By KARA E. SMITH

Between crowded flights, impersonal hotel rooms and mediocre restaurant food, there aren't many pluses to business travel. And the hoops state employees have to jump through to get reimbursed for travel-expenses sometimes just make it worse.

However, while state officials can't do much to personalize your hotel room or get you more leg room in coach, state Comptroller H. Carl McCall recently issued new reimbursement guidelines designed to simplify the state travel-reimbursement program and make traveling for the state less onerous.

The new guidelines modify the American Express Corporate Card Program and other reimbursement rules. Under the new program, the state, rather than employees, will be billed directly for employees' business-travel expenses.

New program far from perfect

However, while the new guidelines help cut through bureaucratic red tape, they are not a perfect solution. "Although American Express now bills the state directly for charged expenses, we understand that the employee holding the card remains responsible for any charges the state fails to pay," said PEF associate counsel Elizabeth Hough. "Participating members must also submit to personal credit checks."

Since the state is eliminating the old lodging-and-travel-request program, members' traveling on state business have few alternatives but to join the "voluntary" American Express program.
"We're aggressively working to address our members' concerns and ensure the American Express program remains truly voluntary," Hough said.

Other problems have developed at the agency level, since some departments, including the state Transportation Department, Labor Department and Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities have refused to implement certain aspects of the program.

"Many agencies are failing to implement the new mileage-reimbursement rule and relaxed-receipt requirements for incidental expenses," Hough said. "We're working with the Governor's Office of Employee Relations to resolve these problems.

"Meanwhile, PEF will file grievances, where necessary, to protect our members' rights," she said.

Program offers some benefits

Despite these problems, the new travel program offers a number of welcome benefits. For instance, it eliminates the need for receipts for incidental expenses that fall under $75, including tolls, parking, taxis and local bus or train fares.

Employees will now be reimbursed for reasonable commercial transportation to and from airports and train stations. And meal allowances for non-overnight travel have risen to $5 for breakfast and $12 for dinner.

The old complex mileage-reimbursement policies also have been revamped.
"Employees will now be reimbursed for the actual mileage they incur while going to and from a worksite other than their official station," Hough said. "The new system abandons old mileage rules which sometimes shortchanged employees on reimbursement."

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