Finance

An increase in travel reimbursement for meals and incidentals (M&I) is authorized for Postal ServiceTM employees on regular travel providing hurricane recovery and relief support in the affected areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

The policy is effective in accordance with the dates of the presidential declaration, as specified in the table below.

The traveler will receive the per diem rate of the hurricane-affected locality. The traveler may alternatively report actual expenses incurred over the M&I per diem locality rate. In other words, the traveler has the option of claiming the greater of either the per diem rate or actual costs incurred for meals and incidentals up to three times the applicable per diem rate (i.e., 3 x $59 = $177 for New Orleans). Receipts for purchases of $50 or more actual expenses not charged to the company card will be required. The Postal Service will audit all vouchers for those affected employees. Managers must e-mail traveler's names to National Accounting. For identification purposes, name expense reports using the employee's first initial, last name, purpose (hurricane relief), and travel dates (e.g., JDoe: Hurricane Relief: 10/3-7/05).

The increase is to help cover the high cost of meals for our Postal Service employees traveling in the disaster areas.

— National Accounting,
Finance, 10-27-05