Professional Learning Office

Upon Completion of Travel to Conference/Professional Activity

Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 15 days of the completion of travel or by June 10th, whichever comes first.

Submit copies of required supporting documentation to staffdev@fullcoll.edu. Errors or omissions generally cause delays in getting reimbursed so please refer to the steps below and contact the PLO at staffdev@fullcoll.edu for assistance.

Required Supporting Documentation

Registration: the conference flyer (including agenda) and original registration receipt indicating that payment has been received.

Transportation (Flight/Train/ Mileage): You do not need to submit receipts for mileage. For all other booked travel please provide an itemized original receipt indicating that payment has been paid for by a card under your name that shows your name, charge, and itinerary. Please note the district will not reimburse travel (flights, trains, etc.) paid for by gift cards or points.  This is a district policy, not a policy of Fullerton College’s Professional Learning Office (PLO).

Taxi, Shuttle, Rental Car, Parking: original receipts or a credit card statement showing your name, charge, and itinerary. Effective May 2026: receipts are no longer required if n individual charge is under $35.

Lodging: List each date and provide an itemized original receipt or a credit card statement showing your name and charge. Please note you will only be reimbursed for the cost of each night of your stay. Additional expenses such as room service, food, and other optional hotel expenses will not be reimbursed. Per District and Business Office Policy (AP 7400), the conference must be 50 miles or more away from Fullerton College in order to apply for hotel lodging. Conferences closer than 50 miles will not be approved for hotel reimbursement unless submitted with a Business Necessity Form (BNF) signed by your IMS.

Mileage: If driving to the conference, please provide the mileage and map of Fullerton College to the conference and back. You will only be reimbursed this mileage when driving yourself. (Special circumstances may include living close to the conference and driving from home and back. Please contact Staff Development staffdev@fullcoll.edu for more information)

Effective July 1st, 2026:

Mileage reimbursement is $0.76 cents per mile — do not round up or down mileage, for example if the miles come out to be 37.5, list 37.5.

Meals: List each meal for each date separately. No receipts are needed for meals as you are reimbursed at the Rates for Reimbursement Per Diems. Meals included as part of the conference fee will not be reimbursed. You must include a copy of the conference agenda with meals highlighted if you are claiming reimbursement for meals. 

Effective January 1st, 2025:

Please see the NOCCCD website for our updated Meals Per Diem rates.

Important
All receipts for registration, lodging, and airfare/train fare must have your name on the receipt (not handwritten on) if you are requesting reimbursement.

Tips for Reimbursement

• To ensure you are fully reimbursed for your travel, please overestimate your expenses (many hotels have fees that are not disclosed when you make the reservation). This is important because we can only reimburse the total amount you included on your PAR.​
• You will be reimbursed for the total on your receipts. For example, if your PAR estimated $1800 but you only spent $1600, you will only be reimbursed for $1600.​
• Hotel receipt: a copy of the hotel invoice that includes all daily charges and a remaining balance of $0. Please note that your hotel receipt must say one occupant in order to get your full reimbursement.
• Lyft/Uber/Taxi/etc. receipt(s): receipts only required if a single transaction exceeds $35. Receipt must include your name and visible pickup and drop off locations. If you are attending night events, please keep a copy of the event flyer or the event details from the conference program.
• Airbnb’s are not allowed by the district.
• Receipts for food are not needed, you will be reimbursed based on the per diem meal rates. Please refer to district website: NOCCCD | Reimbursement Rates or our Reimbursement Rates page on our website for current reimbursement rates/.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens once my travel is approved?
Once activity/travel is approved by the appropriate VP, the PLO admin will generate the RQ in Banner. The PLO will also send confirmation of the assigned PO# and, upon completion of the activity/travel, electronic versions of the necessary travel reimbursement forms and instructions.

What if my travel is rejected?
If the application has been rejected, it may be possible for applicants to revise and resubmit upon consultation and review from the PLC.

How long does approval take?
PLO Funding applications take about 2-4 weeks to approve. To ensure that your application gets considered, submit your application (PAR, Dissemination Plan, and BNF if needed) the week before the next PLC meeting.

What is the approval process?
Applications require review and approval by your Immediate Management Supervisor/Area Dean. Once receiving approval, the staff member must submit their PAR and Dissemination Plan via the Microsoft Form. Funding applications are then reviewed and voted on by the Professional Learning Committee. The deadline to submit your application and be put on the next meeting agenda is the Friday before the next meeting. The Professional Learning Committee Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.

Once the application has been voted upon by the Committee, applicants will be notified of the result by the Monday following the meeting during which the application was considered. If the application has been approved by the committee, it will proceed to the appropriate Vice President for final approval. If the application is denied, the Professional Learning Coordinator will reach out and may provide further instructions of resubmission.

Procedures for Professional Activity Requests (PAR)

Conditions for Staff Development Funding: Attendee agrees to share information according to submitted DISSEMINATION PLAN within six months to one year following the funded conference or professional activity and submit a Dissemination Activity Follow-up Form.

PART 1: Preliminary Steps

Identify a conference or professional activity (i.e. conventions, workshops, trainings, speaker series, etc) you would like to attend. If you have any questions regarding your activity and whether or not it qualifies please reach out to Professional Learning Office at staffdev@fullcoll.edu. 

