Mr. Kenneth Brynien

President

Public Employees Federation, AFL-CIO

1168-70 Troy-Schenectady Road

P.O. Box 12414

Albany, New York 12212-2414

Re: Policy on Travel in Proximity of Official Station or Home

Dear Mr. Brynien:

This is to confirm our understanding reached during the course of negotiations of the 2007-2011 Agreement on the subject of mileage reimbursement when an employee is not in travel status (i.e. when the employee is doing business within 35 miles of his or her home or official station).

1) The Office of the State Comptroller will amend the Travel Manual to address the appropriate reimbursement of transportation expenses incurred by an employee when he or she travels to an alternate work location less than 35 miles from his or her home or official station. The amendment to the Travel Manual will establish the following:

When an employee is assigned to work at an alternate work location less than 35 miles from home or official station, the employee is not considered to be in travel status. However, an employee may be entitled to reimbursement of transportation expenses associated with travel to the alternate work location. At minimum, mileage will be reimbursed at the appropriate mileage reimbursement rate as established in Article 8.2 using the “lesser of mileage rule.” This rule provides that employees will be reimbursed the lesser of 1) mileage from home to the alternate work location or 2) mileage from the official station to the alternate work location. Agency management will continue to have the discretion to establish a reasonable reimbursement policy that provides for reimbursement in excess of the “lesser of mileage rule” for business-related mileage when an employee is not in travel status.

2) Section 8.2 of the Comptroller’s Rules and Regulations and the OSC Travel Manual will be changed to establish the “lesser of mileage rule” consistent with the above policy change.

3) The above policy will be effective September 1, 2008. One month prior to the September 1, 2008 effective date, each agency will advise its employees of the policy it has adopted regarding reimbursement for travel in the proximity of the official station

or home. Effective September 1, 2008, the policy adopted by the agency will supercede all agency policies that provide otherwise, no matter what the source of the policy.

4) The amendment to the Travel Manual, Section 8.2 of the Comptroller’s Rules and Regulations, or an agency’s issuance or implementation of policy which are consistent with and are adopted solely to implement the terms of pursuant to paragraph three above, may not be grieved or form the basis for an improper practice charge, or any other legal or administrative action.

Sincerely,

John Currier

Deputy Director for Contract Negotiation and Administration

Governor’s Office of Employee Relations

Countersigned for PEF:

Kenneth Brynien

President

Back to Gains and Tradeoffs