of the lodging secured by the employee, whichever is the lesser.

C. Where lodging is provided by the Employer, and remaining at the place of lodging is integrally related to, and necessary for, the accomplishment of the purposes for the official travel the employee may not exercise the option provided in Subsection B above.

Section 9.

A. An employee who regularly utilizes public ground transportation in the performance of official duties shall be reimbursed for the cost thereof upon submission of the appropriate expense voucher and in accordance with appropriate regulations. In the alternative, and where practicable, the Employer may issue bus tokens, fare cards, taxi fare books or other bulk vouchers.

B. The type of public ground transportation which may be used on a particular occasion shall be determined by the Employer.

C. If the employee elects to use a different but equally efficient type of public ground transportation, the employee will be reimbursed for the costs of ground transportation.

Section 10.

A. Upon timely application, the Employer will take all reasonable steps, consistent with current policies and procedures, to provide travel advances to employees prior to the date of departure on official travel.

B. In cases of emergency job related travel, the Employer will take all reasonable steps to provide travel advances to employees in accordance with current policies and procedures.