AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships Finalist Interview Week

AAAS will cover expenses for reasonable, documented transport to/from the airport, and reasonable local transportation to/from the interview. Reimbursements are at the discretion of AAAS. We expect that you will use all due care in incurring expenses and endeavor to contain costs where possible.

Reimbursement requests are due no later than May 20, 2024 Late submissions will not be accepted, resulting in no reimbursement. Allow 30 days from the date we receive everything for processing and payment. 

REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS

  1. Finalists must complete an electronic expense report via FYLE. You will receive an email with login information and instructions by April 12, 2024, close of business. For current fellows returning to the applicant pool, you will use your current reimbursement method (Fyle).
  2. Please upload your Concur receipt which shows itinerary, airfare cost and booking fee. 
  3. Include all receipts (taxis, Uber, Metro) for transportation.  You need to account for taxis, Uber and Metro expenses . When claiming transportation costs, please provide a brief explanation of where you are going. **Reimbursements are for Interview costs only. Happy hours and networking events are not reimbursable.**  Local finalists will only be reimbursed for lunch ($20 per day). Non-local finalists staying at the Washington Plaza Hotel will be reimbursed for lunch and dinner ($61 per day) for non-travel days ,as breakfast is provided by the hotel. On the first day of travel, travelers are eligible for 75 percent of the total M&IE rate ($59.25), while on the last travel day, travelers are only eligible for 75 percent of the total M&IE.
  4. If you are asking to be reimbursed for mileage you must print out and attach a Google map showing the start and end points along with the total mileage. Account for this accordingly. Please upload toll receipts if you incur those costs.
  5. Upload a filled and signed direct deposit form (attachment below). Payment will not be made unless you provide this information
  6. Complete an IRS W-9 form so we can process payment.

Transportation

Travelers making airline reservations through Concur will have their travel automatically charged to AAAS’s account.  If you think you have found a lower price elsewhere, tell our agent and they may match the price. Please attach your itinerary/receipt to your FYLE Expense Report, even if you are not claiming reimbursement for your airfare.  

For all transportation services (air, rail), AAAS reimburses only for coach or economy class (ex. no basic economy or addons such as carry-on fees or reserved seating).  DO NOT USE BASIC ECONOMY. International flights must be compliant with the Fly America Act, and AAAS cannot reimburse for flights not following these rules.  Do not rely on Concur to confirm whether a flight is compliant or not. You must confirm this with AAAS. The reimbursement rate for use of personal vehicles is made at the current GSA Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) rate, which can be found here. However, mileage reimbursement may not exceed the cost of the economy airfare plus transportation to and from airports.  Mileage claims must be supported with a Google map noting mileage from start to destination.  We will reimburse for parking charges at the hotel for those driving to their interview and staying at the hotel. 

Local transportation costs will only be reimbursed to and from locations where you have a business reason (such as orientation or interviews) and not for transportation to restaurants or other entertainment venues.  

If you are traveling to your interview and you have an intermediate stop, for example, for a previously scheduled vacation or other business, please submit a ticket on STPF’s Fresh Desk portal to STPF Finance. 

International Travelers: Please be sure to comply with the Fly America Act when booking flights! 

The FAA requests that all legs of a trip must be flown on U.S. carriers or code shares (i.e. flight booked on United but operated by Lufthansa). This will not always be possible and there are exceptions to cover this; however, you must get approval beforehand on any exceptions. It is your responsibility as a traveler to make sure your flights comply with the Fly America Act. AAAS is unable to reimburse for any flights not in compliance. Calling a Concur agent will lower the likelihood of accidentally booking a flight out of compliance of FAA. 

With this in mind, please submit a ticket on STPF’s Fresh Desk portal to STPF Finance with your itinerary before finalizing. The Concur agent you work with will be able to email you a “hold” itinerary. Once received, please forward it for approval before booking.

When using services such as but not limited to Uber or Lyft you must use the lowest fare, economy equivalent (UberX, UberPool, Lyft, Lyft Line etc.) to be reimbursed. 

Local Travelers: Local travel is defined as travel occurring with a 50-mile radius of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Local travel is eligible for reimbursement and while the use of Public Transit is encouraged there may be instances when it is not feasible. In those instances, when using services such as but not limited to Uber or Lyft you must use the lowest fare, economy equivalent (UberX, UberPool, Lyft, Lyft Line etc.) to be reimbursed. When submitting reimbursement request please include receipts and supporting documentation reflecting origination and destination of the trip along with notating the purpose. 

Meals

Meal and incidental expenses (including tips) will be reimbursed a maximum of $61 per day based on the government daily meal rate for Washington, DC, which includes the deduction for breakfast that is provided by the hotel. Original itemized receipts for all meals and other expenses are not required. Local finalists will only be reimbursed for lunch meals ($20 per day). Meals cover the individual traveler’s meals. Incidental expenses include fees and tips given to porters, baggage carriers, hotel staff. Note: Tips on meals are covered in M+IE and are not reimbursed separately by AAAS.

Miscellaneous Expenses

AAAS does not reimburse for movies, dry cleaning, health clubs, or phone calls. We do reimburse for incidentals like miscellaneous reasonable tips or parking.  Finalists will be provided complementary internet access in their rooms and will therefore not be reimbursed for purchase of internet connection for their rooms. Reimbursements of expenses are at the discretion of AAAS.

Receipts

Original itemized receipts are required for all expenses, except for meals and incidental expenses. For air and rail costs, include the itinerary and receipts; All costs must be accompanied by sufficient documentation to support the claim made.  Simply providing a copy of a credit card charge slip or statement is not sufficient documentation to support the charge. Reimbursement requests for items that are unusual or are not self-explanatory should be accompanied by a brief explanation.  All receipts must show the amount paid (not only the amount due). 

Additional Instructions for International Travelers 
Please remember to include proof of exchange rate. We can use a credit card statement, cash withdrawal, or a printout from an exchange site. We generally use oanda.com as it is the easiest to go back and look at prior dates’ rates. Also, please write the USD (U.S. Dollars) amount on each receipt to help link receipts up to charges on your reimbursement page (all amounts on the reimbursement page should be in USD).