Search Results for 'jh'

Travel Guidelines

NC AHEC Travel Guidelines for UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty, Staff, and Students

EFFECTIVE April 1, 2021

The NC AHEC Program currently assists in supporting the travel needs of faculty, staff and students from 19 UNC-Chapel Hill schools and departments. These NC AHEC-related activities include student housing needs to sites away from the academic health science centers, as well as faculty and staff travel to continuing professional development programs, technical assistance visits, specialty clinics, and other teaching and NC AHEC Program activities. NC AHEC support is intended to assist with travel expenses incurred while participating in approved NC AHEC educational programs and other NC AHEC-related work. NC AHEC support is not intended to cover all expenses.

STUDENT TRAVEL

Student travel is not eligible for mileage reimbursement.

STUDENT HOUSING

The nine regional AHECs provide student housing in 50 counties across the state. NC AHEC housing is short-term lodging for use when health science students are completing community clinical rotations; it is not meant to replace a student’s permanent residence. The majority of housing is in rented apartments, but also in AHEC-owned condominiums/houses or rooms-for-rent in private residences.

NC AHEC housing is accessible to students from a variety of health science schools across the state, but students are not required to use this housing (students may make their own lodging arrangements).  Students are required to apply for housing at http://my.ncahec.net/

UNC-Chapel Hill schools and departments are charged a $7.00 per night fee for their students’ use of NC AHEC housing. Each school may have different guidelines for use of AHEC housing, so please check with your school/course coordinator before applying for housing.

FACULTY AND STAFF TRAVEL

NC AHEC travel reimbursement is provided for faculty and staff activities which are consistent with the NC AHEC Program Work Statement Definitions and fall within the specific letter of agreement for each school or department. If AHEC activities conducted by a school or department are supported with non-AHEC funds (i.e. contracts, grants, clinical income, fees, or honorarium), the travel associated with those activities is not reimbursed by the NC AHEC Program. If there are questions about whether travel for specific activities is reimbursed, faculty are requested to contact the NC AHEC Program Office prior to travel.

Travel reimbursement is provided to NC AHEC liaisons and other faculty attendance at meetings or conferences at the request of the NC AHEC Program Director. Reimbursement is not provided by NC AHEC when faculty attend professional meetings or conferences for their own professional development.

We recognize that faculty travel to all NC AHEC sites is critical to the success of our programs. Given AHEC budget constraints and current reimbursement rates for using personal vehicles, we encourage faculty and staff and departmental travel coordinators to work together to secure UNC Chapel Hill Enterprise Rent-A-Car contract vehicles or UNC Air flights as needed.

NC AHEC Mileage Reimbursement Policy (rates effective April 1, 2021)

No mileage reimbursement for local mileage will be made for within 35 miles (one-way) or 70 miles (round trip) of destination from the closer of either the duty station or point of departure (e.g. home). NC AHEC mileage reimbursement is based on standard mileage between cities and not actual odometer mileage.

  • Mileage is measured from the closer of either the duty station or point of departure (e.g. home) to destination over 35 miles (one-way) based on standard mileage between cities on www.google.com (not Google Maps).  For standard mileage information, type the two cities into the Google search engine and click search. The distance between the two cities will appear as the first result. For example, go to Google search, type in “Chapel Hill, NC to Fayetteville, NC” and search. The mileage listed is 73.6 miles; standard mileage reimbursement paid by AHEC between Chapel Hill, NC and Fayetteville, NC is 74 miles.
  • When the round-trip is over 71 miles from closer of either the duty station or point of departure (e.g. home), traveler will be reimbursed at 56 cents per mile for the total round trip.

NC AHEC Policy to pay for UNC Enterprise Rent-A-Car contract vehicle (formerly Carolina Motor Pool)

UNC Chapel Hill Enterprise Rent-A-Car contract vehicles are available for NC AHEC related travel.

