Travel Reimbursement for LOUIS Members

Who Qualifies for Travel Reimbursement?

Occasionally LOUIS offers travel cost reimbursement for members to attend meetings or training sessions.  We will announce ahead of the scheduled event if we are able to offer reimbursement and to whom it applies.

If the meeting is for System Administrators, Electronic Resources Administrators, ILL Administrators, or Affordable Learning Administrators, the primary and secondary admins are eligible for reimbursement.

LOUIS travel reimbursement is available only to eligible travelers whose institution is at least 150 miles each way from the meeting location. Distance is calculated from your institution's address, not your home or another departure location.

What Costs Can Be Reimbursed?

Transportation

Rental vehicle

Please see PPM49 for details. You must submit gas and rental receipts for reimbursement. If compact is not available, Compact rate must still apply. Midsize or higher car rental must be pre-approved by LOUIS. 

If a rental is needed for overnight travel, reimbursement will be for two-day rental only. Rental charges should begin an hour before departure to the event and end at the time of car rental return the following day. 

Every effort should be made to pick up the rental car and drop off the rental car within the planned travel time to and from the event. 

The car rental company may ask you for a discount code or corporate account number. You can check with your institution to find out if there is a code you can use. We are bound by the reimbursement rules for the Board of Regents.

Personal vehicle

Mileage reimbursement rates are determined by the U.S. GSA.

Lodging

LOUIS will reimburse one overnight stay at a hotel of your choice, up to the applicable state lodging rate, which varies depending on the location of the meeting. You may either:

• check-in the day before the meeting and check-out the day of the meeting; or
• check-in the day of the meeting and check-out the day after the meeting.

You will need to bring a copy of your institution's tax-exempt form with you to the hotel to waive state tax. We can reimburse the room rate and applicable city, parish, local, and occupancy taxes only. State tax is not reimbursable.  

For reimbursement, you must submit to LOUIS a paid receipt from the hotel with the amount charged to your card. 

Meals

If you qualify for reimbursement and are traveling overnight, then you also qualify for a per diem reimbursement for your meals. You do not need to submit receipts to qualify.

Rates

All travel reimbursement amounts are subject to change. To confirm reimbursement rates, please check the state travel policy.

When Do You Need to Request Reimbursement?

We are required to complete pre-authorization forms before the travel date for any travelers seeking reimbursement. We will usually email an RSVP form where you submit required information so that we can complete the pre-travel authorization form on your behalf. If we do not receive the required information before the travel date, we cannot reimburse expenses.

After the Event

All receipts (With the exception of meals) can be submitted to Darcy the day of the meeting.  Receipts can also be sent to darcy.waguespack@laregents.edu.  

We will need from you the following:

• Time you left your domicile (home) to attend the meeting.  This is the time your travel began
• Time you arrived back home to your domicile (home). This is the time you arrive home from the event which is the end of your travel time
• Physical home address where payment will be mailed USPS. 

Additional Notes

Any additional travel either before or after the scheduled LOUIS event and whether personal or business will not be reimbursed.

Travel reimbursement assumes and considers allowable travel time, mileage, etc. to a LOUIS scheduled event and travel time, mileage, etc. return from LOUIS scheduled event.

** All travel and reimbursements should be in accordance and follow the specific travel guidelines found in PPM 49 Travel Policy.