Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I am injured at work?
What expenses can be reimbursed?
How do I request approval for travel?
How should I record travel mileage?
How do I pay for travel?
Should I buy flight insurance?
When do I get per diem?
What are incidentals on a cruise?
How do I record my work time?
Overtime hours
Comp time
Building closure
Working offsite
Jury duty

What should I do if I am injured at work?
Please email the Integrated Statistics office right away, or call us at 508-540-8560. Then look at the workplace posters for your state, to see if your state provides more details on what to do.

Only approved expenses can be reimbursed.
If you do not get approval in advance for an expense, we cannot guarantee that you will be reimbursed.
Typically, only travel or training expenses are considered for reimbursement.
The process for requesting approval is described below for travel. We use the same form for travel and for training requests.
If you have questions about whether an expense might be reimbursable, just email the Integrated Statistics office before you incur the expense.

How do I request approval for travel?
Here's a quick summary:

All travel must be approved by Integrated Statistics and also by the client, before it happens. If you do not get approval in advance for an expense, we cannot guarantee that you will be reimbursed.
First, submit a Travel Request. Send it to us so we can verify that your contract allows travel and that funds are available. We will notify you once the travel has been approved. If it seems to be stuck, let us know and we will try to move it along.
Next, make your travel arrangements. Either pay for the travel yourself and get reimbursed when you return, or ask us about putting it on an IS corporate credit card. Keep the receipts for everything except food.
When you get back, submit your Expense Reimbursement form along with all the receipts for transportation, lodging, registrations, etc. However, we do not need meal receipts since they are covered by the per diem.

Please read our Traveling Regulations for more complete information, and email the Integrated Statistics office with questions.

How should I record travel mileage?
You record mileage on our Expense Reimbursement form. Here are some tips:

You start counting mileage after you get to work. You must reach your actual work site and return to your residence at your own expense.
If you perform official local travel during the regular work day, only the local travel costs exceeding the normal daily commuting costs will be reimbursed. The reimbursable amount is determined by subtracting your normal daily commuting cost (e.g. metro fare, bus fare, car pool expenses) from your total travel costs for the day.
Total travel costs may include parking fees for your POV at your actual work site, should a determination be made that use of your POV is the most cost effective and advantageous means of conducting official business; however, you will not be reimbursed mileage expenses for home to work and work to home travel in the event that you use a personal vehicle. If you commute to work via POV regularly, you cannot be reimbursed for parking at your actual work site (unless specifically covered in your contract), but may still be reimbursed for other costs associated with official local travel while away from your actual work site.
If you use your own car, please keep track of the miles. You can be reimbursed for the miles. POV rates are listed here.
If you are reimbursed for mileage, then you cannot be reimbursed for gas receipts. You get one or the other.

How do I pay for travel?
It is usually easier if you pay for everything and then you submit your travel form so Integrated Statistics can reimburse you. However, if you want to be reimbursed for larger costs before the trip, that can be accommodated. Please email the Integrated Statistics office for instructions. If you travel a lot, please ask about a company credit card.

Should I buy flight insurance?
The cost of flight insurance is not reimbursable. Do not buy it.

When do I get per diem?
A per diem is money that you get to spend on food and other incidentals. Incidentals includes tips and phone calls. If you are away on travel for more than 12 hours and more than 50 miles from home then you are eligible for 3/4 per diem. If you are away less than 12 hours then you do not get per diem. If you travel for more than one day then the first and last day that you are on travel you are eligible for 3/4 per diem. On the days in between you get full per diem.

What are incidentals on a cruise?
Each day that you are on a boat you get $5/day for incidentals.

How do I record my work time?

Integrated Statistics uses an online time tracker. Guidelines for using it are here and the actual online time sheet is here.
Here are some highlights:

Record your time at the end of each day.
Round off to the nearest quarter-hour.
Enter the time you began and the time you ended and the total amount of time you had in breaks (in hours and minutes).
Click the Save button when you are done recording time.
At the end of the two-week period, check it over and then click Submit to finalize it and send it in.
Review the guidelines for complete information.

Overtime hours
Not all positions have the possibility of overtime hours. All overtime must be approved by Integrated Statistics and also by the client, before it is accrued. To get approval for overtime, email the Integrated Statistics office with a justification and we will then check with the client and get back to you if/when the overtime is approved. Every single contract I have says that we have to do it that way. Surprise overtime usually gets denied. If you work overtime, put a note on your time sheet giving the purpose of the overtime.

The timesheet program handles overtime hours automatically. You don’t have to do anything special to record overtime. If you work more than 40 hours in a week, the timesheet program automatically treats the extra hours as overtime.

Comp time
Time off in lieu, compensatory time, or comp time refers to a type of work schedule arrangement that allows workers to take time off instead of, or in addition to, receiving overtime pay. In the United States, such arrangements are currently illegal for private sector workers under overtime laws, but the practice is legal in the public sector. This is why you will hear federal employees talk about it. You work in the private sector for a company that contracts with the federal government. We cannot do it.

Building closure
If your place of work is closed, then we cannot bill the client for any hours you have not worked. You may be able to work from home. You can make up hours on another day. If the client is not getting the benefit of your hours worked, then it does not make sense for me to send them a bill for it. This means that if the office is closed you can use your vacation time, sick time, or take leave without pay or make up the hours on another day when the office is open. You can also work from home if you have work that can be performed at home. Only Laura Shulman can make an exception to this. Your colleagues in the client's office have their own regulations to follow and their regulations do not apply to Integrated Statistics employees.

Working offsite/at home
It is allowed where practicable. You have to get Integrated Statistics and your COTR/Federal POC to approve it in advance and figure out how to get access to what you need to do the work. Please email the Integrated Statistics office to discuss it. If you work at home, please put WAH (Working At Home) in the timesheet Notes box, and the date(s). Your colleagues in the client's office have their own regulations to follow and their regulations do not apply to Integrated Statistics employees.

Jury duty
I'm obligated by law to pay you for the first 3 days minus anything that the court pays you. Please send in the official notice that says you were there and whether you were paid.

In the timesheet program, choose Jury Duty from the Special Leave dropdown menu and then enter the hours that you spent on jury duty.