FOREIGN BUSINESS TRAVEL
Approval for Foreign Business Travel
Foreign business travel is defined as travel by university employees or prospective employees to or from a country outside the United States, except for Canada and Mexico. In addition to the employee's supervisor (or unit head for prospective employees), all foreign business travel must be approved on a Travel Request form by the provost (or appropriate vice president) and the president/chancellor prior to the trip.
Arrangements for Lodging and Expenses
The state of Texas does not contract with hotels outside the United States. Therefore, travelers should choose the hotel that meets their business needs and minimizes travel costs when traveling outside the United States.
Rental Cars
Contract rental cars are generally not available outside the continental United States, except for some locations in Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. See the TBPC Web site above for contract rates and instructions on renting a contract rental car.
Illness
Illnesses that are not a result of work activities are covered by the university's sick leave program and employees' medical insurance program. In cases where the illness occurs during foreign travel, the university's medical insurance with BlueCross/BlueShield of Texas will offer limited coverage in accordance with out-of-network benefits.
BlueCard Worldwide®
This benefit is automatically available to employees when they are enrolled in HealthSelect and travel or live outside the United States. When an employee uses a BlueCard Worldwide¨ benefit, he/she will only pay the out-of-pocket expenses such as the deductible, and any copayment and/or coinsurance. Please refer to the HealthSelect benefits book, Making Your Benefits Work for You, or call BlueCross/BlueShield of Texas at 800.252.8039, or visit the BlueCard Worldwide¨ at http://www.bluecares.com/ or http://www.bluecares.com/healthtravel/worldwide.html for more information regarding the need to precertify before travel. This precertification, prior to travel abroad, is deemed necessary to insure that possible claims for services rendered in a foreign country are processed in a timely manner.
If your health care plan is HealthSelect-Plus (HMO) of Texas, no benefits are paid for health care services by providers who have not contracted with HealthSelect-Plus or for service provided outside the HealthSelect-Plus service areas, except for emergency care.
Worker's Compensation
Worker's Compensation provides benefits to all employees, including foreign travel, if a person becomes ill or injured as a result of work activities while the employee is in the course and scope of employment (i.e., side trips to shop, sightsee, or eat are not in course and scope of work duties). Worker's Compensation pays medical expenses and will indemnify employees for lost wages up to a maximum of $536/week. The traveler should obtain necessary medical treatment and notify the university's Environmental Health and Risk Management Department at 713.743.5858 as soon as possible after the injury, preferably within 24 hours. The Environmental Health and Risk Management Department will assist the employee with the submission of the Worker's Compensation claim. If the medical care provider needs immediate insurance information, the employee may use his/her group medical insurance card. In such a case, the Environmental Health and Risk Management Department should to be informed so benefits coordination can be arranged.
Before traveling outside the United States, travelers should review the Travel Warnings and Public Announcements issued on the United States State Department Web site: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html. The business travel insurance policy excludes the countries of Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Macedonia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, there are ÒrestrictedÓ countries that are only covered if approved in advance by the insurance company. The restricted countries are Libya, Iraq, Kosovo, and Yugoslavia. Macedonia and Pakistan are only covered if approved by the federal government in advance. Travel coverage restrictions change from time to time, depending upon world events, so be sure to check the Web site for the most current information.
Coverage is provided on our business travel policy for foreign travel when Environmental Health and Risk Management Department receives an approved Travel Request form from the Office of the President. The president's office forwards a copy of all travel requests for foreign travel to Environmental Health and Risk Management Department.
The department should be contacted as soon as possible for claim reporting instructions.