  • UNC Enterprise Rent-A-Car contract vehicle (formerly Carolina Motor Pool) reservations are required to be made in advance by calling the Air Transportation Coordinator at UNC  Air Operations office at RDU Airport at 919-840-1980.
  • The on-line reservation form can only be completed by the Air Transportation Coordinator.
  • UNC Enterprise Rent-A-Car contract vehicles can be picked up at any rental location, eliminating the need to come to campus first. Enterprise will also pick you up on request.
  • The reservation requires the address of the Enterprise location preference for vehicle pick-up.
  • To reduce administrative processing for gasoline reimbursement, the Traveler is required to choose the “Post-Pay Gas” option when returning the vehicle. Enterprise Rent-A-Car guarantees your rental vehicle will have a minimum of a quarter tank of fuel upon pickup. Unless gasoline is needed during the trip, traveler should not fill the gas tank.
  • As a general rule, an intermediate size car will be reserved for all travelers.  If a larger vehicle is needed, please specify the need for an exception at the time of reservation.

UNC Air Operations Flights paid with AHEC state travel funds

  • NC AHEC state travel funds will pay for pre-approved passengers on NC AHEC related UNC Air Operations same day flights. Prior approval is required if a passenger requires an overnight stay.
  • UNC Air Operations information and passenger eligibility policy can be found at: https://www.ncahec.net/about-nc-ahec/unc-air-operations/

FACULTY AND STAFF LODGING/MEALS

Prior approval is required at least three weeks in advance for faculty and staff needing overnight accommodations for AHEC-related activities. In order to make overnight lodging arrangements at acceptable and reasonable rates, travelers should contact the local AHEC for lodging suggestions prior to making reservations. Travelers are encouraged to ask if “State Employee hotel rates” are available. Excess lodging expenses must be justified if hotel rates, excluding taxes and surcharges, exceed $400 per night, if staying in one of the following high-cost cities: Boston, New York City, San Francisco and the Bay Area, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. If those limits are exceeded, travelers must complete Form 1302.1f Excess Lodging Justification and obtain their supervisor’s approval and signature before traveling.

Per Diem Allowances

In-State
Breakfast: $9.00
Lunch: $11.80
Dinner: $20.50
Lodging: $75.10
Total: $116.40

Out-of-State
Breakfast: $9.00
Lunch: $11.80
Dinner: $23.30
Lodging: $88.70
Total: $132.80

Meals During Travel
NC AHEC follows the State of North Carolina policy for meals during daily travel which states:

Overnight Travel Status

Employees may be reimbursed for meals for partial days of travel when in overnight travel status and the partial day is the day of departure or the day of return. The following applies:

Breakfast: depart duty station prior to 6:00 am and extend the workday by 2 hours.

Lunch: depart duty station prior to Noon (day of departure) or return to duty station after 2:00 p.m. (day of return).

Dinner: depart duty station prior to 5:00 p.m. (day of departure) or return to duty station after 8:00 p.m. (day of return) and extend the workday by 3 hours.
The travel must involve a travel destination located at least 35 miles from the employee’s regularly assigned duty station or point of departure (e.g. home), whichever is less.

Same Day Travel

No per diem meal allowance for same-day travel.

NC AHEC TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT PROCESSING

NC AHEC travel reimbursement must be submitted within 30 days from the date of travel.

NC AHEC travel funds support over 19 on-campus schools and departments.  NC AHEC travel funding is contingent on the school or department’s ability to process travel authorization/reimbursement in the University’s web travel system for their faculty and staff on AHEC-related travel.

The NC AHEC Program Office does not create or complete travel authorization/reimbursement for on-campus faculty and staff. The school or department initiates the travel authorization/reimbursement in the UNC-Chapel Hill web travel system and electronically sends to the NC AHEC Program Office for approval.

NC AHEC travel reimbursement processing details can be obtained by contacting NC AHEC Financial Manager Pratyush Mehta at (919) 966-0810 or pratyush_mehta@ncahec.net.

QUESTIONS ABOUT NC AHEC TRAVEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

For questions concerning NC AHEC travel policies and procedures, please contact NC AHEC Financial Manager Pratyush Mehta at (919) 966-0810 or pratyush_mehta@ncahec.net

UNC Air Operations

Physical address: 1050 Meridian Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560
(see directions below)

Mailing address: UNC Air Operations, PO Box 90818, Raleigh, NC 27675-0818

phone 919-445-4790 | fax 919-445-4794
hangar 919-445-4790| email click here

The nine regional Area Health Education Centers span North Carolina, allowing resources from the state’s health science schools to reach communities and improve local health. The 500 miles between our coast and mountains present a challenge to university faculty who conduct consultation clinics and continuing professional development activities in the AHECs, while maintaining their teaching, research, and service responsibilities “at home.”

