COVID-19 Related Travel Cancelation and Reimbursement

On March 9, the UCSF Budget and Resource Management department-issued guidance for handling financial implications of COVID-19. Included in that document are instructions on how to process expense reimbursements due to trip cancellations related to the virus. Supply Chain Management has posted those instructions below as well as contact information for travel emergency assistance.

How to Process Expense Reimbursements Due to Trip Cancellation Related to COVID-19

For any MyExpense Reimbursement Requests related to trip cancellation due to COVID-19, enter the following information:

• Business Purpose: COVID-19 Trip Cancellation
• Chartstrings: Department Chartstrings and COVID-19 Project ID ‘2014758’

I. Regardless of how the travel was booked, first obtain a refund or credit.

Air and Hotel – Request a refund directly from Connexxus travel agencies (e.g., BCD, UC Travel Center) or the travel provider outside of Connexxus.

If the flight was purchased through Connexxus, contact the travel agency below to determine if a credit voucher can be issued for future use. Most credit vouchers have a valid period of 12 months. Name change fees may apply.

• If the credit is not used within a specified number of days/time, the credit voucher is void.
• If there is any cancellation fee associated with canceled travel, submit a reimbursement through MyExpense.
• If a refund or credit voucher cannot be obtained, departments should incur the cost of canceled business travel. Departments may require documentation of the denial from the travel provider.

Conference Registration – Request a refund from the conference event organizer. Paid Registration Fees are being handled as follows:

II. If the travel provider (e.g., air, hotel, conference registration) refused to issue a refund or travel credit, the traveler should submit a claim through the UC Travel Insurance Program which may reimburse up to $2,000. The UC Travel Insurance Program will only cover international travel.

• The traveler may submit a claim (for up to $2,000) through the UC Travel Insurance Program. See detailed step-by-step guide below.
• The claim form is available on the UCOP website.
• As part of the claim, travelers should provide the following:
  • Documentation that the traveler requested a refund and/or travel credit and denial from the service provider
  • Whether planned travel was to one of the CDC Warning – Level 2, 3 or 4 - Travel Notice countries OR
  • A detailed explanation how the business activity was actually affected, or resulted in an effective cancellation as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19). For example, an employee was traveling for a symposium to a currently unaffected region, but the organizer canceled the event because key speakers from affected regions were unable to attend.

III. Submit a business travel expense reimbursement request through MyExpense if
          a) the claim requirement for the UC Travel Insurance Program is not met, or
          b) the amount exceeded $2000, submit a reimbursement request through MyExpense.

• Required reimbursement guidelines and receipt requirements Business Travel Reimbursement: Made Easy
• A copy of the insurance claim with all relevant supporting documentation if UC Travel Insurance Claim is denied

Step-by-Step Claim Submission for International Travel Cancellation

• To submit a claim, complete the claim form (link is external) on the UCOP website.
• When booking travel with Connexxus or when signing up for travel insurance, the traveler should have received an email which links to an insurance card. Below is an example of the Travel Insurance Card:

•  
• When completing the claim form, provide the policy number listed on the travel insurance card, listed under “University of California” on the top.
• NOTE: The policy number and group ID for students is different than that of faculty/staff. Please be sure to use the correct policy number and group ID.
• The policy holder is the traveler.
• The program name is the title of the event you were traveling for (ex. Study Abroad 2020 or International Research Conference, etc.).
• The group leader is the name of the person running the program, or if an employee was traveling alone, it is the name of the traveler.
• The date the incident occurred can be N/A

For more information on insurance coverage for domestic and international travel, please see visit Risk Management & Insurance Service’s Business Travel Insurance webpage.