2022-2023 Dependent Care Travel Grant Guidelines

As a separate provision in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Senate Faculty who do not plan to request a Dependent Care Travel Grant for research-related travel may instead request up to one $600 DCTG each quarter to support dependent care needs that originate from faculty teaching responsibilities or from participation in professional conferences, even if remote. Senate faculty may use this grant to offset care costs for dependents in their homes whose care facilities, schools, or daycare's have been closed or remain less than fully operational due to COVID-19 precautions. 

 To maximize the number of Senate Faculty able to benefit from this program, specific application period dates for each quarter have been established.

 Application periods for each quarter are as follows: 

• Fall Quarter 2022: 

• • Application Period: October 3, 2022 through November 20, 2022
  • Service Period activities from September 19, 2022 through December 10, 2022
    • Retroactivity to 9/29/2022 permitted Fall Quarter 2022 activities, but must be received by the November 21, 2022. 

• Winter Quarter 2023: 

• • Application Period: November  21, 2022 through February 19, 2023
  • Service Period activities from January 4, 2023 through March 25, 2023   

• Spring Quarter 2023 

• • Application Period: February 20, 2023 through May 18, 2023
  • Service Period activities from March 29, 2023 through June 16, 2023 

For the 2022-2023 AY program, applications will be accepted for eligible expenses via the Infoready application linked above. 

Restrictions on eligible expenses and caretakers are detailed below. 

All applications are due 30 days in advance of travel or eligible fund use.

Contingent on funding remaining available, applications for Summer 2023 will be accepted during the below stated application period.

•  Summer 2023
  • Application Period: May 19, 2023 through June 30, 2023
  • Service Period activities from June 19, 2023 through September 9, 2023 

An announcement will be issued at a later date and upon confirmation of fund availability to announce whether or not the DCTG program will be available during Summer 2023.

• Applications for the 2022-2023 academic year may be submitted via the InfoReady link provided above.  

• Applications for grants should be submitted for grant pre-approval no less than 30 days before planned travel or provided home dependent care.  

• Applicants will receive a response within 10 business days in most cases.  

• Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received

DCTG funds may be requested by Senate Faculty at all ranks who: 

• are either single caretakers of a dependent, or 

• have spouses or partners unavailable for dependent care during their professional travel or research due to work obligations or extenuating circumstances 

• have requested and received approved academic leaves from chairs or administrators, where applicable, for related travel during the service period

For the purposes of this program, eligible dependents are: 

• a healthy child (≤ 12 years) who resides with the applicant and for whom the applicant is a primary caregiver; or 

• a child/adolescent (≤18 years) who is physically or mentally disabled, requires assistance with daily activities, resides with the applicant, and for whom the applicant is a primary caregiver; or 

• a disabled adult/elder (child, spouse, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent) who spends at least eight hours every day in the applicant's home and for whom the applicant has arriving responsibility.

• One EVC-funded DCTG per fiscal year, not to exceed a $2,500 total,  

• • OR, up to three quarterly grants to fund up to $600 per quarter of above and beyond childcare costs incurred to support dependent care needs that originate from faculty teaching responsibilities or from participation in professional conferences, even if remote (e.g. hiring nanny or tutor supervision for dependents while participating in an online conference or teaching)   

• Approved grant funding will be processed upon faculty return from travel after faculty member certifies incurred expenses or at the close of each quarter when above and beyond dependent care expenses are certified  

• Priority will be given to awards requested during the academic year; however, funds permitting, awards may be granted for travel during the summer  

• Grants will be approved and disbursed continuously as eligible expense certifications are received until funds are depleted for each year  

• Once program annual funding maximums have been neared or reached, applicants will be placed on a waitlist for consideration if funding becomes available

Eligible expenses include the following:  

1. Travel expenses for the dependent.
2. Fees paid to a caregiver (other than a spouse, partner or other immediate family member) for services provided.
3. Travel expenses for a caregiver (either to travel to the faculty member’s home to provide care or to provide onsite care for the dependent).
4. Accommodations for a caregiver when s/he stays overnight to care for the dependent.
5. Meals for dependent and/or caregiver during travel to conference or research meeting, or alternate research location.
6. Food for caregiver if s/he must travel to provide at-home dependent care.
7. The cost of shipping breastmilk for a child at home while the faculty member travels for research.
8. Reasonable dependent care expenses over and above the cost, if any, that the faculty member would normally incur at home (e.g., additional weekend or evening care), or if the dependent must travel with the faculty member during the trip.

