Reimbursement

Volunteers are eligible to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses related to transportation, uniforms, period dress, lodging, subsistence, propane, and generator fuel that are necessary, reasonable, and arise as a result of the voluntary work (figure 54) (FSM 1833.5; FSH 6509.33, sec. 301-1.3n). Volunteers should not purchase supplies, project materials, telephone/cell phone service, etc. Supplies and project materials need to be purchased through standard procurement procedures. If necessary, telephones or other telecommunications need to be provided by the Forest Service and paid for through appropriate procedures.

Figure 54—An Indian Boundary campground host uses his personal
tractor to rip and grade Indian Boundary Beach. Courtesy of Mary
Jane Burnette, Cherokee National Forest, Tellico Ranger District

It is not possible to reimburse volunteers for ALL of the out-of-pocket expenses that they might incur, such as babysitting expenses. Reimbursement is not intended to provide compensation or a stipend for volunteering. For reimbursements, each unit has the option to make an administrative determination that is more restrictive than the Forest Service Manual.

Here are two items to consider before determining reimbursements for volunteers.

• What are the reimbursement needs of the volunteers?
• Does your unit have the funds to cover the expected reimbursements?

Local And Nonlocal Volunteers

When determining what may be considered out-of-pocket expenses (transportation, food, lodging, etc.), it's helpful to distinguish "local" and "nonlocal" volunteers.

Local volunteers are those who commute daily between their own residence and the volunteer duty station. Local volunteers can be reimbursed for transportation to and from the volunteer worksite, either by actual reimbursement for common carrier or for use of their own vehicle (at the rate that is most advantageous to the Government but not higher than the published U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) rate). They also can be reimbursed for any meals taken while in duty status (FSH 6509.33, sec. 301-1.3n).

Nonlocal volunteers are those who are away from their home or normal place of business for an extended time while they are volunteering for the Forest Service. Nonlocal volunteers may be reimbursed for food expenses while they are volunteering (including periods when the individual is not in volunteer status), be provided housing (or in limited cases reimbursed for their lodging), and if certain conditions are met, be reimbursed for one round trip (usually the least costly transportation option is reimbursed) from home to the volunteer duty station.

International Visitors

The Forest Service cannot provide lodging, subsistence, travel assistance, or any other type of payment to an international visitor unless the visitor holds the appropriate visa and has been properly cleared.

J-1 visa holders may participate in professional activities and receive travel and transportation assistance, subsistence, in-kind gifts, and housing. Payments are usually coordinated through the Office of International Programs for J-1 visa holders.

F-1 visa students who are preapproved by their university for a period of curricular practical training or optional practical training with the Forest Service and who have been registered through the Office of International Programs may receive travel and transportation assistance, subsistence, in-kind gifts, and housing.

B-1 visa holders (business visa) on short trips to the United States to attend meetings are limited to basic travel reimbursements that fall within Government guidelines for invitational travel. Please call the ASC at 1–877–372–7248 #1 for more instructions and information on this type of travel.

B-2 visa holders (travel/leisure classification) may not receive payments of any kind from the Forest Service or any other institution, organization, or agency. Such payments would violate immigration and labor laws.

The Forest Service can approve the participation of a limited number of B-1 (business) visa holders in sponsored international voluntary service projects that have been preapproved by the agency's volunteer program manager and the international visitor program coordinator. Memorandums of understanding and cooperative agreements must be in place for these projects. The agency cannot make payments directly to these B-1 visa holders, although these volunteers may be reimbursed by the organization, such as Volunteers for Peace, through which they are volunteering.

For more information on reimbursements for international visitors or the rules about visitors in another immigration status (H1B, A2, or others), contact your regional volunteer coordinator or the International Visitor Program coordinator in the Washington Office.

Lodging

Most volunteers will be locals, so they won't need lodging. You can expect nonlocal volunteers to pay for their own lodging or you may provide government housing. If you charge volunteers for government quarters (and utilities), the rates are set through the regional rental survey (FSM 6445.03) and can be found on the Washington Office Acquisition Management Web site. Volunteers must pay in advance for using government quarters (and utilities). Use Form FS-6500-89, Bill for Collection (FSH 6409.11, sec. 33.2).

