Part II - Expenses and Leave

2.1.1 Employees who are granted leave without pay for the following reasons are also entitled to the benefits of this section: illness, injury-on-duty, or maternity/parental leave.

2.1.2 Subject to this section, when employees or their dependants obtain medical or dental treatment at the nearest location in Canada where adequate medical or dental treatment is available, as determined by the attending medical or dental practitioner, and they satisfy their deputy head by means of a certificate of the attending medical or dental practitioner that the treatment

1. was not elective,
2. was not available at their headquarters, and
3. was required without delay,

the deputy head shall authorize reimbursement of the transportation and travelling expenses in respect of that treatment.

Notes:

Where there is no air service from the headquarters to the nearest location in Canada where adequate medical or dental treatment is available and where there is no public transportation from the headquarters to the air service, the employer-requested kilometric rate shall be paid from the employee's headquarters to the nearest source of public transportation to the air service.

There may be occasions when a delay of several weeks or possibly longer may occur before the patient can receive the treatment. This section applies when the delay is due to the fact that the facilities or medical practitioners at the treatment centre were not available immediately.

2.1.3 Expenses under this section shall not be reimbursed for orthodontic treatment that is aesthetic or cosmetic in nature. However, they are reimbursable when a dental practitioner certifies treatment is required for newborn infants afflicted with cleft lips and palates, for persons involved in accidents involving broken jaws or seriously damaged teeth and for persons having severely handicapping malocclusions causing severe masticatory dysfunction.

2.1.4 The expenses shall include the expenses of any person, other than the person who obtains treatment, if the deputy head is satisfied that

1. it is necessary for the person who obtains the treatment to be escorted during the period of travel, or
2. no suitable arrangements for the care of the dependants can be made at the isolated post, and they must therefore accompany the person obtaining treatment.

2.1.5 When employees are granted benefits pursuant to this section and the deputy head is satisfied that

1. the treatment or the transportation was unavoidably prolonged, or
2. the attending medical or dental practitioner has certified that the continued presence of the escort referred to in 2.1.4 is required for purposes of the treatment, or
3. the presence of the dependants referred to in 2.1.4 is warranted, and
4. meals and accommodation are not provided free of charge to the persons referred to in this section,

the deputy head shall authorize the reimbursement to employees of the transportation and travelling expenses that are incurred in respect of themselves, their dependants and escort.

Note:

Refer to sections 2.11.1, 2.11.2 and 2.12 for provisions relating to travel time and transportation delays.

2.2.1 When employees are granted leave with pay by reason of there being an illness in their immediate family, that is certified as critical by a qualified medical practitioner and that requires them to travel from their headquarters to another location and back, the employer shall reimburse the lesser of:

1. an amount equal to "compassionate" airfare from the headquarters to the point of departure and return, if carriers at the headquarters offer "compassionate" airfares; or,
2. an amount equal to the cost of the regular return economy airfare between the headquarters and the point of departure, if carriers at the headquarters do not offer "compassionate" airfares; or,
3. the actual costs incurred for return travel between the headquarters and the location of the family member.

2.2.2 Employees are to inquire and avail themselves of "compassionate" or discounted fares whenever possible.

2.2.3 The benefits provided by this section shall be extended to

1. the employee and the employee's spouse or common-law partner, with respect to the critical illness of their biological child, stepchild, adopted child or legal ward, or
2. the employee or the employee's spouse or common-law partner, with respect to the critical illness of other members of the employee's immediate family.

Note:

Refer to sections 2.11.1, 2.11.2 and 2.12 for provisions relating to travel time and transportation delays.

2.3.1 When employees are granted leave with pay for a bereavement in the immediate family and they travel from their headquarters to another location and back, the employer shall reimburse the lesser of:

1. an amount equal to "compassionate" airfare from the headquarters to the point of departure and return, if carriers at the headquarters offer "compassionate" airfares; or,
2. an amount equal to the cost of the regular return economy airfare between the headquarters and the point of departure, if carriers at the headquarters do not offer "compassionate" airfares; or,
3. the actual costs incurred for return travel between the headquarters and the location of the family member.

2.3.2 Employees are to inquire and avail themselves of "compassionate" or discounted fares whenever possible.

2.3.3 The benefits provided by this section shall be extended to

1. the employee and the employee's spouse or common-law partner, with respect to the death of their biological child, stepchild, adopted child or legal ward, or
2. the employee or the employee's spouse or common-law partner, with respect to the death of other members of the employee's immediate family.

