Guidance for Travel Reimbursements Related to COVID-19

Guidance for Travel Reimbursements

Faculty and staff might have already made travel arrangements and incurred expenses for upcoming travel that may have been cancelled due to concerns related to COVID-19. UB follows SUNY policies for cases when reimbursement is possible.

Travel-related Quarantine

UB’s protocol for COVID-19 travel-related quarantine complies with New York State and Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) guidelines. Review UB’s latest travel and quarantine protocol.

Updates

The university strongly recommends that all UB faculty, staff, students and non-employees (guests) avoid traveling to regions impacted by COVID-19. If a faculty, staff, student or non-employee (guest) travels for essential university business, they must adhere to NYS COVID-19 Travel Advisory guidelines. For those circumstances in which overnight business travel is required, the traveler/department must obtain pre-approval before making any travel arrangements. Travelers should follow guidance from their Unit Business Officer (UBO) to obtain required approvals, including the Deans approval for Academic units and Vice Presidential approval for Academic support units. Once your travel is pre-approved, and after your trip has occurred, you must attach a copy of the completed signed travel pre-approval form to your expense report for reimbursement. This is required for all funding sources (State, Research Foundation and UB Foundation).

The university strongly recommends that all UB faculty, staff, students and non-employees (guests) avoid traveling to regions impacted by COVID-19.
As the university continues to respond to COVID-19, we recognize that, in limited circumstances, business travel may be required.
Travel pre-approval is now required for essential business that involves overnight travel taking place during the university’s response to COVID-19.
- Travel pre-approval must be obtained prior to travel arrangements being made, and is required for all funding sources (State, Research Foundation and UB Foundation.)
- Complete the travel pre-approval form to obtain pre-approval for essential business that involves overnight travel.
  - Decanal and Vice Provostal unit forms should be routed to the Provost for approval.
  - Vice Presidential unit forms are to be approved by the President.
  - Once your travel is pre-approved, and after your trip has occurred, you must attach a copy of the completed signed travel pre-approval form to your submitted expense report for reimbursement.

The university is strongly advising no unnecessary faculty, staff or student travel occur unless essential for university business.
Faculty, staff and students should consult with their unit leadership regarding any planned travel related to university business to determine if travel is essential and allowable.
If a faculty, staff or student travels for essential university business, they must adhere to the COVID-19 Travel Advisory guidelines.
- For the most up to date NYS COVID-19 Travel Advisory Information, refer to: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory
- These guidelines are fluid and changing continuously. Please check the Advisory information for updates, especially before and during travel status to determine what the most recent guidelines are.

If a faculty, staff or student needs to obtain a COVID test due to essential university business travel, the university is not responsible for administering or covering the cost of this test under any funding source (State, RF or UBF).
Effective November 21, 2020, the Canadian government has announced new requirements that all travelers with a final trip destination of Canada must submit information through the ArriveCAN mobile app or online portal. For the most up to date information, refer to: https://travel.gc.ca/covid-19-travel
When submitting expenses in Concur due to COVID-19 cancellations, under Report Type, select COVID-19 Cancellation
Ensure a plan is in place to track credits from unused tickets for UB business travel
Non-refundable costs associated with sponsored program related travel that has been cancelled due to public health emergencies such as COVID-19 may be charged to an award if those costs would have otherwise been allowable and the sponsor guidelines related to the treatment of such costs are followed. Please check with your sponsor for specific document requirements.
Travel and NET Card Annual Certification Templates were sent to each unit for review and completion by July 31. Future changes to card limits or suspensions will be updated per request.

Policy Guidance

Last Updated April 16, 2020

UB follows State and Research Foundation policies regarding travel reimbursement.

If a trip is cancelled at the direction of the agency, the traveler will not be responsible for any costs incurred. If a trip is cancelled for the traveler’s convenience, he or she may be responsible for any costs.