The Forest Service can reimburse a volunteer for actual lodging expenses when it's justifiable (FSH 6509.33, sec. 301-1.3n) (receipts required). The maximum reimbursable rate for lodging is determined by the Federal travel regulations, which set rates for different geographic areas. To find these rates, go to the GSA Web site at http://www.gsa.gov/. Free use of Forest Service campsites is allowed.

Meals and Incidental Expenses

Volunteers can be reimbursed for their food and incidental expenses by:

• Actual expenses (receipts required).
  
  
• A negotiated fixed rate (a fixed monetary amount per day/week/month for the food and incidental expenses incurred by the volunteer while in volunteer status) (FSM 1833.5; FSH 6509.33, sec. 301-1.3n).

For either method, the maximum reimbursable amount for meals and incidental expenses cannot exceed the Federal travel regulations, which set rates for different geographic areas. To find these rates (known as per diem), go to the GSA Web site at http://www.gsa.gov/.

Volunteers are not paid a wage or stipend. Ensure that the reimbursement and terms for reimbursement do not have the appearance of wages. Do not show or imply an hourly rate. For example, if the volunteer is authorized $20/day in subsistence, do not record on the reimbursement "worked 6 hours - $15."

For reimbursing volunteers for subsistence, many units prefer to reimburse through the negotiated fixed rate. When negotiating a fixed rate, take into account any specific circumstances of volunteers, including their personal needs. To calculate the rate, determine the expenses a volunteer needs to subsist reasonably in your area, considering the facilities provided. Once an amount is determined, reevaluate it periodically. You may establish a standard fixed rate for reimbursement for full-time nonlocal volunteers who commit to a long-term placement at your unit.

When a nonlocal volunteer is provided housing with cooking facilities, the volunteer is expected to purchase groceries and prepare meals. In this situation, the maximum reimbursement rate is the field per diem rate for the locality.

Transportation

When it is appropriate, volunteers can be reimbursed for transportation expenses up to the Federal Government rate (FSM 1833.5; FSH 6509.33, sec. 301-1.3n). For work-related driving, both local and nonlocal volunteers can be reimbursed actual mileage for the use of their personal vehicle. To find the current mileage rates (depending on whether a government vehicle was available/authorized or not), refer to the GSA Web site at http://www.gsa.gov/.

If the intent is to reimburse volunteers the current GSA rate, please indicate that on the volunteer agreement. If a fixed rate is specified in the volunteer agreement and the GSA rate changes, volunteers will be reimbursed the lower of the two mileage rates.

Local volunteers can be reimbursed the actual cost of public transportation or mileage for the use of their personal vehicle when traveling from their home to the volunteer work site.

Travel to the Duty Station

Nonlocal volunteers can be reimbursed for one round trip from their home to the volunteer duty location, if it has been documented that similar services cannot be obtained locally and a cost/benefit analysis shows the arrangement is cost beneficial to the Forest Service. Usually the reimbursement amount is for the least costly common carrier. If volunteers choose a more expensive mode of travel, the reimbursement will still be for the least expensive mode. If nonlocal volunteers travel from home to the duty station for more than 12 hours in 1 day, they are eligible to be reimbursed for their meals and incidental expenses.

It is best to indicate the exact dollar amount of the reimbursement in the volunteer agreement to ensure clarity. Also indicate on the agreement that the volunteer is not covered for the purposes of tort claims and compensation for work injuries while traveling from home to the worksite and back home. During this time, the volunteer is not in "travel status." Costs will be reimbursed as a miscellaneous payment. However, if the volunteer will incur lodging expenses on the trip to/from home, the travel reservations and reimbursement need to be processed through GovTrip and a travel authorization is required.

Service-Related Travel

When volunteers travel from their assigned position or project site on official business, they are in travel status and covered by a travel authorization allowing them to be reimbursed for travel expenses (FSM 1833.5; FSH 6509.33, sec. 301-1.3n). Volunteers cannot receive a travel advance or Government travel card.

