fsu.edu | Cellular Phone Use

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  Office of the Vice President for
  Finance and Administration
  214 Westcott Building
  Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1320
  (850) 644-4444 | FAX (850) 644-4447

Cellular phone reimbursements shall be in accordance with cellular phone policy OP-H-7.

November 10, 1999

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Vice Presidents, Deans and Department Heads

FROM: John R. Carnaghi
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration (OP-H-5)

SUBJECT: Telecommunications Usage

The availability of today's technology makes it easier for us to stay in touch with those around us. The use of wireless technology is particularly useful as a tool to increase efficiency and effectiveness. At FSU we realize the benefit of this type of technology and make it available to our community. I recently started taking advantage of cellular services and I am pleased with the way it has helped me stay in touch.

FSU is continuously striving to make technology available to its community and will continue to do so. However, as a state agency there are policies and procedures that must be put in place to assist us in monitoring our usage and to ensure maximum benefit for our service costs. A recent audit by the University's Office of the Inspector General found that it would be of benefit for departments to review all telecommunications invoices, including cellular phone usage, and to obtain reimbursement for all personal usage of telecommunications equipment and services. As with any University-owned telecommunications device or service, personal usage is discouraged.

If personal usage is occasionally necessary, however, any costs incurred by the faculty member, staff member, or student must be reimbursed to the department. Reimbursements should be made on a monthly basis unless the total personal charges for an individual are less than ten dollars; in these instances, payment should be made quarterly regardless of the cumulative amount. In order to expedite the reimbursement, an Expense Refund transaction should be initiated using a Form DT-118B (available on line at:
http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/control/forms/printonly/dt118b.pdf).
For efficiency purposes, departments are asked to include as many reimbursements as possible on one monthly DT-118B. The reimbursement should be refunded to the account from where the telecommunications invoice was paid. The properly completed DT-118B should accompany a sealed bag or envelope containing the refund checks and/or cash and should be delivered to the cashier's office where the transaction will be recorded and a deposit receipt will be issued. Copies of all documentation should be maintained at the department level and notation should be made for each line item reimbursed on the reviewed telecommunications invoice. A reconciliation of the monthly reimbursements should be made to the department ledger. Procedures for cash handling are available from the Office of the University Controller web site at:
http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/controller/2c-1.html.

The Office of the Inspector General will be conducting a follow-up audit in the near future to determine that departments have implemented written policies and procedures to review telecommunications charges, including those related to cellular phones. The audit will also include a review that will determine whether telecommunications invoices are reviewed by the departments and whether the University's requirements are followed for reimbursement of any telecommunications charges of a personal nature, be it long distance, calling card, cellular phone, etc. For your convenience, the University policies and procedures on the purchase, lease, and use of cellular phones can be viewed on the web site for Finance and Administration at:
http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/otc/14.html#products
These policies and procedures were previously distributed in a University-wide memo dated August 12, 1998 from the Director of Telecommunications and the University Controller. Please have your staff review your department procedures to ensure proper compliance.

We encourage all departments to have written policies and procedures for the review, approval, payment, and reimbursement process related to telecommunications charges as well as for the use and assignment of cellular phones. For guidance, on-line policies and procedures can be found at:
http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/otc/14.html
and on the State Comptroller's web site at:
http://www.dbf.state.fl.us/aadir/vphandbk1.html#COMMOG.

JRC/ps


	Business Operations Facilities/Space Faculty & Staff Financial General University Records/Information Safety/Insurance Technology			Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration 214 Westcott Building Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1320 (850) 644-4444 \| FAX (850) 644-4447 Cellular phone reimbursements shall be in accordance with cellular phone policy OP-H-7. November 10, 1999 M E M O R A N D U M TO: Vice Presidents, Deans and Department Heads FROM: John R. Carnaghi Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration (OP-H-5) SUBJECT: Telecommunications Usage The availability of today's technology makes it easier for us to stay in touch with those around us. The use of wireless technology is particularly useful as a tool to increase efficiency and effectiveness. At FSU we realize the benefit of this type of technology and make it available to our community. I recently started taking advantage of cellular services and I am pleased with the way it has helped me stay in touch. FSU is continuously striving to make technology available to its community and will continue to do so. However, as a state agency there are policies and procedures that must be put in place to assist us in monitoring our usage and to ensure maximum benefit for our service costs. A recent audit by the University's Office of the Inspector General found that it would be of benefit for departments to review all telecommunications invoices, including cellular phone usage, and to obtain reimbursement for all personal usage of telecommunications equipment and services. As with any University-owned telecommunications device or service, personal usage is discouraged. If personal usage is occasionally necessary, however, any costs incurred by the faculty member, staff member, or student must be reimbursed to the department. Reimbursements should be made on a monthly basis unless the total personal charges for an individual are less than ten dollars; in these instances, payment should be made quarterly regardless of the cumulative amount. In order to expedite the reimbursement, an Expense Refund transaction should be initiated using a Form DT-118B (available on line at: http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/control/forms/printonly/dt118b.pdf). For efficiency purposes, departments are asked to include as many reimbursements as possible on one monthly DT-118B. The reimbursement should be refunded to the account from where the telecommunications invoice was paid. The properly completed DT-118B should accompany a sealed bag or envelope containing the refund checks and/or cash and should be delivered to the cashier's office where the transaction will be recorded and a deposit receipt will be issued. Copies of all documentation should be maintained at the department level and notation should be made for each line item reimbursed on the reviewed telecommunications invoice. A reconciliation of the monthly reimbursements should be made to the department ledger. Procedures for cash handling are available from the Office of the University Controller web site at: http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/controller/2c-1.html. The Office of the Inspector General will be conducting a follow-up audit in the near future to determine that departments have implemented written policies and procedures to review telecommunications charges, including those related to cellular phones. The audit will also include a review that will determine whether telecommunications invoices are reviewed by the departments and whether the University's requirements are followed for reimbursement of any telecommunications charges of a personal nature, be it long distance, calling card, cellular phone, etc. For your convenience, the University policies and procedures on the purchase, lease, and use of cellular phones can be viewed on the web site for Finance and Administration at: http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/otc/14.html#products These policies and procedures were previously distributed in a University-wide memo dated August 12, 1998 from the Director of Telecommunications and the University Controller. Please have your staff review your department procedures to ensure proper compliance. We encourage all departments to have written policies and procedures for the review, approval, payment, and reimbursement process related to telecommunications charges as well as for the use and assignment of cellular phones. For guidance, on-line policies and procedures can be found at: http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/otc/14.html and on the State Comptroller's web site at: http://www.dbf.state.fl.us/aadir/vphandbk1.html#COMMOG. JRC/ps