Per Diem and Reimbursements for Your Time at LT

GCM staff reimbursements during summer programs that are not related to summer program specific expenses are not reimbursed by petty cash. 

Why Per Diem?

Per Diem is the only way to reimburse meals while serving in a ministry role at a GCM summer program, for 2 weeks or more. You may not submit a reimbursement form itemizing your meals during those two weeks or longer; you must submit a Per Diem form to cover the cost of those meals.

Requesting Per Diem for the weeks during LT can be helpful to offset higher grocery and meal costs you may incur while serving in a ministry location that is not your home. Because you are away from home, you don't have the same conveniences available to you, that you are accustomed to, for cooking and meal planning, etc. 

If you participate in a meal plan in which you do not pay for some meals during the summer program, please only request Per Diem for meals you will be paying for out of pocket. Because the Colorado LT Trash-n-Tray participants have some meals provided for them by the YMCA, they have an automatic $10 reduction in their daily rate. 

Meals during which you actively minister to someone or MTD meals with donors that occur during the summer program can be reimbursed even if you are receiving Per Diem, as long as they are kept to a reasonable frequency and amount (see Reimbursement section below).  

Submitting Your Per Diem Forms 

Please have your GCM staff members download the most recent Per Diem forms from GCM staffnet that explain Per Diem.  Make sure they fill out the appropriate Per Diem form (Directors, there is a separate Per Diem form for you to fill out) and send to GCM after obtaining

supervisor approval. 

no receipts are nneded for per diem daily rate

We suggest dividing the Per Diem request into monthly installments to reimburse rather than one lump sum for the summer.  Staff may submit multiple months of Per Diem forms at one time.  Dividing it up into months will help staff avoid having one large reimbursement sitting in the GCM account they are responsible for waiting for enough money to be raised to cover it.  Even if staff believe they will not have adequate funds in their account to reimburse Per Diem, staff should still consider filing it out and submitting the form in case they receive an unexpected special gift, etc. 

What can be Reimbursed During LT?

• AFTER arriving at a GCM summer program, staff CAN NOT reimburse staff (this includes interns) meals, mileage around town (less than 100 miles each way), etc. with GCM, as a normal receipt reimbursement through GCM…these expenses are covered by Per Diem and/or ME bonus, which means you will not be able to reimburse these expenses like normal reimbursement.

• Staff MAY reimburse with normal GCM receipt reimbursements, your travel (food, mileage, lodging) to and from the GCM summer program, as long as the location of the program is over 100 miles from where you live. 

• Normal MTD purchases… stamps, envelopes, books, etc. made throughout the summer may be submitted as a normal receipt reimbursement through GCM.

• Reimbursements submitted to GCM to be paid from the summer program ministry account must follow normal GCM reimbursement policies. If you need to review the GCM policies go to staffnet and click on REIMBURSMENTS and click on SUMMARY and then on the summaries page you will see FORMS and OTHER and then you can download REIMBURSEMENT HANDBOOK to look at all your reimbursement policies.