Travel - Procedure 20335v

Procedure 20335v: Travel and Meal Expense Reimbursement Request

Contacts and revision dates:

The Chrome River System is the correct system to use for reimbursement of:

• Business travel expenses
• Meal Expenses for entertaining university visitors while on travel status
• Recruiting business meal expenses

The Chrome River system is available to all employees and is the system that should be used for travel reimbursements.  The system electronically routes travel reimbursement documents to the traveler, department approvers, and central office employees for review.  Travelers can assign delegates for themselves in the Chrome River system and the delegate can create the travel documents in the electronic system for the traveler; however, the traveler must electronically approve these documents in the system.  Receipts and other supporting documentation are attached as images to the electronic documents in the system.  Original receipts must be kept by the department for one year after the end of the fiscal year in which the reimbursement requests were created.  All electronic travel documents created in the Chrome River system along with images of receipts can be queried at a later date.  There is no need to print these documents and maintain them in the department files.   

Expenses for each day must be listed separately. No payment will be made for unspecified costs. The travel reimbursement request must show all facts necessary to support the amount of the claim and to fully justify its payment. A brief explanation must be made of any unusual expense. Attach invoices or receipts whenever required to support expenses. Receipts are necessary when expenses are for recruiting new employees or entertaining university visitors in the Blacksburg area or official station. 

If invoices/receipts are in foreign currency, the rate of dollar exchange and the amount of U.S. dollars must be entered on each reimbursement request if the currency conversion feature is not used in the Chrome River system. 

The reimbursement request should be submitted for payment by the employee to his/her approver within thirty (30) working days after completion of the trip, where overnight travel is involved, or in case if continuous travel, within thirty (30) working days of the last day of travel for which reimbursement is requested. In all instances, the reimbursement request must be submitted to the authorized approver for approval and forwarded to the Controller’s Office within sixty (60) days after return from the business trip.  For all travel reimbursement requests, the traveler's supervisor must approve the request within five (5) working days of receipt from employee. In the case of a non-state employee, the authorized approver must approve the request within five (5) working days of receipt from non-state employee’s delegate. Upon receipt of all requests, the department fiscal office must promptly enter the request in the Chrome River system within five (5) working days.  If travel reimbursements are not claimed within the prescribed schedule, the Controller's Office may require an explanation for the delay. 

The expenses will be paid by direct deposit usually within 7-10 days after being submitted to the Controller's Office.

Detailed instructions for preparing and submitting the Travel Reimbursement Request can be found on the Chrome River website under Training. 

Note: Rates are subject to change each month for international locations.

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