Summary
- The COVID-19 pandemic has created new hardships and needs for employees and trainees, including needs related to childcare, transportation, and workspaces.
- The following guidance is provided to departments to help determine whether employees may be reimbursed for costs incurred during the pandemic.
- UCSF has also developed Qualified Disaster Relief Programs (QDRP) to provide tax-exempt grants to UCSF employees, trainees, and students to help with extraordinary costs incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- For employees earning up to $75,000 annually, including postdocs, fellows, and residents, the QDRP program can be found at: https://coronavirus.ucsf.edu/relief-program
- For students, the program is managed by Student Academic Affairs at: https://finaid.ucsf.edu/types-of-aid/emergency-funding/covid-19-relief-program-for-students
- Separate guidance allows for reimbursement of extraordinary commute costs for graduate students. Link TBD.
- Additional programs are being established by individual departments.
- Outside of the grant programs and the specific commute cost reimbursement option for students, departments should adhere to the guidance on the following pages. While exceptional reimbursements may occur, departments should attempt to follow the spirit of this document.
- UCSF will reimburse employees for the purchase of COVID-19 tests for required testing associated with UCSF business-related activities.
Guiding Principles
- The University pays for and reimburses costs related to a University business purpose.
- In many cases, departments should provide necessary supplies and materials through normal University supply chain channels, thereby avoiding the need for employees to purchase supplies and seek reimbursement.
- Reimbursement practices should:
- be consistent across the organization
- comply with University policy and reflect good stewardship of public funding
- ensure individual employees are not excessively burdened by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and are able to perform their work
- reflect the temporary nature of the current pandemic
- Guidance may need to change as the pandemic continues and as further decisions are made about telecommuting practices.
Allowable and Unallowable Reimbursements—Exceptions Require Pre-approval
Area | Allowable | Generally Unallowable |
---|---|---|
Commute expense |
|
|
Space | Rental of space, without prior approval from UCSF Real Estate and UCSF Finance | |
Working from home |
The Telework and Remote Teams Task Force will develop a proposal. Interim recommendations:
|
(Exceptions for telephones and wifi may be allowed with pre-approval for special circumstances and consistent with existing practices) *Departments should establish procedures for distributing office supplies. |
Quarantine-related costs |
|
|
Other supplies and equipment |
If not already provided by department:
|
|
Childcare | None | Employees may wish to apply for relief through QDRP programs. |
Guidelines: Reimbursement of COVID Tests
UCSF will reimburse employees for the purchase of COVID-19 tests for required testing associated with UCSF business-related activities.
UCSF’s COVID-19 Testing Policy is available on the UCSF Coronavirus website.. Testing policy is likely to change over time. Reimbursements should be provided only for tests needed to comply with UCSF policy in effect at the time or the requirements of external organizations (such as a conference host).
Examples of situations in which testing may be required:
- Employees, learners and/or guests traveling for University business
- Employees, learners and/or guests attending a University event, conference, or a meeting requiring testing
- Research participants required to test to proceed with research
Departments are responsible for covering the cost of reimbursements from appropriate fund sources.
In addition, departmental approvers are responsible for ensuring that reimbursements are applicable based on UCSF policy at the time and/or the requirements of external organizations.
Departments are responsible for ensuring that reimbursements are reasonable and necessary. UCSF provides free PCR, Rapid, and Color test kits for employees and learners at multiple locations and these should be used as a first choice.
Free tests for special events may also be available through the UCSF Police Department, while supplies last. Event planners should reach out to [email protected] with the UCSF Police Department for information.
Additional questions may be directed to: Jennifer Novelli at [email protected].