Since its early beginnings in 1968, AHEC’s UNC Air Operations, previously known as Medical Air, has transported health science faculty, medical residents, and university officials to all areas of the state for educational activities. UNC Air and its fleet of six aircraft is based at RDU General Aviation and is flown by five full-time professional pilots.

Annually, UNC Air transports about 1500 passengers to almost 100 destinations. These include North Carolina’s nine AHEC centers, community hospitals, health departments, and universities. This service makes it possible for faculty to reach very remote sites in the state on a daily basis while maintaining a full slate of professional activities. UNC Air has logged approximately 21 million passenger miles since 1978.

TYPICAL DAY

UNC Air flies between five and seven flights per day, averaging one to three passengers per flight. About 80% of its flights are scheduled during the daytime, transporting faculty, clinical staff, and medical residents to clinics around the state. Night flights are usually scheduled for faculty to conduct continuing professional development programs.

On a typical day UNC Air pilots may fly medical faculty and medical residents to Wilmington, NC to see patients at a consultation clinic. A professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry faculty may conduct an evening continuing professional development program in Asheville after a full day of teaching students and treating patients in the dental clinic.

HIGH TECHNICAL STANDARDS

UNC Air’s standards for pilots and equipment maintenance exceed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements. Pilots possess Airline Transport Pilot Certificates and have flown an average of 10,000 hours in both civilian and military aviation. A team of three full-time certified mechanics maintain the aircraft’s readiness, performing eight inspections per aircraft per year and other routine maintenance procedures in a modern, fully equipped hangar. In addition, two experienced air transportation coordinators schedule flights for UNC Air passengers.

Gordon Kramon, UNC Air’s Director of Operations, is proud of his crew and its outstanding safety record. During the five decades of UNC Air’s flights, there have been no major incidents on the ground or in the air.

UNC Air operates in a highly sophisticated air traffic control system. Its fleet of three TBMs (see photo above) utilize state-of-the-art weather avoidance equipment and satellite navigational systems, comparable to those found on any major airliner. With these aircraft, most locations in the state can be reached in an hour or less, including small municipal airports inaccessible to commercial airliners.

As the “wings of AHEC,” UNC Air helps maintain a close partnership between the universities and the communities around the state. The UNC Air staff takes pride in its contributions toward improving health care access for all North Carolinians.

UNC AIR OPERATIONS PASSENGER ELIGIBILITY POLICY

As described in the UNC Air Operations Policy Manual, UNC Air Operations falls administratively within the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Program. UNC Air Operations provides the option of air transportation to university faculty, staff and administrators in their efforts to accomplish the goals of the AHEC Program or other missions of the broader University. Faculty are from the University of North Carolina system, as well as the major partner educational institutions that are part of the NC AHEC Program, including Duke University and Wake Forest University.

The Passenger Eligibility section of the operations manual states that passengers who utilize UNC Air will undergo prior screening for eligibility by the Air Transportation Coordinator, usually by telephone. It must be determined in advance that a passenger is one of the following:

  1. traveling on university business
  2. traveling on AHEC business, such as teaching a class or conducting a clinic
  3. traveling on state agency business
  4. traveling to meet the mission of AHEC, UNC System and other AHEC partner universities, or state agency.

Payment for flights must be made from an AHEC Center, state, or university account.

UNC AIR OPERATIONS STAFF

  • Gordon Kramon, Director, Pilot
  • Paul Cotrufo, Aircraft Mechanic
  • David Eastwood, Aircraft Mechanic Supervisor
  • Jeremy Greene, Aircraft Mechanic
  • Art Johnson, Pilot
  • Darien Brockington, Financial Manager
  • Heather Harris, Air Transportation Coordinator
  • Ryan Vernier, Pilot

GETTING THERE

Direct access from Chapel Hill via I-40 to I-540 to Lumley Road to RDU General Aviation. Follow signs to UNC Air Operations. Medical Air is located across from the RDU Observation Deck; separate from commercial terminals. Free parking in front of building. Your pilot will meet you in reception area and accompany you to the plane.

Previous Page