Travel Policy and Guidelines

General Guidelines and Responsibilities

• Employees are in travel status when they are more than 35 miles from both their official station and their home (defined in the Official Station Section of this manual).
• The designation of official station will be determined by agency management in the best interest of the State and not for the convenience of the employee. The Comptroller's Office reserves the right to request justification from an agency to support its designation of official station. Official station designation relates to the position, not to the person (e.g., a full-time employee working for one agency in one position will have only one official station; a part-time employee working for two agencies in two different positions will have two official stations). 
• Travel between the employee’s home and official station is considered commuting and should not be reimbursed.
• Expense reports (e.g., Travel Voucher AC132-S) must be submitted within 10 days of the end of the travel event to account for all expenses, reimburse the traveler for out-of-pocket expenses, and reconcile the associated agency travel card charges. Employees are still required to submit expense reports to account for all expenses even if they miss the 10-day submission window.
• Agencies should check OGS contracts for the type of travel-related services available. Currently, OGS has contracts for car rentals, air travel, and centralized travel agent services, both statewide and regional. Travel agents may charge a transaction fee for various services. You can obtain more information on these contracts through the OGS web site.​
• Forms may be signed manually using a wet signature or digitally using a Digital ID .

The Responsibility of the Traveler & Supervisor is to…

• know the State and college travel rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• complete a Spending Justification Request and obtain approval to verify that funding is available for reimbursement of expenses. (certain exceptions apply)
• accurately complete and submit a Travel Request with all necessary documentation prior to travel, even if there is no request for reimbursement.
• request the use of a fleet vehicle  OR make reservations for a rental, and obtain the necessary approvals before the trip
• know your official station and its effect on your eligibility for travel reimbursement
• secure the most economical method of travel , if renting or taking personal vehicle the state will reimburse the lesser of .76c/mile for personal vehicle or rental whichever is cheaper .
• obtain all necessary travel documents, exceptions, waivers, and justifications if expenses are beyond the normal reimbursement (e.g., tax-exempt certificate, exceeding max lodging requests, etc.).
• acquire and use a State-Issued Travel Card to minimize out-of-pocket expenses.
• maintain and include an accurate record of expenses including departure and return times, mileage, and required receipts or documentation when submitting requests and expense reports.
• submit reimbursement claims for only actual allowed expenses within reimbursement rate limits.
• correctly complete and submit a Travel Voucher AC132-S, original/itemized receipts, and other required documents to the Accounts Payable Office within 10 days of the end of the travel event.

Determining Travel Status

When an employee is on an assignment at a work location MORE THAN 35 MILES FROM BOTH THEIR OFFICIAL STATION AND THEIR HOME, THEY ARE CONSIDERED IN TRAVEL STATUS and are eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses in accordance with this Travel Manual. Employees must obtain appropriate approvals prior to traveling for an assignment.

Fraudulent Claims – Section 175.35 Penal Law

Offering a false instrument for filing is a Class "E" Felony. Employees, including supervisors, who knowingly misrepresent the facts concerning travel for official business or who file or sign any travel form which contains deliberate false statements given with intent to defraud the State may be subject both to administrative and/or disciplinary action, including the possibility of termination and criminal action.