IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CORNELL INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS

The following web site is specific to individuals who travel internationally:  US Department of State.

This site contains travel warnings that are issued when the Department of State recommends that Americans avoid certain countries.  Additionally, there is other helpful travel information posted to this site.

It is recommended that Cornell international travelers contact the Risk Management and Insurance office to ensure that they are aware of  SOS Corporate Comprehensive Service and benefits they can receive in case of emergency situations.  Information about International SOS can be found at the following web site:  www.internationalsos.com.

The IRS just changed its 2008 reimbursement rates to reflect higher fuel costs:

• Business Miles: Effective July 1, 2008: 58.5 cents per mile
• Miles related to Moving: July 1, 2008: 27 cents per mile  
• Charitable Activities (volunteers): No change 14 cents per mile

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Questions regarding Travel Reimbursements:

If I attend a meeting, am I required to include the agenda from the meeting with my travel reimbursement request?
The travel policy doesn't specifically state that an agenda is needed (and we'll allow a registration receipt or other document that shows dates in lieu of an agenda), but it does say that travelers must provide documentary evidence of the business purpose of the travel. The agenda provides the business purpose. Another reason that the agenda is useful is that it enables us to verify that travelers are not claiming reimbursement for meals that were provided by the conference when using the per diem method.

Excerpts from the Travel Policy:
"...the traveler is responsible for understanding this policy before planning and commencing travel for the university. The traveler must complete and submit appropriate forms in a timely and accurate fashion, accompanied by sufficient documentary evidence to demonstrate that the expense was incurred, reasonable, and business related. Documentation should include information about who, what, when, where, why, and how much."

From the section on Documentation & Reimbursement Issues:
"You are responsible for providing sufficient documentary evidence to support business purpose and to substantiate all expenses. Documentation should be in the form of original bills or receipts, and must include the name of the vendor, location, date, dollar amount of the expense that was paid or incurred by the traveler, and a description of goods or services received. You should describe the business purpose in terms that can be easily understood by an internal or external reviewer."

BEST PRACTICES FOR PROCUREMENT CARD REVIEW documents guidelines for monitoring of procurement card transactions to improve compliance with University policies.

REQUEST TO USE THE OVER $500 BSC PROCUREMENT CARD

The CALS Finance Business Service Center (FBSC) has procurement cards with limits of $5,000 per transaction. The higher limit procurement card is available to be used by Individuals who need to purchase items over $500. Goods or services that cost less than $500 will not be accepted through this process. NOTE: There may be times when orders will be processed on Purchase Orders rather than through the Procurement Card process. The FBSC will make the final determination about the ordering method. 

Over $500 BSC Procurement Card Website

The following explanations can will help both the CALS FBSC procurement card coordinator and Procurement Card holders to understand why it can sometimes be difficult to match receipts to payment information.

• Some vendors (for example VWR, Fisher, etc.) will place an order with a manufacturer who will then ship directly to the person who ordered the goods. In this case the manufacturer's name will appear on the packing slip, but the name of the original vendor (VWR, etc.) will appear in the payment queue.  Often there is not a reference number or a total amount on the packing slips that we receive making it difficult to match. It is helpful to have the name of the original vendor included on the information coming to the FBSC.
• Often the total amount on the packing slip does not match up with the amount in our payment queue because the discounts have not been applied or shipping and handling costs have not been added. This can create problems when matching receipts. 
• Items which have been back ordered will sometimes have two receipts but will only appear as one payment in our queue making it difficult to match up the receipts with payment information.
• The name of the person to whom the items were shipped do not match up with the name of the Procurement Card holder. It is helpful to have the name of the person who owns the Procurement Card that was used to place the order. 
• Often the invoice or packing slip does not indicate whether it was a blanket order or credit card order and they end up getting misfiled.

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