TAFP Foundation travel reimbursement rules and FAQ

The TAFP Foundation provides travel reimbursement for Texas medical students and family medicine residents for various meetings. The TAFP Foundation is funded primarily by individual family physicians who donate to support the next generation of family medicine. The purpose of the funding is to reduce barriers to participation for those in training, but it may not cover all expenses.

Recipients are encouraged to carpool with friends and even share rooms at conferences to help our funding go further and support more participation. There are reimbursement limits for Texas conferences based on recipients’ distance from the conference, and signing in at the conference you are attending is required to verify participation.

Guidelines

Lodging and hotel reimbursement

We encourage attendees to stay at the conference hotel using the room block for TAFP events. It might not always be the cheapest option, but filling our room block is critical to fulfilling our contractual obligations with hotels and avoids penalties for TAFP. It is also more convenient for you!

• C. Frank Webber Lectureship and Interim Session — Only student and resident leaders are eligible for up to two nights.
• TAFP’s Student and Resident Summit — Students and residents are eligible for up to two nights.
• TAFP’s Annual Session and Primary Care Summit — Student and resident leaders, scholarship recipients, and poster competition participants are eligible for up to three nights.

Any extra nights would need to be pre-approved by TAFP staff. We will reimburse costs at alternate hotels or other lodging, like Airbnb, with a valid receipt.

Transportation reimbursement

The TAFP Foundation can reimburse mileage if you drive your personal vehicle to a meeting. Note that mileage is reimbursed at the maximum IRS approved rate, which is currently $0.725 per mile, but there is a limit of $300 for mileage reimbursement per conference. If you drive, we encourage you to share the ride with others from your school or program.

If you choose to fly, we can reimburse for airfare, ground transportation (taxi or ride share), and parking at the airport. We cannot reimburse for frequent flyer miles.

If you rent a car to drive to a conference, we can reimburse the fees for up to three days’ rental of an economy, compact, or mid-sized vehicle. We can also reimburse for gas. Note that if you are being reimbursed for airfare, you cannot also be reimbursed for car rental.

Conference registration fees

Be sure to pay the member rate. Workshops are eligible for reimbursement.

Geographic funding limits

For each Texas conference, the reimbursement will be limited based on the distance from the recipient’s home to the conference.

• Zone 1 – Fewer than 75 miles – $100
• Zone 2 – 76 to 200 miles – $300
• Zone 3 – 201 to 350 miles – $500
• Zone 4 – 351 to 500 miles – $600
• Zone 5 – More than 500 miles – $750

FAQ

Will the TAFP Foundation make my travel arrangements?

No. You should make your own arrangements once your funding is approved.

When will I be reimbursed?

We will reimburse you after the conference when we have received your reimbursement request form along with receipts. You must sign in and pick up your name badge at the conference to verify your participation.

Can I be reimbursed for food and beverage?

No. Currently the reimbursable expenses include conference registration, hotel or lodging, and transportation.

If my friend and I were both approved for travel funding and we shared a room, how do we get reimbursed?

We encourage attendees to share rides or rooms! You can ask the hotel to split the expense onto two credit cards, and each put your portion on your reimbursement form. You could also have one drive and request mileage and the other pay for the hotel room and request reimbursement for that expense. You can tell TAFP staff that you are sharing a room and we can approve one reimbursement being higher than the funding limit if the other funding recipient has a lower reimbursement.

What about FUTURE?

The TAFP Foundation funding for AAFP’s FUTURE is a travel scholarship. You must attend and connect with the TAFP staff person in Kansas City to receive your $600 scholarship check.