The local travel arranger for your unit will use GovTrip to approve travel authorizations for volunteers, make airline reservations, and file for reimbursements on volunteers' behalf. Airline reservations made for volunteers in GovTrip will be billed to a centrally billed account.

In most cases, volunteers will be required to make their own reservations and pay for their lodging. In some cases, volunteers may not have credit cards and will need assistance. Contact the Albuquerque Service Center (ASC) for instructions on handling these cases. Volunteers also will have to pay for their meals using personal funds. After volunteers return, the local travel arranger will use GovTrip to file for reimbursement for the volunteers' lodging, meals, and incidental expenses.

To obtain a GovTrip profile for a volunteer, complete Form FS-6500-214 (Financial Information Security Request Form) online and print it. You can submit profiles for more than one volunteer at a time.

For reimbursement, you or the volunteer will need to fill out Form FS-6500-231 (Vendor Code Information Sheet).

Paperwork

The FS-1800-7, Agreement for Individual Voluntary Services, or Form FS-1800-8, Agreement for Sponsored Voluntary Services, is used to document the service volunteers perform and the reimbursement terms. For reimbursements to be processed, the agreement:

• Must be signed by a line officer or official designee. If signed by the line officer's designee, the designee needs to sign "for" the line officer or provide proof of delegation of authority.
  
  
• Must clearly document the amount of reimbursement.
  
  
• Cannot show an hourly rate as that implies wages.

If the reimbursements on the volunteer agreement need to be modified, the modification needs to be approved and dated by a line officer or designee. The modification need to be approved in advance.

As of February 2007, the use of convenience checks to reimburse volunteers is no longer authorized. To process the reimbursement, you will need to send a packet of information to the ASC. As the payment is literally a reimbursement, it will be made after the expenses are incurred. This means volunteers have to have enough money to get by until their reimbursement arrives. It is the work supervisor's responsibility to keep an accurate accounting of the reimbursements and to ensure the volunteer gets the proper amount.

Here is the information you will need to include in the packet. If you need any of the required reimbursement forms, go to http://fsweb.asc.fs.fed.us/bfm/programs/financial-operations/payments/miscellaneous/Forms.php and click on "Forms" at the top of the screen.

• Vendor Code Information Worksheet FS-6500-231. This worksheet only needs to be submitted for new volunteers or when updates are needed, such as a change of address or a change of banking information.
  
  
• Miscellaneous Payment Transmittal Form FS-6500-232.
  
  
• Claim for reimbursement should be submitted on a Request for Reimbursement Worksheet FS-6500-229. It should be signed and dated (original signatures) by the volunteer and supervisor and must include the unit's budget organization code override and a valid job code. It should specify the time period of the volunteer's work.
  
  
• Agreement for Individual Voluntary Services FS-1800-7. This agreement must be signed by the volunteer and a line officer or the officer's official designee (include delegation of authority documentation) before the work begins. Field units should verify that the rates and incidental expenses claimed on the reimbursement forms match the rates stated in the agreement.
  
  
• Travel of volunteers away from their official duty station in the course of volunteering must follow Federal and U.S. Department of Agriculture travel regulations and Forest Service policies. If reimbursement includes overnight travel away from the duty station, and lodging costs are claimed, these reimbursements should be processed through travel procedures. This will require a travel authorization. Follow the procedures on the ASC-B&F (budget and finance) Travel, TDY Web site. Mileage to local work sites would be considered local travel and reimbursed through ASC-B&F miscellaneous payments procedures, including the initial travel from home to duty station and the return trip only as authorized on the volunteer agreement.
  
  
• Payments will be processed by ASC-B&F Miscellaneous Payments within 5 days of a complete payment package being received.
  
  
• To check payment status, go to the Payments Status List (http://fsweb.asc.fs.fed.us/bfm/programs/financial-operations/payments/miscellaneous/index.php#PaymentsStatusList) or call the ASC at 1–877–372–7248.

Do not fax payment packages to the ASC-B&F. Packages should be mailed to:

USDA Forest Service
Albuquerque Service Center
Miscellaneous Payments
101B Sun Ave. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109