Recruitment Expenses

It is the policy of the Department of General Services (DGS), in accordance with Government Code (GC) section 19842, for the purpose of facilitating either the recruitment of professional and technically trained persons to fill positions for which there is a shortage of qualified applicants or hiring to achieve goals developed pursuant to GC section 19790 and California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) rule 599.634, DGS may, with CalHR’s approval, authorize payment of all or a part of the travel expense of applicants who are called for interview.

Procedure

The following depicts the steps and actions necessary to reimburse allowed expenses when an applicant(s) is called for interview.

  1. The hiring office prepares a request, in writing, in advance of the interview, for reimbursement of travel expense to the DGS Director including:
    • Name and address of the applicant
    • The approximate amount of the anticipated expenses, including tax. Reimbursement of actual transportation expenses will be allowed in an amount not to exceed:
      • ground transportation to and from the nearest airport
      • one round trip air coach fare between the place from which the applicant was called and the place where the interview is held. However, if an applicant is called from outside the boundaries of the United States, reimbursement shall apply only to that portion of the fare for travel within the United States.
    • The approximate amount of meals and lodging expenses allowed, dependent upon if for a represented or excluded position
    • The applicant must have been called for the interview regarding a position in a classification for which it has been certified that such expenditure is necessary in order to recruit qualified persons
    • All or part of lodging and meal expenses in the place where the interview is held, when DGS has demonstrated the following:
      • Reasonable efforts were made to coordinate applicant’s transportation and interview schedule
      • Available transportation options were explored with regard to timeliness and convenience
      • Resulting interview and transportation arrangements reasonably required the applicant to incur the cost for which reimbursement is being claimed
  2. Upon approval of the DGS Director, a request for approval is prepared, in writing, in advance of the interview, to the DPA Director including the above information cited in Step #1, above.
  3. Upon all approvals, hiring office notifies applicant of interview schedule and prepares a memoranda detailing allowable reimbursement expenses, withholding tax rate, and claim form.
  4. At the conclusion of the interview or if necessary, upon the return of the applicant to his/her residence, the applicant signs the Travel Expense Claim (TEC) form, STD 642 and attaches all receipts, except meal receipts, and returns the TEC to the hiring office for completion.
  5. The hiring office attaches both approval documents to the TEC and completes the TEC in accordance to applicable travel rules and submits to Accounting for processing.

Resources

Responsible Control Agency

  • California Department of Human Resources

Laws and Regulations

  • CalHR rule 599.634
  • Government Code section 19842

Other Resource Materials

  • Bargaining / Contracts
  • Classification and Pay Guide section 230
  • Payroll Procedures Manual section 135, 143, 145
  • State Administrative Manual section 0700