Go to the Office of the State Comptroller Travel Manual

Nonrefundable Airline Tickets

Unused nonrefundable airline tickets may not be charged to a sponsored program account if a trip is cancelled. Unused tickets have no direct benefit to the project, when a trip is cancelled, there is no benefit to the project, and the cost must be absorbed by the campus. If the unused nonrefundable ticket may be used in the future in support of a project, then the cost of the ticket plus any associated fees, such as an airline transfer fee, can be charged to the sponsored project that benefits from the travel.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

Reimbursement is allowed for protection against changes in travel plans, for example, airfare refundable insurance, provided it is reasonably cost-beneficial. It is noted that nonrefundable airline tickets must not be charged to a sponsored program award if a trip is cancelled.

Travel Insurance

While traveling internationally on RF business, employees and their immediate family members may be covered under the RF’s blanket international travel assistance coverage, subject to the limitations and exceptions when using the RF’s International insurance program. For additional information, refer to the RF's International Travel Assistance web page.

Non-refundable costs associated with sponsored program related travel that has been cancelled due to public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, may be charged to an award if those costs would have otherwise been allowable and the sponsor guidelines related to the treatment of such costs are followed. Please check with your sponsor for specific document requirements.

Go to the Research Foundation for The State University of New York Travel Handbook

Unit Responsibility

Assess all planned travel related to university business
Track and provide proper documentation for traveler reimbursement if university business travel has been cancelled
Track all reimbursed flights to ensure staff use the credit(s) from any unused tickets for UB business travel within a year of the original booking date
Recover university funds in the event that an individual has been reimbursed and the credit is later used for personal use
- In Concur, select the Report Type for expense reimbursements called COVID-19 Cancellation
- When reimbursing non-employees (students, guests), write "COVID-19 Cancellation" in the comment field on the Non-Employee Travel Voucher (State/RF) or Non-Employee Personal Reimbursement Request
Obtain and provide necessary unit approvals and reimbursement request documentation

Commonly Asked Questions

Check back often, as we will add commonly asked questions about travel reimbursements related to COVID-19 concerns.