Submit your requests at least 4-6 weeks before your travel dates to allow ample time. If your request is for international travel, submit your request 8-10 weeks in advance to allow ample time for board approval. The Professional Learning Committee does NOT approve retroactive requests (those that are submitted after the conference date has passed).

PART 2: Complete PAR and Dissemination Plan

Forms and guidelines for completing each of these can be found on top of this page (Section: How to Apply). The approval process below explains the timeframe for approval completion, you should allow ample time for the approval process before your scheduled conference date.

If you would like step-by-step instructions to filling out a PAR. Please jump to the bottom of this page (Section: Additional Information). Please note that group submissions for single Professional Activity Requests are not accepted.

PART 3: Overview of the PAR Approval Process

PLO funding applications require review and approval by your Immediate Management Supervisor (IMS) /Area Dean.

a) Please be sure that you submit your request for IMS approval in a timely fashion—approximately one month in advance for domestic travel and three months in advance for international travel. The PLC will NOT approve retroactive requests (those that are submitted after the conference date has passed).

Once you receive your Immediate Management Supervisor/Area Dean’s approval, please submit your Professional Activity Request and Dissemination Plan. Forms are available on top of this page (Section: How to Apply).

The Professional Learning Committee meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month only during the regular semester.

a) The deadline to submit a PAR for approval is the Thursday before the last committee meeting in the regular semester. The PLC does NOT approve retroactive requests (those submitted after you’ve already attended the conference). Therefore, it is important to submit PARs in advance if your conference dates land between regular semesters or before the first PLC meeting of the semester. You may need to submit your PAR for approval during the previous semester depending on your conference dates. If you have any questions, please contact staffdev@fullcoll.edu.

b) Funding applications are reviewed over a two-week period and then voted upon during the meetings.

Once the application has been voted upon by the PLC, applicants will be notified of the result the following week.

a) If the PLC has questions about the application that delay approval, it may be necessary for applicants to revise and resubmit upon consultation with the Professional Learning Coordinator.

b) If the application has been approved by the committee, it will proceed to the appropriate Vice President for final approval.

PART 4: Post-Approval PAR Process for Travel & Reimbursement

A week before your travel, you will receive an email from the PLO admin detailing all receipts and documents needed when you return to create your Travel Expense Report. This report will detail everything from your travel, which you have a receipt for, that is eligible for reimbursement through the PLO.

Once conference/activity is approved by the appropriate VP, the PLO admin will generate the RQ in Banner. The PLO admin will also send confirmation of the assigned PO#.

All Professional Activity expenses should be covered by the traveler. It is expected that they pay registration and related expenses in advance and then will be reimbursed by the district in a single check.

Upon completion of conference/travel the employee should submit copies of receipts and supporting documentation (noted below) to staffdev@fullcoll.edu for conference/travel funded by the PLO or to their division (department) office staff for all other conference/travel. Reimbursement requests funded by the PLO must be submitted within 15 calendar days of the completion of travel or by June 10th, whichever comes first. Errors or omissions generally cause delays in getting reimbursed so please refer to the PAR Reimbursement Reminders below and the PLO for assistance.

Additional Information

Instructions on How to Fill Out a Professional Activity Request (PAR)

Please review the document to ensure you have all information available and are ready to complete the PAR.

Complete the form with as much detail as possible about your professional activity.

a. It is recommended you overestimate on the total expenses since the amount listed on your PAR for which will be approved is the maximum reimbursement amount allowed. PARs will be used to create your Requisition for your funding. Should any unexpected fees/charges come up during your professional activity, they will not be reimbursed if they exceed your PAR approved amounts.

b. Refer to our website’s Reimbursement Rates for accurate rates on Meals Per Diem and Mileage: https://staffdev.fullcoll.edu/per-diem/

Send the PAR to your Immediate Management Supervisor (IMS) for approval and signature. You MUST receive your IMS approval and signature before submitting your PAR to the PLO.

Once you have your IMS signature, please submit your application (PAR, Dissemination Plan, and BNF if necessary) via the Microsoft Form on the PLO Website, linked above. Your application will be added to the PLC meeting agenda to be reviewed and voted on by the committee.

Your Dissemination Plan is part of your application. It must be submitted along with your PAR (as separate documents) in the same Microsoft Form to have a completed application. Please review the Dissemination Plan Guidelines which can be found at the top of this page in the following section:  How to Apply. 

PAR Reimbursement Reminders

1. The “Total Due Employee” amount should not exceed the maximum amount that was on the original PAR. Employees will NOT be reimbursed for more than the originally requested amount.
2. You will be reimbursed for the total on your receipts. For example, if your PAR estimated $1800 but you only spent $1600, you will only be reimbursed for $1600. It is important to include receipts for all relevant expenses.
3. Receipts for food are not needed: you will be reimbursed based on the per diem meal rates. Please refer to our website for rates: https://staffdev.fullcoll.edu/per-diem/
4. Attach the conference/professional activity agenda and original registration receipt indicating that payment has been received.
5. Attach proof that meals were not provided at the conference/professional activity.
6. If claiming lodging, an itemized original receipt indicating that payment has been received with your name and the number of occupants must be attached. Airbnb (or similar) rentals are not allowed.
7. If claiming transportation, an original receipt indicating that payment has been received with your name on it, pick-up and drop-off location, and date must be attached for each individual ride if the single expense exceeds $35.