6400 Reimbursement Procedures

In order for participating organizations to receive reimbursement payments for expenses incurred, the following procedures must be complied with:

6401 Reimbursement Requests - A written request for reimbursement must be submitted by the organization to the appropriate Regional Director. Exhibit K or a similar SRS approved form must be used when requesting reimbursements (See Exhibit K). Each Regional Director shall determine the frequency and method of receiving requests from participating organizations. However, reimbursement requests should be submitted at least quarterly. To do so less often puts an organization at a disadvantage if funding is depleted prior to the end of the year. At a minimum all reimbursement requests submitted by participating organizations must include:

1. An itemized list of expenses incurred with a summary and total amount due, signed by a responsible representative of the agency (original signature is required).
   
   
2. Written documentation for each reimbursement item listed, such as mileage records, payroll/time sheets, gasoline tickets, storage bills, equipment rental, supply purchase receipts, etc.
   
   
3. The name of the organization or individual to whom the reimbursement check should be made payable.
   
   
4. The address to which the reimbursement check should be mailed. A street address, P.0. Box or General Delivery notation is necessary in the mailing address.
   
   
5. Requests must include the organization's Federal Employer Tax ID number if the reimbursement check is to be made payable to the organization. Requests must include the Social Security Number of the individual if the check is payable to an individual.
   
   
6. The name of the participating organization through which expenses were incurred.
   
   
7. Organizations requesting reimbursement must have an updated Exhibit N, W-9 Taxpayer Information Request for Payment form, on file.  The W-9 form is required by law and includes the tax status, address, identifying information, and Tax Identification number for organizations or the Social Security number for individuals.
   
   

NOTE: Documentation which verifies incurred expenses is important for audit and review purposes. Organizations must retain copies of all reimbursement requests and supporting documents submitted.

6402 Regional Director Reimbursement Check - Regional Directors should screen and check all reimbursement requests prior to being submitted to the Food Distribution Unit.  This should include checking for proper documentation and accuracy in reflecting the operations of the requesting organization. If inconsistencies are noted or documentation is missing, the Regional Director should return the request and/or ask the organization for clarification or documentation.

Approved requests should be forwarded to the Food Distribution Unit within ten days of the date of receipt by the distribution area office. Regional Directors may wish to keep a copy of reimbursement requests for their records.

NOTE: Fiscal closings may require shorter action time frames, and reimbursement requests could be denied if not submitted within established deadlines.

6403 Food Distribution Unit Payment Processing - After the receipt of reimbursement requests checked by Regional Directors, the Food Distribution Unit will process requests for payment as follows:

1. Review each request for accuracy of computations and allowance of items requested. See Section 6300 for allowable items.
   
   
2. If computation errors have occurred or reimbursement has been requested for items that are not allowable or in excess of the reimbursement cap, the Food Distribution Unit will correct or adjust the total amount due.
   
   
3. Once the Food Distribution Unit has processed the reimbursement request, a purchase requisition is prepared and forwarded to the Finance Department for payment. Ordinarily, it takes from two to three weeks for a check to be mailed to the participating organization after the Food Distribution Unit receives the reimbursement request.
   
   
4. At the time payment is authorized, a notification letter is mailed to the participating organization or payee. This letter contains information regarding the payment to be made to the organization. If the amount being paid is different from the amount the organization requested, an explanation is included. A copy of the notification letter is sent to the Regional Director. See Section 8000, Exhibit H, for a sample of the letter used.
   
   
5. Reimbursement requests and payments are recorded and participating organization reimbursement accounts are updated.