Allowable consultant expenses are round-trip air transportation, ground transportation, and per diem costs, which can vary according to location. A consultant fee is paid to each participant for each day or fraction of a day spent on official duty. Copies of the necessary travel and reimbursement forms are shown on the following pages.
Travel should be by the most direct route. Any additional costs resulting from indirect routing or stopovers should be waived or explained if reimbursement is claimed. When air/rail transportation is used, travelers must use the most economical means. Should a traveler purchase first class accommodations, the reimbursement rate will be for coach class. Committee members traveling from foreign countries must use U.S. carriers.
The general process is a follows: Approximately four weeks before a meeting, the NIDCR Council Secretary or grants technical assistant (GTA) will send each committee member a travel order and information about hotel reservations. Members should contact the NIDCR Council Secretary or GTA for special arrangements/needs while on official duty. Review committee members are reimbursed from a special account using special forms.
After the meeting, committee members complete the travel reimbursement form and send it along with the necessary receipts to the NIDCR Council Secretary or GTA who will prepare a travel voucher to be processed through the system. It is suggested that you retain a copy of the submitted record of travel expenses after each meeting.
Honoraria (Consultant Fee)
Members of committees are compensated at the rate of $200 per day for time spent at meetings and site visits, as well as being reimbursed for travel expenses. As a Special Government Employee, members are paid the consultant fee through the government payroll system. Social Security (except for non-citizens) and Federal Income taxes will be deducted, and a W-2 Form, Wage and Tax Statement, will be provided no later than January 31 each year. A separate check will be processed for reimbursement of travel expenses and per diem.
Both forms of reimbursement/compensation mentioned above are generated through a computer data system by which payment is authorized. Therefore, it is important that you notify your committee Designated Federal Official (DFO) of any change in home or office address. Incorrect information in this database could delay the payment process.