Note:

Refer to sections 2.11.1, 2.11.2 and 2.12 for provisions relating to travel time and transportation delays.

Examples

Note: the following examples are provided to clarify Sections 2.2 and 2.3. The airfares cited are not necessarily accurate.

Example I

An employee in Yellowknife flies to Winnipeg and back and pays $500. The point of departure for Yellowknife is Edmonton. The regular return economy airfare between Yellowknife and Edmonton is $600, and airlines in Yellowknife offer a compassionate fare of $300. In this example, the employee would be reimbursed $300 (the amount of the compassionate fare between the headquarters and the point of departure), because it is the lesser amount.

Example II

An employee in Iqaluit flies to Rankin Inlet and back and pays $500. The point of departure for Iqaluit is Ottawa. The regular return economy airfare between Iqaluit and Ottawa is $1100 and airlines in Iqaluit offer compassionate fares of $550. In this example, the employee's actual expense of $500 would be reimbursed, because it is the lesser amount.

Example III

An employee in Fond-du-Lac flies to London, England and back and pays $1300. The point of departure for Fond-du-Lac is Saskatoon and no carriers in Fond-du-Lac offer compassionate fares. The regular return economy airfare between Fond-du- Lac and Saskatoon is $750. In this example, the employee would be reimbursed $750, because it is the lesser amount.

2.4.1 The reimbursement of expenses shall be limited to:

1. once in each fiscal year for the employee whose headquarters has an environment classification of 3, 4, or 5,
2. twice in each fiscal year for the employee whose headquarters has an environment classification of 1 or 2,
3. once in that fiscal year in which the employee arrives on or after October 1 at a headquarters having an environment classification of 1 or 2, or
4. once in the fiscal year during which employees are expected to terminate their assignment on or before September 30, if the headquarters they are leaving has an environment classification of 1 or 2.

2.4.2 Subject to review at the next triennial review of this directive, a parallel system of Vacation Travel Assistance (VTA) will be available to employees. The accountable system is described in section 2.5 and the non-accountable in section 2.6.

2.4.3 Employees may choose between the non-accountable and accountable assistance each time they apply.

2.4.4 Employees whose headquarters has an environment classification of 1 or 2 are eligible for the assistance of their choice, twice a year, subject to Section 2.4.1 (c) and (d).

2.4.5 Employees must apply in writing for VTA indicating which type they prefer. Once made, the choice will apply to both the employee and dependant(s) residing with the employee and cannot subsequently be reversed. The employee may choose to include a dependant attending a post-secondary institution away from the headquarters or follow the provisions of Section 2.9 (Post-Secondary Educational Travel).

2.4.6 For purposes of VTA, when at least one dependant of the employee is also an employee and lives with him or her at their headquarters residence, one of them shall be deemed to be an employee and the other to be a dependant.

2.4.7 Where an employee could use commercial airline but chooses instead to travel to their destination by other means such as private motor vehicle, boat or snowmobile, the VTA will be the 80% non-accountable payment.

2.4.8 Employees who have been reimbursed relocation expenses pursuant to Part III (Relocation to an Isolated Post) of this Directive and have moved from a non-isolated location to an isolated post, must wait three months from the date of their relocation to the post to qualify for VTA.

2.4.9 Employees who have been reimbursed relocation expenses pursuant to Part III of this Directive and have moved from one isolated post to another isolated post are not subject to the three-month waiting period.

Note:

Employees who resign from the Public Service in a fiscal year for which they have received any benefits pursuant to Section 2.4 (Vacation Travel Assistance) may be subject to recovery action. Refer to Section 4.13 (Recovery of Travel or Transportation Expenses) for complete details. (revised April 2004)

2.5.1 The 100% accountable VTA shall be extended to:

1. employees who travel from their headquarters on paid vacation, furlough, or compensatory leave, or lieu time off; and
2. dependants who travel with those employees, or
3. dependants who do not travel at the same time as the employee or other dependant(s).

2.5.2 Whenever employees are eligible for reimbursement of expenses under this part, they shall, upon request, be granted an accountable advance. The advance should normally be provided before the trip begins. However, when this is not possible, the advance should be given at the first location en route where such payment is feasible.

2.5.3 When requested by the employee, management is encouraged to grant the advance in sufficient time to allow the employee to take advantage of excursion fares.

2.5.4 If a vacation trip is cancelled because the employer cancels or modifies the employee's leave, the costs shall be borne by the employer.

2.5.5 The intent of this portion of the directive is that the family benefit from one or two trips a year, depending on the classification of the post. If a dependant cannot accompany the employee and the rest of the family, he or she can later claim their own reimbursement, subject to Section 2.5.7.

