§4.01
Relocation Policy

Responsible Manager


  

Rev. 5/08

  1. General
  2. Definitions
  3. Resources
  4. Source Documents
  5. Guidance Documents

A. GENERAL

  1. This policy is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-35.  Relocation reimbursement beyond the limits of this policy may be considered to be unallowable and therefore cannot be billed to the federal government as direct or indirect expenses.

  2. At the discretion of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) management, LBNL may reimburse new or current employees for reasonable and actual permanent change-of-station (PCS) relocation expenses.  Permanent change-of-station relocation is for a period of 12 months or longer.

  3. The maximum dollar amount LBNL will reimburse for relocation expenses will be determined by the division director or operations department head (or designee) and will be within specified guidelines.

  4. New or transferred employees (a.k.a. change of station employees) must sign a repayment agreement which states that if the employees voluntarily terminate employment prior to completing one (1) year of credited service from the start of employment for new hires or date of transfer for transferred staff, they must refund LBNL the full amount of their relocation reimbursements.

  5. Claims for reimbursement should be submitted to LBNL as soon as possible after the transactions have occurred.  Relocation benefits are valid for 12 months from the employee’s effective start-of-employment date or change-of-station date.  

  6. Written requests for exceptions to the relocation policy require advanced approval by the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

B. DEFINITIONS

  1. Permanent change-of-station (PCS): Permanent change-of-station relocation reimbursement may be offered to a new or current employee who accepts a permanent assignment of 12 months or longer at an LBNL work site.

  2. Exception to policy: Action that exceeds what is allowable under current policy or that is not expressly provided for under this policy. Any such action must be treated as an exception.

C. RESOURCES

  1. Relocation Guidelines

  2. Relocation Expense Planning Worksheet

  3. Point-of-Contact: Relocation Coordinator

D. SOURCE DOCUMENTS

  1. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-35 Relocation costs

  2. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-46 Travel costs

E. GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS

  1. Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) 302 Relocation Allowances

  2. Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) 301Temporary Duty (TDY) Travel Allowances

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