[Ncep.list.grouptravel] AMS registration processing fee reimbursement

Mon Jan 28 20:45:17 UTC 2019

All,

If you have any approved travelers who registered for the AMS Annual
meeting before the lapse in appropriation and used a government-issued
travel card to cover the registration fee, they should have received a
reimbursement from AMS, less the $75 processing fee.

As noted below, employees should seek reimbursement for the $75 processing
fee that is not credited back to the card or refunded directly to the
employee by AMS. This reimbursement should be processed in the original E2
authorization as a voucher. Zero out all costs except $75 for registration.

If your traveler's authorization was already canceled in E2, then process
the $75 voucher as a local travel reimbursement.

Genene

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: NWS Communications Office - NOAA Service Account <
nws.communications.office at noaa.gov>
Date: Thu, Jan 3, 2019 at 1:49 PM
Subject: AMS Conference - Official NOAA Participation Cancelled
To:

Request for Posting:

Mary Erickson

Deputy Director, National Weather Service

Subject Line:

AMS Conference - Official NOAA Participation Cancelled

Distribution:

NOAA Employees Scheduled to Attend AMS Annual Meeting

[image: All Hands.JPG]

NOAA has determined that due to the lapse in appropriations, NOAA will not
be able to participate in the AMS; all official NOAA travel to the AMS is
cancelled.  As Group Travel lead for the AMS Conference, NWS is
distributing this email to all on the Group Travel List. We ask that senior
leaders in an Excepted or Intermittent status use phone trees to ensure all
employees are aware of this decision.  Dealing with the impacts of the
shutdown on our scheduled attendance at AMS is considered a shutdown
activity.

Starting today, NOAA will take actions for prudent cost avoidance.

   1.

   Registration Fees: NOAA will send the AMS a list of all NOAA employees
   on the approved group travel list, and will ask that our pre-registrations
   be cancelled, and funds reimbursed (less the $75 processing fee). The AMS
   has agreed that this is the most efficient approach for them. You should
   receive a verification of this cancellation from AMS to your NOAA
email.  This
   is a change from yesterday’s guidance.

   1.

   Airline Tickets & SATO reservations: NOAA is notifying SATO that travel
   to Phoenix for all on the group travel list should be cancelled.  This may
   begin earlier than the normal 24h cancellation process.

Employee Responsibility:

   1.

   Hotel Reservations:  We recommend all employees personally call their
   hotel to cancel their reservation to avoid a cancellation fee.  Most
   reservations were not made through SATO. If you do not cancel your hotel
   reservations before the deadline, you will not be reimbursed for any costs
   incurred.

Following is additional guidance provided by the NOAA General Counsel in
coordination with NOAA AGO:

   -

   NOAA personnel who would have been speakers at the conference may not
   attend in their personal capacity and continue to be speakers.  This
   includes in person and remote presentations (for example, teleconference).

   -

   NOAA personnel who would be mere attendees at the conference may attend
   in their personal capacity at their own expense and without reimbursement
   when the lapse in appropriations ends.  In the event the lapse ends while
   the conference is ongoing and an employee chose to attend the conference in
   their personal capacity, the employee may be placed in a leave status.

   -

   NOAA personnel who previously registered using their Government-issued
   travel cards to pay for the conference registration, if NOAA’s
   participation at the conference must be cancelled because of the
   continuation of the lapse:

   -

   NOAA must inform those employees who would otherwise have been attending
   as speakers or attendees in their official capacity that NOAA must cancel
   its participation.

   -

   All travel authorizations must be rescinded and employees must be told
   that official travel is being cancelled.

   -

   Employees may optionally attend the conference in their personal
   capacity.

   -

   If the employee registered BEFORE the lapse in appropriations and used a
   Government-issued travel card to cover the registration fee, then:

   -

      If the employee decides to attend in their personal capacity, NOAA
      will not reimburse the employee for their registration fee, and if the
      employee has already been reimbursed by NOAA for use of their
travel card,
      the employee must remit the cost of the registration fee back to
NOAA.  The
      amount remitted may be credited back to the appropriation account from
      which it came as a refund.

