A standard Site Visit is typically approved for three days and two nights; two travel days to get to and from the site visit clinic and one interview day. On some occasions, however, you may find two or more sites in the same area that you may wish to visit and may make a request, in advance, to the NHSC for one or more additional days of travel to complete adequate visits to all requested sites. These requests are handled by NHSC on a case-by-case basis and MUST be approved in advance of travel with proper justification to warrant the travel time extension. If you have any questions related to your approved length of travel for your site visit, please contact your NHSC Regional Analyst. Travel that is extended beyond the approved length of travel without prior approval will not be reimbursed.
Lodging costs must not exceed the prevailing lodging per diem rate for a particular location, per the General Services Administration (GSA). Original itemized checkout receipts with proof and method of payment are required for reimbursement. These itemized receipts should list the room rate and applicable lodging taxes as separate line items. Please note, optional lodging expenses such as Valet Parking, Room Service, and all other incidental charges associated with the use of available hotel amenities and services will not be reimbursed. The allowable daily lodging rate for your approved Site Visit location will be provided to you by your assigned Travel Coordinator at the time of your scheduled Site Visit planning call.
If approved in advance, the NHSC will reimburse you for the following transportation-related expenses:
To determine the appropriate reimbursement rate for POV gas milage expenses, the NHSC will use the prevailing federal milage reimbursement rates.
The use of taxi and rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft, are authorized reimbursable expenses for participants not approved for the use of a rental car, or as an alternative to car rentals for approved participants. These services, however, are only reimbursable when utilized for travel needs related to your approved Site Visit. This includes traveling to and from origin or destination airports and traveling from overnight stay hotels to the Site Visit clinic location(s). Please note, optional rideshare expenses such as Priority Pickup, upgraded vehicle selection, and driver tips are not reimbursable and will be the financial responsibility of the participant. The allowable ground transportation expenses related to your approved Site Visit will be addressed by your assigned Travel Coordinator at the time of your scheduled Site Visit planning call.
Use of a rental car must be approved in advance of your requested Site Visit travel. The most common reason for requesting the use of a rental car for Site Visit travel is related to the distance between the airport and your interview clinic location. The NHSC does not permit the use of rental cars in metropolitan areas and prefers you to use public transportation or taxis/rideshare services. Rental car requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. Your Site Visit travel request must include justification for rental car use and clearly state the distance between your origin airport and your Site Visit address. Car rentals are restricted to compact vehicles only. The cost for car rentals above the compact size are not reimbursable.
Per diem allotments are intended to cover both lodging and meals and incidental expenses. Your per diem begins when travel commences to an authorized destination and ends upon return to your point of origin, or at the NHSC authorized termination point. Federal per diem rates are determined by the geographical location of the Site Visit you will be visiting. The first and last day of travel, or your assigned “Travel Days” will be reimbursed at 75% of your full day per diem rate. Your assigned Travel Coordinator will review your allowable per diem rates with you during your scheduled Site Visit planning call.
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