I would like to suggest the below changes to the Travel and Expense SOP for the Board’s consideration. I don’t have the word document version of the SOP, so the suggestions are below:

My basis is that for a Board Member to conduct the business of EANGUS, they should be eligible for reimbursement up to the sum of all the costs associated with flying on a commercial aircraft, assuming that flying is the cheapest mode of travel for EANGUS. For example:
• Airfare round trip between the departure airport that is reasonably close to the members home of record, and the EANGUS event location.
• Vehicle transportation (hired vehicle) costs, if any, from arrival airport to EANGUS Event hotel
• Vehicle transportation (POV or hired vehicle) costs between the member’s home of record and their closest reasonable departure airport.
• If POV is more advantageous than hired vehicle, then parking costs at airport up to the maximum allowable amount under the SOP.
• Any baggage fees associated with air transportation for the trip.
• Per Diem for 1 days’ worth of travel (except in unique circumstances where more than 1 travel day is required and is more advantageous to EANGUS).
• Tolls required between home of record and closest reasonable airport to member’s home of record.

The decision for alternative POV travel should take into account all costs that would otherwise be required in order to fly to the event, and use that total as the baseline for making determinations on whether a POV mode of travel should be authorized.

While some of the retired or Sr. Enlisted folks on the board may be able to do without claiming some of these expenses (and many of us do), we have to consider the more junior enlisted members on our board or committees, and we should make every effort to ensure that serving EANGUS is as least intrusive to a member’s wallet as possible.

To that end, I would suggest the sentence on page 7 under item 8 be changed from “No POV reimbursement will be made to exceed the cost of a round-trip airfare.” to “POV reimbursement will not exceed the total cost required and associated with travel by commercial aircraft, to include the following:

• Airfare round trip between the departure airport that is reasonably close to the members home of record, and the EANGUS event location.
• Vehicle transportation (hired vehicle) costs, if any, from arrival airport to EANGUS Event hotel
• Vehicle transportation (POV or hired vehicle) costs between the member’s home of record and their closest reasonable departure airport.
• If POV is more advantageous than hired vehicle, then parking costs at airport up to the maximum allowable amount under the SOP.
• Any baggage fees associated with air transportation for the trip.
• Per Diem for 1 days’ worth of travel (except in unique circumstances where more than 1 travel day is required and is more advantageous to EANGUS).
• Tolls required between home of record and closest reasonable airport to member’s home of record.”

I am not hard set on the wording of the above bullets, however, consider the below scenario:

Member lives 50 miles from the closest reasonable airport. That is at least $55.00 total.
Member incurs baggage fee of $25.00 or more each way. That is at least $50.00 total.
Member parks at airport for a week long EANGUS event. That is at least $75.00 total (if it costs too much, then insert taxi costs here).
Member pays tolls in order to travel to closest airport. That is potentially $10.00 total.

What I am getting at is that if EANGUS agrees that all of these costs are authorized in order for the member to fly, then these costs should be taken into consideration when deciding if it is better for EANGUS to have the member drive their own vehicle. The difference could potentially be a couple hundred dollars that the member would wind up incurring, that are in reality, an EANGUS obligation or expense anyway if they flew. I am not trying to get folks anything above what is already a normal expense associated with flying commercial airlines. I just think that basing POV reimbursement on airfare cost only, and not include all the other reasonable expenses associated with that air travel, places the expense burden on the board members who are already donating and volunteering their time to serve.

Having said all of that, I, personally, don’t request reimbursement for much of this when I drive POV. For example, I don’t claim per diem or mileage to and from my home and the airport, tolls, etc., but I would not begrudge reimbursement to someone that does not have the ability to serve while at the same time incur these EANGUS travel costs out of their own pocket.

This is just a request for the Board to consider. If the board feels that airline ticket only is the best thing for the organization, that is fine too.