Iowa ordered to repay workers for meals

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20130926/NEWS/130929059/1707#iowa-ordered-to-repay-workers-for-meals

Published Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 1:00 am / Updated at 2:26 am

IOWA CITY (AP) — Iowa is in the process of reimbursing hundreds or even thousands of public workers for meal expenses dating back to 2011, after an arbitrator ruled that Gov. Terry Branstad's administration improperly cut the travel allowances, according to state and union officials.

As of Wednesday, the state had spent about $134,000 to reimburse 549 employees for meal expenses, or an average of roughly $245 each, and further payments were likely, said Caleb Hunter, a spokesman for the Department of Administrative Services.

Looking to cut expenses after Branstad took office, the Department of Administrative Services surprised employees when it announced on Aug. 1, 2011, that those who travel would generally no longer be eligible for meal reimbursement unless they stayed overnight.

The change had a major impact on employees who routinely drive long distances and need to eat two or three times during workdays on which they leave early in the morning and get home late at night. In the first year, the cut helped save the state nearly $900,000 by reducing the amount spent on meals from $1.13 million to $253,000, state data show.

FULL story at link.