   -

      If the employee decides NOT to attend in their personal capacity,
      they should cancel their registration.  Employees should seek
reimbursement
      for the cancellation fee that is not credited back to the card
or refunded
      directly to the employee by AMS.

   -

   If the employee registered AFTER the lapse in appropriations, then the
   Government will NOT reimburse the employee for any costs the employee
   incurred.

   -

   If an employee made their own common carrier or lodging arrangements
   rather than through the travel management center as required by the FTR and
   Department policy, and the arrangements are non-refundable, NOAA will be
   unable to reimburse the employee for any such costs.

   -

   Voluntary services and what may employees can do in their personal
   capacity vs official capacity.  If NOAA made an administrative
   determination that presenting or moderating a panel was in official
   capacity, then we must stick with that determination.  Employees can not
   voluntarily offer to perform their function (e.g., record presentation,
   video teleconference for presentation or panel, etc.)

   -

   Contractors.  A number of contractors will also be attending the AMS
   conference and certain contractor employees also have knowledge related to
   the issues for which government employees would have been presenting.
   There are two general variations on these inquiries:

   -

   Company is a contractor, will be at AMS irrespective of government
   participation, and employees of the Company have relevant knowledge or
   expertise.  If company wants to assist AMS and moderate or present on a
   topic for which they have employees who have the knowledge and expertise,
   then it is up them if they as a company want to do so. In this scenario it
   must be made clear to both AMS and the company that the Government is not
   asking or directing the company’s participation, that its
   participation/assistance is not within the scope of the contract with the
   Government, and that company’s participation/assistance to AMS is between
   AMS and company.  It should be made clear to the contractor that no costs
   associated with this effort can be billed to the government.

   -

   Company is a contractor, will be at AMS, and was also going as a
   government support contractor.  As a threshold matter, will need to
   determine what activity they are supporting. If government is not
   attending, then there is likely no need for support and it is not clear as
   to what they are supporting.  Under this scenario, it should again be made
   clear to the contractor that no costs associated with AMS attendance can be
   billed to the government.

   -

   If we are able to determine that the company is performing an activity
   under a government contract that continues at AMS, then will need to make
   sure:

   -

   contract was funded for this purpose prior to the lapse and the funding
   continues beyond the start of the lapse,

   -

   access to government systems and facilities are not required,

   -

   government personnel are not required to interact with or oversee
   contractor (we know that the relevant government employees are not
   otherwise funded nor exempt for this purpose), and

   -

   does not incur any additional government obligations

   -

   Financial Assistance Recipients (inclusive of grants, cooperative
   agreements, and scholarship beneficiaries).  A number of financial
   assistance recipients will also be attending and/or presenting at the AMS
   conference. This activity may continue consistent with the terms of the
   financial assistance award.

   -

   If we are able to determine that the recipient is performing an activity
   under a financial assistance award, then will need to make sure:

   -

      the award was funded for this purpose prior to the lapse and the
      funding continues beyond the start of the lapse,

   -

      access to government systems and facilities are not required,

   -

      government personnel are not required to interact with or oversee
      recipient (we know that the relevant government employees are
not otherwise
      funded nor exempt for this purpose), and

   -

      does not incur any additional government obligations

   -

   Please coordinate matters related to AMS attendance by contractors and
   financial assistance recipients with your respective Contracting or Grants
   Officer as identified in the memorandum entitled “Contract and Grants
   Guidance during a Lapse in Appropriations,” dated December 22, 2018, issued
   by the Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO).

-- 
Genene Fisher, PhD
Executive Officer
National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)
NOAA/NWS
301-683-1323 office
301-452-7366 cell
genene.fisher at noaa.gov
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