Expenses listed below are not eligible for DCTG: 

1. Dependent care expenses at home that would normally be incurred (i.e., aftercare at school, dependent care that is provided on an on-going basis, or meals/groceries for dependents or caregivers that would normally be incurred).
2. Caregiver fees paid to immediate family members.
3. Any of the faculty member’s expenses, conference or otherwise.
4. Entertainment activities.
5. First or business class travel tickets.
6. Alcohol.
7. Above and beyond local childcare costs should care facilities, schools, and daycare centers open at full capacity when COVID-19 related precautions are no longer determined necessary.
8. Other expenses not associated with the additional care or travel of the dependent(s).
9. Offsets for any state-funded travel expenses prohibited by California State law AB 1887. 

• In AB 1887, the California Legislature determined that "California must take action to avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people." (Gov. Code, § 11139.8, subd. (a)(5).) To that end, AB 1887 prohibits a state agency, department, board, or commission from requiring any state employees, officers, or members to travel to a state that, after June 26, 2015, has enacted a law that (1) has the effect of voiding or repealing existing state or local protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; (2) authorizes or requires discrimination against same-sex couples or their families or on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; or (3) creates an exemption to antidiscrimination laws in order to permit discrimination against same-sex couples or their families or on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. (Gov. Code, § 11139.8, subds. (b)(1), (2).) In addition, the law prohibits California from approving a request for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to such a state. (Gov. Code, § 11139.8, subd. (b)(2).) 

• States subject to AB 1887’s travel Prohibition are listed below: 
  • Alabama
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Mississippi
  • Montana
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakot
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • West Virginia
    • Please visit the State Attorney General website for additional information.

• Approved grant funds must be used in the dependent care support manner designated in the application. Funds not certified by applicant as used in the pre-approved manner will not be disbursed.  

• Grant recipients are expected to perform the research and attend the meeting or conference as designated in the approved application. Absent extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness) funds will not be disbursed if the faculty member does not attend the conference/meeting, or engage in scholarly work as described in the application.  

• Significant deviation from planned travel (i.e. substantially different trip or several hundred dollars difference in projected dependent travel expenses) must be approved prior to travel. In the event of a change of travel plans, faculty may submit a revised application to Gabriel Lopez at gal037@ucsd.edu.  Modifications for pre-approved application expenses will not affect application ordering in queue. 

• In the event of canceled travel or a change of plans, grant recipients must notify the program coordinator as early as possible to release reserved funds.

• Via the procedure detailed on the InfoReady application, within 30 days of completed travel, or the last impacted date for which funds were applied in the case of the home caregiver provision, faculty must certify dependent care expenses were incurred.  Expenses not certified within 45 days of travel will be ineligible for funding.  

• • While receipts are not required upon submission of certification of expense, they must be available upon request. 

• • For approved applications, logging back into your application on the InfoReady site after travel will allow for you to complete your travel expense certification by accessing the Progress Reports menu on the right-hand side and then clicking the Travel/Exp certification tab and certifying expenses.   

• • Please contact Gabriel Lopez at gal037@ucsd.edu if you encounter any issues accessing your certification. 

• After a faculty member certifies his/her travel or care expenses were incurred as pre-approved, the DCTG program coordinator will contact the department/unit fiscal contact and arrange for a funds transfer.  

• UC Path payments of funds will be set up by unit or department contacts.   

• Disbursements after submitted post-travel or quarter's end certifications can take up to 60 days.