Virginia's Academic Library Consortium

Key Travel Forms and Links

• GMU's Meals & Incidental Expense and Lodging Basic Rates

Travel Reimbursements

VIVA reimburses representatives of the VIVA public institutions for travel related to VIVA business. Reimbursement for the representatives of the private colleges is provided for the following:

• Official VIVA committee members for their travel to and from official VIVA committee meetings
• Travel to attend VIVA Community Forums
• Other training workshops when possible

All travel reimbursement is in accordance with George Mason's interpretation of the Commonwealth's regulations regarding travel.  This includes the stipulation that all travel reimbursement requests submitted more than 60 days after trip completion may be reported as income and included on a W-2 for you as required by IRS guidelines. 

Before You Travel (things to know)

• One-day trips qualify for mileage, parking, and tolls only.
   
• Travelers from public institutions will be reimbursed for:
  • Mileage at the personal rate of $0.67 (for trips of less than 280 miles per day) or the fleet rate of $0.246 (for trips of more than 280 miles per day) if a personal vehicle is used.  Miles traveled are averaged over the number of days of the trip.
  • The cost of a rental vehicle and gas (please note that in no instance should you enter into a "fuel agreement" or pay for fuel in advance - be sure to mention the state contract); please provide all original receipts.
  • The use of a state vehicle. Reimbursement for state vehicles are handled by sending VIVA an invoice from your library. Please include documentation about the use of the car.
  • Travelers from GMU will have their normal commute to work deducted from the mileage for the trip, per institutional policy.
     
• Travelers from VIVA's independent member institutions are exempt from the Commonwealth's requirement to use the Enterprise Vehicle program.  They will be reimbursed for either:
  • Mileage at the personal rate of $0.67 if a personal vehicle is used.
  • The cost of a rental vehicle and gas (please note that in no instance should you enter into a "fuel agreement" or pay for fuel in advance - be sure to mention the state contract); please provide all original receipts.
    
• Overnight trips must be pre-approved by the VIVA Office. Please see the Overnight Trips Planning Guidelines below. 
   
• Receipts are required for all lodging reimbursement requests, vehicle rental and gas reimbursement requests, and toll and parking reimbursement requests.
   
• Travelers with special circumstances should contact the VIVA Office before making travel arrangements.

Travel Forms

Please use the following forms for authorization and reimbursement requests:

All travel form links are located on the top left side of the website.

Travel Authorization Form (PDF) See example form on the top left side 
Overnight Travel Expense Reimbursement Form (PDF) See example form on the top left side (leave signatures of supervisor and approving official blank - VIVA will authorize)
Mileage Travel Reimbursement Form (PDF) See example form on the top left side (leave signatures of supervisor and approving official blank - VIVA will authorize)
W-9 (PDF) ( required for all VIVA travelers) See example form on the top left side

If you are not including a W-9, scan your form and receipts and send them to vivatrvl@gmu.edu.  If you need to send a W-9, please write to vivatrvl@gmu.edu to request a secure email.

Do not send forms directly to the GMU Travel Office or enter travel directly into the George Mason Travel Request System. For budgeting and tracking purposes, all reimbursement requests need to be submitted directly to the VIVA Office.

VIVA appreciates the time and effort of all VIVA participants, and wants to help VIVA travelers receive their rightful reimbursements as expeditiously as possible. If you have any questions about a particular trip or VIVA travel in general, please don't hesitate to contact the VIVA office at vivatrvl@gmu.edu or viva@gmu.edu.

Overnight Trips Planning Guidelines

Travelers planning overnight trips should submit a Travel Authorization request prior to traveling, as pre-approval by the VIVA Office is required.  Lodging reimbursements for one-day events are typically only approved when the traveler resides more than a two and a half hour drive from the event venue. If this presents a significant obstacle to your ability to attend an event, please contact the VIVA Office - we will do our best to accommodate travelers as needed.

Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE)

• Travelers receive a per diem for meals when traveling overnight based on GMU's M&IE and Lodging Table. The standard in-state M&IE rate is $68. Several locations are identified as having higher M&IE rates. If your travel destination is not listed, use the standard rate.
• Travel days, or the day at the beginning and end of your trip, are Partial Days reimbursed at 75% of a location's per diem meal allowance plus the $5 incidental allowance (see Table 1).  The return day allowance is based on the rate at the location where the traveler spent the prior night.
• The per diem amount must be reduced when meals are "free" or covered in conference registration. Continental breakfasts or in-flight snacks are not considered official meals.

Lodging

Lodging rates are specified in the GMU M&IE Lodging Rates Tables. Reimbursement will be for the actual cost of the room and cannot exceed established maximums. You must submit the original "zero balance" receipt(s). Lodging rates in the M&IE and Lodging Table do not include taxes and surcharges. Lodging taxes and surcharges are reimbursable.

Note: High cost rates are 100% more than the rates shown in the table, but must be pre-approved through the use of the Travel Authorization Form. The most common reason for requesting a high cost rate is that the hotel is the conference host.