Reimbursement Procedures for Inspection Expenditures - Revision 7

1. PURPOSE
   This directive provides instructions to in-plant personnel (IPP) and other FSIS personnel for the reimbursement of certain inspection expenditures. FSIS has rewritten this directive in its entirety to update the reimbursement amounts and clarify procedures used to update reimbursement amounts.
   
   NOTE: For this directive, other FSIS personnel refer to Office of Field Operations (OFO), veterinary medical officers, frontline supervisors, enforcement investigations and analysis officers; Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit investigators, or any FSIS employee assigned duties that require the items listed below in Section IV. The provisions in this directive only cover permanent, full-time employees.
   
   KEY POINTS
   • Establishes new reimbursement amounts for inspection equipment and clothing.
   • Outlines procedures the Agency will use to update future reimbursement amounts.
2. CANCELLATION
   FSIS Directive 3410.3, Revision 6, Reimbursement Provisions for Inspection Expenditures, 01/03/2018
3. BACKGROUND
   FSIS reimburses IPP and other FSIS personnel for the following expenditures required to conduct inspection and investigative activities:
   1. Work clothing;
   2. Protective skid or slip-resistant footwear;
   3. Personal inspection equipment; and
   4. Flashlights.
4. WORK CLOTHING REIMBURSEMENTS
   1. FSIS reimburses IPP where the establishment or plant does not provide suitable work clothing in an appropriate size, for certain inspection related activities as follows:
      1. For IPP who perform inspection activities in slaughter and/or processing establishments and for inspection activities in egg products plants, FSIS reimburses IPP for:
         1. Shirts;
         2. Trousers; and
         3. Coveralls.
      2. IPP are to be aware that if the establishment requires frocks, gloves, and hairnets, then the establishment will provide them to IPP.
   2. The total allowance for the items listed in A. 1. for a one-time submission during the fiscal year is not to exceed the amount reflected in the allowance table. Reimbursement is limited to actual expenses, not to exceed the total allowance.
5. FOOTWEAR REIMBURSEMENT
   1. FSIS reimburses IPP and other FSIS personnel for the expense of protective footwear that meet the following requirements:
      1. Skid- or slip-resistant soles;
      2. Water-resistant uppers;
      3. Closed heel and toe; and
      4. No soles made from leather, wood, hard plastic, or metal materials.
   2. The total allowance for one pair of required footwear during the fiscal year is not to exceed the amount reflected in the allowance table. Reimbursement for footwear meeting the requirements in A. is limited to the actual expense, not to exceed the total allowance.
   3. IPP may request the reimbursement for additional replacement protective footwear up to an additional amount reflected in the allowance table per pair on an "as needed" basis, such as when the soles are less skid or slip resistant, to the district office (DO) for authorization via their immediate supervisor. Other FSIS personnel may make the same request through supervisory channels.
6. FLASHLIGHT REIMBURSEMENT
   1. FSIS reimburses the expense of flashlights for IPP and other FSIS personnel who perform:
      1. Processing activities that usually require a portable light source (e.g., pest and rodent control);
      2. Slaughter activities that usually require a portable light source; or
      3. Pre-operational inspections performed by an individual IPP provided:
         1. In establishments where pre-operational sanitation is performed by rotation, the Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) is eligible for the allowance and will make a flashlight available to the IPP assigned to perform the pre-operational inspection; or
         2. In large multi-inspector establishments, the IIC and supervisors are eligible for the allowance and will make the flashlights available to the IPP assigned to perform pre-operational sanitation, plus pest and rodent control.
   2. The flashlights are to be:
      1. Adjustable with a high-intensity bulb (e.g., krypton, LED, or halogen) that is sufficient for IPP to conduct the duties assigned;
      2. Unbreakable with a clear lens;
      3. Corrosive-resistant (outer and inner);
      4. Nonconductive;
      5. Roll-resistant;
      6. Temperature resistant;
      7. Watertight; and
      8. Sanitizable.
      NOTE: Batteries are supplied by the Material Management Service Center. (See https://www.bsc.usda.gov/).
   3. The total allowance for a flashlight during the fiscal year is not to exceed the amount reflected in the allowance table. Reimbursement is limited to actual expenses not to exceed the total allowance.
   4. IPP may request the reimbursement for an additional flashlight replacement for up to the amount reflected in the allowance table on an "as needed" basis to the DO for authorization via their immediate supervisor. Other FSIS personnel may make the same request through supervisory channels.
7. PERSONAL INSPECTION EQUIPMENT PROVISIONS
   1. IPP regularly assigned duties that require use of knives, inspection node hooks, steels, chain belts, scabbards, sharpening stones, and non-prescription hand, wrist, and arm supports are eligible for reimbursement of personal inspection equipment. The personal inspection equipment includes:
      1. Knives meeting the following requirements:
         1. Beef and sheep skinner or boning style;
         2. Blade made of corrosive- and rust-resistant metal. Ceramics and plastics are not acceptable materials;
         3. Handles made of hard plastic or other impervious material. Wood, bone, and leather are not acceptable materials; and
         4. Metal bail, guard, or stop located between the handle and the blade to prevent stubbing.
      2. Inspection node hooks meeting the following requirements:
         1. Hooks made of corrosive- and rust- resistant metal. Ceramics and plastics are not acceptable materials; and
         2. Handles made of hard plastic or other impervious material. Wood, bone, and leather are not acceptable materials.
      3. Steels meeting the following requirements:
         1. Handles made of hard plastic or other impervious material. Wood, bone, and leather are not acceptable materials; and
         2. Metal bail, guard, or stop located between the handle and the steel to prevent hand cuts.
      4. Chain belts and scabbards meeting the following requirements:
         1. Belts made of corrosive- and rust-resistant materials;
         2. Belts of the breakaway type;
         3. Scabbards made of corrosive- and rust-resistant materials. Leather and fabrics are not acceptable materials; and
         4. Scabbards sized to hold one or two knives and a node hook without falling out and designed so the tips do not extend from the bottom of the scabbard.
      5. Sharpening stones; and
      6. Non-prescription hand, wrist, and arm supports.
   2. Reimbursement is limited to one-time total actual expenses for all personal inspection equipment, not to exceed the amount reflected in the allowance table. IPP may request reimbursement for additional replacement of equipment up to an additional amount reflected in the allowance table per claim on an "as-needed" basis to the DO for authorization via their immediate supervisor. Other FSIS personnel may make the same request through supervisory channels.
      
