Operating Policy and Procedure
HSC OP: 79.04, International Travel
PURPOSE: The purpose of this Health Sciences Center Operating Policy and Procedure (HSC OP) is to establish the policies and procedures for granting approval of international travel when conducting university-related business.
REVIEW: This HSC OP will be reviewed on December 1 of each odd-numbered year (ONY) by the Managing Director of Procurement Services and the Office of Global Health, with recommendations for revisions forwarded to the Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations.
POLICY/PROCEDURE:
1. Required Approvals.
Prior approval from the President’s Office is required for all international travel, including Canada and Mexico, when conducting university-related business within one’s capacity as a faculty or staff member regardless of the source of funds being used, even if paid from personal or third-party funds. Approval must be obtained prior to the start of the trip and prior to incurring any travel expenses. The approval process is online and can be found at the International Travel Approval System website: https://app4.ttuhsc.edu/ForeignTravelApproval/. Evidence of international travel approval must be provided with the expense report.
Travel that has been approved by the Office of the President may be subject to additional review if there is a change in circumstances and/or additional review is deemed necessary.
The university, in its sole discretion, may withdraw approval for or insist on modifications of international travel at any time. The Office of the President has final decision-making authority on university-related international travel for all TTUHSC team members.
Travel to U.S. possessions does not need to be approved under this HSC OP and will be processed under TTUHSC OP 79.02.
2. Professional Travel to Foreign Adversary Nations.
By directive of the Texas Governor’s Executive Order No. GA-48, no university personnel (including employees) shall travel to, for professional purposes, a country on the U.S. Department of Commerce's foreign adversaries list under 15 C.F.R. § 791.4. This policy is governed by Texas Tech University System Regulation 07.16.
3. Higher-Risk Destinations.
Travel to destinations that have been determined to be Higher-Risk Destinations, as provided below, will require the completion of additional steps prior to approval to demonstrate special efforts to mitigate risk, including health, safety, and security. Travelers must coordinate such requests through the TTUHSC Office of Global Health.
Destinations considered Higher-Risk Destinations include, but are not limited to:
• U.S. Department of State travel advisory level 3 (Reconsider Travel) and 4 (Do Not
Travel), and
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notice Warning Level
3 (Avoid Nonessential Travel).
To determine the travel advisory level assigned by the U.S. Department of State, please visit the following website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/.
To determine the travel health notice warning level assigned by the CDC, please visit the following website: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices.
It is the responsibility of the traveler to continually monitor the health, safety, & security status of their destination prior to and during travel and immediately notify the Office of Global Health should the status change to meet the Higher-Risk Destination criteria.
Approved travel that is NOT yet in progress when a destination becomes a Higher-Risk Designation is automatically suspended pending additional review by the Office of the President.
Travel that is in-progress when a location becomes higher risk must be reviewed by the Office of the President to determine if the threat is imminent and if travelers should be recalled or relocated.
If it is determined that travel must be canceled due to a change in the health, safety, or security status of the destination, the employee must seek a refund for any prepaid expenses (such as airline/hotel) in order to mitigate the loss of funds. If vendors refuse reimbursement of prepaid expenses and approval was obtained from the President’s Office prior to incurring costs, TTUHSC will issue reimbursement of cancellation charges on a local funding source only. TTUHSC has no obligation to reimburse any travel expense if approval was not obtained under this policy.
3. State Appropriated Funds.
Reimbursement for travel to international countries on state appropriated funds is only allowed for Canada and Mexico. State appropriate funds cannot be used for travel reimbursement to any other international destination.
4. Allowable Expenses.
Employees may be reimbursed actual expenses when traveling on university-related business to international countries. Original itemized receipts must be provided for lodging and when claiming actual expenses for meals. Per Diem is not allowed on lodging however employees can request per diem for meals when traveling on official business to international destinations, excluding Canada and Mexico. Required documentation to be submitted with the travel expense report for international meal per diem is a screen shot from the U.S. Department of State website listing the allowable rate by location. Itemized meal receipts are not required when per diem is claimed.
Conservation of funds is encouraged. Departments and areas may set lower rates and vary them as they choose. Requiring receipts and reimbursing actual expenses is encouraged when possible.