Reimbursement Accounts for NISS Affliates and NISS/SAMSI University Affliates
1 Summary
Effective January 1, 2002, the Affiliates Reimbursement Accounts (ARAs) designate a portion of the annual membership fee as travel reimbursement to enable personnel from NISS Affiliates and NISS/SAMSI University Affiliates to participate in events sponsored by either NISS or SAMSI. The amount set aside is $2,500 per year (of the $10,000 fee) for NISS Affiliates and $1,500 per year (of the $3,000 fee) for NISS/SAMSI University Affiliates.
NISS hopes that Affiliates will spend their ARAs judiciously, but does not (and cannot) require that they do so. NISS also hopes, but again does not require, that universities will use at least some of their funds to support graduate students, postdoctorals or young faculty.
The remainder of this document describes procedures associated with ARAs.
2 Eligible Events and Personnel
Events. ARAs may be used to reimburse (subject to restrictions in §4) travel, lodging and subsistence for any scientific event sponsored by either NISS or SAMSI (with the exception, as noted below, of the JSM Affiliates Meeting). These events include:
- NISS Affiliates Technology Days,
- NISS Affiliates Short Courses, and
- SAMSI Workshops,
as well as other kinds of scientific events that may be initiated in the future.
Travel to the annual March Planning Meeting has always been a benefit of the Program, and remains so.Each Affiliate is entitled to send one representative to this meeting at NISS’ expense: reimbursements for this purpose are not charged against ARAs.
Travel to the JSM Affiliates Meeting is neither reimbursable from ARAs nor a benefit of the program.
Personnel. Any person from an Affiliate is eligible to receive reimbursement from the ARA; however, the Affiliate may impose restrictions of its own. There is no restriction on how many people from an may Affiliate attend an event, nor (other than available funds) is there any restriction on how many may receive ARA reimbursement.
3 Account Operation
NISS. The primary roles of NISS are to track the ARAs and to make reimbursements.
ARAs are incremented at the time of payment of the annual fee. Because ARAs were created in 2002, only payments made in 2002 or later are eligible. ARAs are incremented only when the fee is paid.
Funds added to ARAs have no expiration date; carryover from one year to the next is permitted.
Affiliate. Each Affiliate is entirely responsible for determining who is to receive ARA reimbursements. NISS assumes, when a person registers for an event and requests ARA reimbursement, that this request has been approved by the Affiliate (via whatever process it chooses).
Affiliates are also responsible for meeting any shortfalls (when available funds in the ARA are insufficient to meet a reimbursement request).
Affiliate representatives can request the current balance in their ARA at any time, by sending E-mail to ara-balance@niss.org.
4 Reimbursable Expenses
ARAs operate only on a reimbursement basis, with appropriate original receipts. Those using ARAs will receive expense forms at the time of the event, which are to be completed, signed and sent to NISS. Ordinarily, checks are mailed within one week of receipt of properly completed forms.
In general, any transportation, lodging or subsistence expense may be reimbursed, with the following exceptions:
- Only coach air fares will be reimbursed. The Affiliate is best served if travelers make reservations well in advance, in order to obtain the most cost-effective fares.
- Additional personal nights in a hotel before or after the “official” part of a trip will not be reimbursed. Most NISS and SAMSI events are structured to require arrival the night before the event begins but to allow return home on the day it ends.
- For events at NISS or SAMSI, travelers are expected to stay at the Radisson Governors Inn in Research Triangle Park (the “official” NISS/SAMSI hotel), at which they receive an extremely advantageous rate. Those staying elsewhere will not be reimbursed more than the cost of staying at the Radisson.
- Personal expenses incurred while on travel, such as laundry, telephone calls and Internet access, are not reimbursable.
- Entertainment expenses and alcoholic beverages are not reimbursable.
- Meals are reimbursed only on a per diem basis of $12 for breakfast, $15 for lunch and $30 for dinner. No reimbursement is made for meals that are furnished by NISS or SAMSI.