2.5.6 Those family members who travel together shall claim all of their travelling expenses following the trip.

2.5.7 If one family member, who travelled alone and was reimbursed for a trip earlier in the year, later travels with another family member who has not already travelled, reimbursement of expenses for the other family member will be limited to the airline ticket, meals and incidentals. If travel was by PMV, reimbursement of expenses of the other family member will be limited to meals and incidentals.

Reimbursement of Travel Expenses

2.5.8 Employees will be eligible to be reimbursed the lesser of:

1. the maximum entitlement (2.5.9); or
2. the reimbursable expenses incurred (2.5.13).

Calculation of the Maximum Entitlement

2.5.9 When employees opt for the 100% accountable VTA, they shall be advised of their maximum entitlement.

2.5.10 The amount of the maximum entitlement is based on the transportation and travelling expenses associated with a return trip between the headquarters and the point of departure, by the most practical and direct means.

2.5.11 Appendix I illustrates how to calculate the maximum entitlement in each of the following circumstances:

1. There is an airport at the headquarters and airline schedules allow travel from the headquarters directly to the point of departure;
2. There is an airport at the headquarters and airline schedules are such that a stopover is required between the headquarters and the point of departure;
3. There is no airport at the headquarters, the nearest airport is less than 500 km away and airline schedules allow travel from that airport directly to the point of departure;
4. There is no airport at the headquarters, the nearest airport is less than 500 km away and airline schedules are such that a stopover is required between that airport and the point of departure;
5. There is no airport at the headquarters, the nearest airport is more than 500 km away and airline schedules allow travel from that airport directly to the point of departure;
6. There is no airport at the headquarters, the nearest airport is more than 500 km away and airline schedules are such that a stopover is required between that airport and the point of departure; or
7. For some isolated posts the most practical and direct means of reaching the point of departure is by road. In such cases, the maximum entitlement will be return ground transportation and travelling expenses between the headquarters and the point of departure.

2.5.12 When part or all of the employee's round trip between the isolated post and the point of departure is free of charge, the maximum entitlement shall be reduced by the lesser of:

1. the value of an economy class air ticket for the portion of the trip that is free of charge; or
2. by the value of a one-way economy class air ticket between the isolated post and the point of departure.

Reimbursable Expenses

2.5.13 Appendix J illustrates which expenses are reimbursable in each of the following circumstances:

1. Commercial airline is used to travel directly to a destination.
2. Commercial airline is used to travel directly to a destination via transit point(s) with no stopover.
3. Commercial airline is used to travel directly to a destination via transit point(s) and a stopover is mandatory.
4. Commercial airline is used, alone or with other modes of transportation, to travel and there is no single destination.

2.5.14 If airline schedules are such that no stopover is required between the headquarters and the destination, but the employee chooses to make travel arrangements that result in a stopover, no ground transportation or travelling expenses at the stopover location will be reimbursed.

If airline schedules or operational requirements, not personal preferences, are such that a stopover is required between the headquarters and the destination, ground transportation and travelling expenses at the stopover location will be reimbursed.

2.5.15 When travelling on an "all-inclusive" package (air, hotel and meals), employees will be reimbursed the value of the air portion of the package. It is the employee's responsibility to obtain this amount from the appropriate authority (eg. travel agency, tour company).

If it is not possible to obtain such information, the employee will be reimbursed an amount equal to the value of the 14-day advance booking return economy airfare between the post and the point of departure.

2.6.1 Employees working at headquarters that have airports will be paid an amount equivalent to 80% of the return full fare economy class airfare between the headquarters and the point of departure.

2.6.2 Employees working at headquarters that do not have airports will be paid an amount equivalent to 80% of the sum of the following:

1. the return full fare economy class airfare between the nearest airport and the point of departure; plus
2. the return travelling expenses (including lodging if the nearest airport is over 500 km from the headquarters) between the headquarters and the nearest airport.

2.6.3 There is no requirement to travel, or take vacation, furlough, compensatory leave, or lieu time off to receive this payment.

2.7.1 Subject to the Application section of this directive, part-time and seasonal employees shall be entitled to the benefits of Appendix I or J, in the same proportion as their total annual hours of work compare to the total annual hours of work of a full-time employee occupying a position at the same occupational group and level (prorating).

2.7.2 Employees will be eligible to be reimbursed the lesser of:

1. the prorated maximum entitlement (Appendix I); or
2. the actual expenses incurred (Appendix J).

