The University of Texas at Arlington

International Travel Approvals if using State Appropriated Funds

If using state appropriated funds, the Travel Authorization (VE5 ) is to be pre-approved by a person authorized by the President of the University to act in the official capacity of approving international travel (does not include Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. possessions, Canada or the United Mexican States). Currently the Vice President for Research is authorized to approve international travel using state appropriated funds. Contact the Office of the Vice President for Research for details.

Receipts

Receipts from international travel (does include Canada and the United Mexican States) must be converted to US dollars. See the web site oanda.com/converter/classic for an easy-to-use converter. Date of conversion should be the date money was exchanged (attach receipt) or the date of the charge (Example: settlement date of a hotel bill). Screen print the information obtained from the web site and attach to the Travel Voucher (VP5). Also a copy of the monthly credit card statement showing the billing in dollars can be used.

1. Note: Be especially careful to obtain receipts of all expenditures. It is very difficult to obtain these after returning.

2. It is also, helpful for the traveler to interpret each receipt by making a note of the total paid and state the reason for the expense. Example: Hotel bill - xxxx daily room charge - xxxx daily room taxes.

Reimbursement

Reimbursement for meals, incidental expenses, and lodging while traveling internationally may vary depending upon source of funds. Please refer to Fiscal Procedure 2-79, Using State Appropriated Funds, if traveling on state appropriated funds. Refer to Fiscal Procedure 2-86, Meals, Incidental Expenses, and Lodging, if traveling on local funds.

International SOS

The UT System Office of Risk Management has a contract with International SOS. International SOS is a comprehensive, 24-hour medical response organization that provides international assistance services to leading multinational corporations, insurers, and financial institutions, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations. The backbone of the worldwide International SOS servicing infrastructure consists of multilingual Alarm Centers on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. International SOS responds to calls for help and advice from students, travelers and expatriates, managing the simplest task such as doctor referral to the most complex emergency evaluation.

A summary of the specific coverages and services offered under the Scholastic Comprehensive Service Program are provided below:

Medical Evaluation

• Insured - Medical ($ 1,000,000 per event per person)
• Insured - Medically supervised repatriation
• Insured - Repatriation of mortal remains
• Insured - Return of Minors
• 24-hour access to worldwide SOS Alarm Centers staffed with multilingual coordinators and international SOS physicians who provide medical information as well as medical and dental referrals
• Access to International SOS medical clinics worldwide
• Inpatient and outpatient case management and medical monitoring services
• Inpatient and outpatient medical expense guarantee and payment
• Dispatch of prescription medication and medical equipment

Security Evaluation

• Insured Security Evacuations ($ 100,000 per event per person)
• Travel Security Information
• 24-hour access to International SOS Crisis Centers
• Security Evacuation Assistance and Coordination
• Security Surveys & Emergency Response Planning
• Automatic Email Alerts and Warnings

On-Line Features

• Scholastic Portal
• Custom Communication Portal
• Personal Travel Record for Tracking Student and Employee Destinations
• Emergency Record/Vaccination Management Program
• Email Alerts
• Country Guides
• Security On-Line

Advance Payments

Although the International SOS program does not provide any direct insurance for medical expenses, advance cash payments to members or medical providers are available through the program if necessary. International SOS will then request reimbursement from UT System and will assist UT System with obtaining and translating medical documentation for the insurance claim submission.

International SOS automatically receives traveler information from our travel agency, Corporate Travel Planners (CTP). This vastly improves the ability to track and locate faculty, staff, and students traveling outside the United States on University business. International SOS will also send a membership card, security and medical alerts, and country guides to the traveler as soon as the trip is booked. Any traveler who uses CTP will be automatically registered with International SOS and can be tracked and easily located while traveling.

We recommend that all travel companions accompanying a covered individual on a trip abroad purchase an individual International SOS membership. This will ensure that travel companions have access to these services in case they experience a medical or security emergency. A travel companion can obtain a quote for an individual membership at the web site below. By entering the UT System's membership number, under the preferred pricing field, travel companions can receive a 20% discount off the membership cost. This discount is available to employees and their families for leisure travel as well.

The International SOS website, http://internationalsos.com, membership number 11BSGC000037, has valuable travel, security and medical information for the specific destinations and is an excellent resource for pre-trip planning.