Upon completion of travel to conference/professional activity

Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 30 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 Staff Development 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/Mileage/Train): the itemized original receipt indicating that payment has been received or a credit card statement showing your name and charge and itinerary.

Taxi, Shuttle, Rental Car, Parking: original receipts

Lodging: List each date. The 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, 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.

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 January 1st, 2024:

• Mileage reimbursement is $0.67 cents per mile (Increase 1.5 cents from the current rate of $0.655 per mile) — do not round up or down mileage, for example if the miles come out to be 37.5 list 37.5 do not round up or down.

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, 2024:

Please see the NOCCCD website for our updated 2024 Meals per diem rates.

Important
All receipts for registration, lodging, 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)- your name, receipts with a visible pickup and drop off location. 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 allowed by the district but not preferred.​
• 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 accurate reimbursement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens once my travel is approved?
Once activity/travel is approved by the appropriate VP, the Staff Development admin will generate the RQ in Banner. Staff Development 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 Professional Learning Committee. 

How long does approval take?
Staff Development Funding applications take about 2-4 weeks to approve. To ensure that your application gets considered, submit your Travel Request Forms with Dissemination Plans 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 Professional Learning 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 applicant is denied, the Staff Development 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 Coordinator, Cynthia Guardado via email: cguardado@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

Staff Development 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—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 last 4th Thursday in the regular semester. Please submit your PAR at the latest on the Monday before the last meeting for any given 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 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 jlopez@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 Jason Lopez (jlopez@fullcoll.edu) 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 Staff Development.

Once conference/activity is approved by the appropriate VP, Staff Development personnel will generate the RQ in Banner. Staff Development personnel 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 to create your Travel Expense Report which breaks down all of your reimbursements.

All Professional Activity expenses should be covered by the staff member. 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 Jason Lopez jlopez@fullcoll.edu for conference/travel funded by Staff Development or to their division (department) office staff for all other conference/travel. Reimbursement requests funded by Staff Development must be submit within 30 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 contact Jason Lopez at x25005 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 ready when to complete the PAR.

Complete the form with as much detail as possible about your conference.

a. Give an accurate estimate of expenses. It is recommended to overestimate on the total amount since the amount listed on your PAR is the only amount you will be approved for. You will only be reimbursed by the amount indicated on your PAR. PARs will be used to create your Requisition for your funding.

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

Once you have your IMS signature, please submit your PAR and Dissemination Plan via the Microsoft Form on the Staff Development Website https://staffdev.fullcoll.edu/travel/ 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 PAR. Both must be submitted to have a completed application. The Dissemination Plan should be submitted with your PAR on a separate document. 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 Professional conference/travel Request. 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 forall 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 indicatingthat payment has been received with your name on it, and number of occupants, must be attached.
   1. Air BNBs are allowed by the district, but not preferred.
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.