2.7.3 When, because of operational requirements, an indeterminate seasonal employee who resides at the headquarters cannot be granted the benefits of this section during the operational season, the employer shall, at the employee's request, grant the benefits of this section during the off-season.

2.7.4 Part-time and seasonal employees may choose the 80% non-accountable Vacation Travel Assistance which will then be prorated.

2.8.1 When an employee's vacation leave is withheld because of operational requirements and carried over to the following fiscal year, the employee shall be eligible to claim the transportation and travelling expenses outlined in 2.5 (100% Accountable Vacation Travel Assistance) for one additional trip in the following fiscal year.

2.8.2 The provisions of this section shall be extended to the dependants of the employee referred to in 2.8.1, provided they have not been granted the expenses in 2.5 during that fiscal year.

2.8.3 The provisions of 2.8.1 and 2.8.2 shall not apply if the employee chooses the 80% non-accountable payment in lieu of the carry-over.

2.8.4 Indeterminate seasonal or part-time employees shall, at their request and subject to operational requirements, be entitled to carry over their entitlements under Section 2.5 until they are eligible for the yearly entitlements of a full-time indeterminate employee occupying a position at the same occupational group and level.

2.9.1 Subject to this section, persons who would qualify under the definition of dependant if they were not attending a post-secondary educational institution away from the headquarters, may use the entitlements referred to in Section 2.4 (Vacation Travel Assistance) once in each fiscal year to proceed from and return to the headquarters.

2.9.2 The amount of expenses reimbursed shall be the lesser of:

1. the actual transportation and travelling expenses incurred in travelling, by any mode(s) of transportation, from the location of the educational institution to the headquarters of the employee and return, or
2. the transportation and travelling expenses that would have been incurred in travelling to the headquarters of the employee from the point of departure and return by economy class air travel.

2.9.3 The expenses reimbursed may be as a result of two one-way trips or a return journey between the headquarters and institution or institution and the headquarters, regardless of the length of time between trips or legs of the return journey, provided the expenses are incurred in the same fiscal year.

2.9.4 Subject to section 2.4.1(b), a person who uses the benefits of this section shall not be entitled to any other benefits of Section 2.4 in the fiscal year the benefits of this section are received.

2.10.1 When an employee adopts a child and must travel from the headquarters to accept physical custody of that child, the deputy head shall reimburse, to the employee, the transportation and travelling costs incurred by

1. the employee and spouse or common-law partner, for the journey between the headquarters and the location of the child, and
2. the employee, spouse or common-law partner and child, for the return journey,

in an amount not to exceed the cost that would have been incurred had the journey been made to the point of departure and return by the mode(s) of transportation used by the employee.

2.11.1 On each occasion that employees are granted the benefits of Section 2.5 (100% accountable VTA) or Section 2.6 (80% non-accountable VTA) and travel from their headquarters, they shall be granted time off with pay, in lieu of being required to travel on a working day or on a day of rest, for a period that is the lesser of:

1. two days; or
2. the actual and reasonable time required to travel from headquarters to the point of departure and return.

2.11.2 When employees are reimbursed transportation or travel expenses pursuant to sections 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3, and the travel time granted pursuant to an appropriate governing authority is insufficient for them to travel to the point of departure and return, they shall be granted leave with pay for a period that is the lesser of: 
(revised June 2004)

1. two days; or (revised June 2004)
2. the actual and reasonable time required to travel from headquarters to the point of departure and return. (revised June 2004)

2.11.3 If regular flight schedules do not allow for an employee to reach the point of departure without an overnight stopover, the employee may be granted up to 3 days leave with pay. (revised June 2004)

2.12.1 On each occasion that employees are granted the benefits of Section 2.11, deputy heads shall, if they are satisfied that the time required to travel was prolonged by reason of transportation delays beyond the control of those employees, grant up to five additional days of leave with pay.

2.12.2 Deputy heads may, if they are satisfied that leave in excess of the leave granted pursuant to this section was required for the reason described in this section, grant additional leave with pay.

2.12.3 When employees are granted benefits pursuant to this section, deputy heads shall authorize the reimbursement of transportation and travelling expenses incurred by employees and their dependants, if they are satisfied that the commercial carrier does not pay these expenses in those circumstances.

2.13.1 If employees or any of their dependants must travel from their headquarters to another location to obtain elective medical or dental treatment that is not available at their headquarters, they shall be granted, during a fiscal year, a maximum of 3 additional days of leave with pay for the actual time that is required to travel and obtain the treatment.