| To | SSC Management Council Members; VPs of Finance; Business Managers; and All Emburse Users |
| From | Shared Services Center (SSC) |
| Area | Travel and Expense |
| Date | October 21, 2026 |
| Subject | Higher Lodging Preapproval Reminder and Travel Tips |
Good afternoon,
Attached please find travel tips to assist you in completing your preapproval and expense reports in Emburse. We are aware that there will be frequent travel to conferences where lodging rates will exceed 100% of the GSA rate. Therefore, we are providing some additional guidance to assist you in maximizing your travel reimbursement.
We would like to highlight the Higher Lodging exception stated in the Commonwealth Accounting Policies and Procedures Manual (CAPP), Topic 20335. The higher lodging exception for ALL TRAVELERS must be approved via an Emburse pre-approval PRIOR to the travel taking place.
There are three levels of lodging:
- Under 100% GSA rate requires approval by immediate supervisor or their designee.
- 100%-150% GSA rate must be approved by your Sub-Agency Head or their designee
- Greater than 150% GSA rate must be approved by DOA, which the traveler is responsible for attaining
Agency Head travel should be preapproved in Emburse by the agency’s VP of Finance.
Business Meals exceptions:
- Up to 50% over the applicable per diem guideline requires approval by your Sub-Agency Head or their designee
- Reimbursements over 50% of the applicable per diem is not permitted per DOA
Please contact the SSC Customer Engagement team at 877-340-5577 or help@ssc.vccs.edu if you have any questions or need additional assistance.