      NOTE: On average, IPP do not use more than two knives per year. Reimbursement is not calculated on a fiscal year basis since knives may be replaced periodically, but a scabbard will last many years.
8. PROCEDURE FOR FILING A CLAIM
   1. IPP and other FSIS personnel are to submit an OF-1164, Claim for Reimbursement of Expenditures on Official Business,to file a claim for reimbursement for each type of eligible purchase when expenses are incurred.  The OF-1164 can be signed with a digital or handwritten signature. A link to the form is located at: Claim for Reimbursement for Expenditures on Official Business | GSA).
   2. IPP and other FSIS personnel are to sign the dated receipts and attach the receipts to the OF-1164.
   3. IPP and other FSIS personnel are to send an OF-1164 to their supervisor.
   4. IPP and other FSIS personnel are to file claims by January 31st of the subsequent calendar year.
      
      EXAMPLE: A claim for items purchased between February 1, 2023, and January 31, 2024, is to be filed by January 31, 2024.
9. CERTIFYING AND PROCESSING CLAIMS
   1. The District Manager (DM) or designee certifies that the claim is from eligible IPP and other FSIS personnel receive certification from their supervisory channels.
   2. If the IPP and other FSIS personnel qualify for reimbursement, the DM or designee signs the OF-1164 (Block 8) and forwards the original and receipts to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Financial Management Division (FMD)  via scanned email at FSCGeneral@fsis.usda.gov.
   3. FMD processes claims for reimbursement.
   4. OFO is responsible for submitting to OCFO an estimate of pending reimbursements at the end of each fiscal year in accordance with the due dates published in the FSIS Notice Year End Closing Instructions. 
10. PROCEDURE FOR UPDATING REIMBURSEMENT AMOUNTS
    1. Annually OFO will use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) U.S. City Annual Average All Items Less Food, Shelter, Energy, and Used Cars and Trucks value to determine if it is necessary to inflate the reimbursement amounts.
    2. If an increase in the reimbursement amount is necessary, the new rates will be effective for items purchased on or after February 1st of the affected calendar year.   
    3. The reimbursement rates in this directive will go into effect for eligible purchases on or after the date this directive is issued.
       
       NOTE: In the event the CPI decreased or remains the same, the reimbursement amounts will remain the same as the previous year.
11. QUESTIONS
    Refer questions through supervisory channels.

Related Media

FSIS Directive 3410.3 Reimbursement Allowance Table