Last update: January 11, 2021

- Before you make travel plans, consider the following points:
  UB and SUNY have canceled all student international travel for the winter, spring and summer 2021 semesters
  Read SUNY's statement on the cancelation of all university sponsored student international travel for the winter and spring 2021 semesters
- As the university continues to respond to COVID-19, we recognize that, in limited circumstances, business travel may be required. The university strongly recommends that all UB faculty, staff, students and non-employees (guests) avoid traveling to regions impacted by COVID-19.
- Travel pre-approval is required for essential business that involves overnight travel taking place during the university’s response to COVID-19.
  Travel pre-approval must be obtained prior to travel arrangements being made, and is required for all funding sources (State, Research Foundation and UB Foundation.)
  Complete the travel pre-approval form to obtain pre-approval for essential business that involves overnight travel.
  Decanal and Vice Provostal unit forms should be routed to the Provost for approval.
  Vice Presidential unit forms are to be approved by the President.
  Once your travel is pre-approved, and after your trip has occurred, you must attach a copy of the completed signed travel pre-approval form to your submitted expense report for reimbursement.
- Visit CDC website for the latest CDC travel advisories.
- Consult your unit leadership for further guidance.
Contact the conference organizer directly. They may offer a refund or rollover to a rescheduled date. If you made your lodging reservation through the conference, then they may have information regarding refunds. You might not be issued a refund, but rather, a credit that will need to be applied for future business-related travel.
- If you made your reservations through a travel agency, we recommend you contact them to cancel your reservations.
- If you booked your airfare directly with the airline, please contact the airline for their refund policy. Many vendors in the travel industry are permitting cancellations absent the traditional cancellation fees.
- If the airline issues you a credit for a future flight, you may choose to submit for airfare ticket reimbursement now, but must use your credit within the timeframe determined by the airline.
  Ensure a plan is in place to track credits from unused tickets for UB business travel.
  If you reschedule your flight for future university travel and incur change fees, the university will reimburse for these costs.
  After receiving reimbursement, should this ticket be used for personal travel at a later date, you must then return the funds that were reimbursed by the university for that ticket.
Please refer to New York State travel policy or Research Foundation travel policy for supporting documentation required for reimbursement dependent upon funding source utilized.
- If you made your reservation with a travel agent, we recommend you contact them to cancel your reservation
- If you made your reservation directly with the hotel or lodging host, contact them directly to determine what their cancellation policy is. Many vendors in the travel industry are permitting cancellations absent the traditional cancellation fees
Please refer to New York State travel policy or Research Foundation travel policy for supporting documentation required for reimbursement dependent upon funding source utilized.
If you made your reservation with a travel agent, we recommend you contact them to cancel your reservation.
If you did not use a travel agency, contact the car rental agency directly to inquire about the cancellation policy. Many vendors in the travel industry are permitting cancellations absent the traditional cancellation fees. In the event the car rental agency issues a credit to be applied for future travel, it is the unit's responsibility to track and utilize the credit.
When submitting expenses in Concur due to COVID-19 cancellations, under Report Type, select COVID-19 Cancellation (Figure 1).
When submitting expenses in Concur due to COVID-19, under “Report Type”, select COVID-19.
Figure 1
Before booking any future travel, please consult with your unit leadership about the most reasonable option. When unsure if the business purpose for the travel might be cancelled but it is still necessary to book the trip, purchasing a refundable ticket may be the most reasonable and economical way to secure your airfare.
If a refundable ticket is purchased, please note “due to COVID-19” as the purpose for the additional expense.
Written documentation and approval from the UBO is required if this option is purchased. Transactions requesting payment to senior leadership (dean, vice president, provost, president) or that benefit an individual with approval authority, require approval by the next higher level of authority.
Trip Cancellation Insurance is an option. Please refer to New York State policy or Research Foundation policy for more details.
If you are using RF funds, and purchase Trip Cancellation Insurance, reimbursement is allowed for protection against changes in travel plans, provided it is reasonably cost-beneficial. Before purchasing trip insurance, review the policy terms; some policies will not cover direct or indirect losses stemming from a health epidemic.
If you are using State funds, you may be reimbursed for Trip Cancellation Insurance when traveling internationally. Before purchasing any Trip Insurance, be sure to review policy terms. Some polices will not cover direct or indirect losses stemming from a health epidemic.
Written documentation and approval from the UBO is required. Transactions requesting payment to senior leadership (dean, vice president, provost, president) or that benefit an individual with approval authority, require approval by the next higher level of authority.
Consult with your unit business office when travel insurance might be necessary and UBF funds may be utilized for reimbursement. Proper written documentation and approval from the unit business officer will be required.
Guest travel is reimbursable based on the expectation that the airfare credit issued will be used for future university travel. It is the unit’s responsibility to document and track this credit usage.
If the individual has been reimbursed and the credit is later used for personal use, the unit is responsible for recovering the funds from the individual.
No, the travel pre-approval form only applies to business trips that involve overnight travel.
No, relocation is not considered a travel expense. You should contact Human Resources for relocation expense questions.
Learn More About Relocation Services and Expenses
Yes, the travel pre-approval form applies to anyone traveling for UB business, including UB faculty, staff, students, and non-employees (guests).
Yes, the travel pre-approval form is required for travel for all funding sources (State, Research Foundation, and UB Foundation).
- Decanal and Vice Provostal unit forms should be routed to the Provost for approval.
- Vice Presidential unit forms are to be approved by the President.
  Staff reporting directly to the President only need to obtain one signature of Presidential approval.

Contact for Questions

For Questions Related to Business Travel

Email: ubtravel@buffalo.edu

Guidance for Travel Reimbursements Related to COVID-19

Guidance for Travel Reimbursements

Updates