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DI-2000 FAQs for USGS Employees, Volunteers, and Student Contractors

By Office of Science Quality and Integrity

This DI-2000 FAQ answers the following questions:

 

I only submit a DI-2000 for approval if the non-Federal entity is sending USGS a check, correct?

No.  You must submit a DI-2000 for approval regardless of whether a non-Federal entity pays for the travel expenses by check reimbursement to USGS or “in-kind” (meaning that the non-Federal entity books the airfare, lodging, or other travel expense and pays the vendor(s) directly).

 

I am presenting at a conference and the conference organizers have waived the registration fee, do I need a DI-2000?

It depends, but likely yes. 

When someone speaks at a conference or a workshop or a similar event and plans to attend the event for free beyond when they are speaking, or plans to accept any other meals, informational materials, or other tangible items of monetary value from the non-Federal entity, then they will (on behalf of USGS) be accepting free attendance to the event, and therefore they need to submit a DI-2000 for approval.    

If you will be speaking at an event and will only be accepting a waiver or a reduction of the registration fee from the sponsor of the event to attend the portion of the event at which you will speak or present information, and you will not attend any other sessions, accept any other meals, informational materials, or other tangible items of monetary value from the non-Federal entity, then you do not need to submit a DI-2000 for approval.    

  • For political appointees ONLY (at USGS this applies to the Director and Schedule C appointee), in this situation you must submit the DI-1958 form for approval. 

 

Can I use a DI-2000 for fieldwork?

No.  Information about other legal authorities that can be used to accept travel expenses from a non-Federal source can be found here.   

 

When do I use a Contributions Form 9-3089 versus a DI-2000?

If it is appropriate to use 31 U.S. Code Section 1353 as the legal authority to accept travel expenses from a non-Federal source, then you should fill out a DI-2000 instead of a 9-3089. 

A DI-2000 is required when 31 U.S. Code Section 1353 is the legal authority used to accept travel expenses from a non-Federal entity.  You can accept travel expenses under 31 U.S. Code Section 1353 when:

  • you are in travel status and you will be attending a meeting, conference, seminar, lecture or similar event.
    • International travelers: A DI-2000 is automatically generated within your DI-1175 when 31 U.S. Code Section 1353 is selected as the legal authority on your DI-1175. 

A 9-3089 is required when 43 U.S. Code Section 36c is the legal authority used to accept travel expenses from a non-Federal entity.  You can accept travel expenses under 43 U.S. Code Section 36c when:

  • you are NOT in travel status, but you will be attending a meeting, conference, seminar, lecture or similar event; OR
  • you will be conducting fieldwork or engaging in an activity where no information product will be developed; OR 
  • the travel expenses are being paid by the non-Federal entity and the USGS will not be required to produce anything including reports, data, presentations, etc.; OR
  • there is a collaborative agreement between the USGS and the non-Federal entity that specifically includes payment of travel expenses for this trip/ project.
    • International travelers:  A form 9-3089 is required in addition to your DI-1175 when 43 U.S. Code Section 36c is selected as the legal authority on your DI-1175. 
    • More information about the form 9-3089 can be found on our web-page here and more information about contributions in general can be found here.   

Therefore, if you have an approved DI-2000, you do not fill out a 9-3089 for the same travel expenses.

Information about the various legal authorities used to accept reimbursement or payment of travel expenses from non-Federal sources can be found here.   

 

What do I need to list on my DI-2000?

You must list any travel expense that the USGS accepts from the non-Federal entity (or provides you “in-kind”) in connection with your official travel to a conference, meeting or similar event; this could include but is not limited to:

  • # days of Lodging (city, state/country)
  • Food
    • # of Breakfasts (city, state/country)
    • # of Lunches (city, state/country)
    • # of Dinners (city, state/country)
  • # days of Incidental Expenses (city, state/country)
    • If you prefer to describe your lodging, meals, and incidental expenses as “per diem” you must list which city the per diem is for and how many days of per diem are being provided. 
    • If the non-Federal source is providing per diem on a travel day that MUST be specifically indicated.  Travelers are only eligible for 75 percent of the total M&IE rate for their temporary duty travel location (not the official duty station location).
    • Per diem is the allowance for lodging (excluding taxes), meals and incidental expenses.  You can determine per diem rates here: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/per-diem-rates-lookup
    • If the non-Federal entity is providing per diem in-kind, then incidental expenses MUST be subtracted from the daily allowance and listed separately because incidental expenses cannot be provided in-kind and must be reimbursed by the non-Federal entity to USGS by check or paid to the traveler by USGS.
  • Airfare from (city, state/country) to (city, state/country)
  • Other transportation besides airfare
  • The amount of the registration fee that is waived or reduced for USGS on your behalf.  You MUST also note what the registration fee includes for all meeting attendees including but not limited to: meals (including the number of meals provided and whether the meals are breakfast, lunch, or dinner), afterhours entertainment that is consecutive with the meeting, informational materials, and event excursion(s).
    • If the registration fee includes an afterhours event, please read and comply with the information below. 

 

What if the conference fee includes an afterhours event?

If the afterhours event is the same day as the meeting, provided “in-kind,” and made available by the meeting sponsor to all attendees, then you may seek approval to accept free attendance at the afterhours event with the DI-2000 by specifically listing the afterhours event on your DI-2000 but you must be on personal time when you attend the afterhours event.   

 

What if the conference fee includes an event excursion during normal business hours?

Typically, event excursions are field trips to local tourist spots and therefore a non-technical aspect of a conference, which means by USGS policy that USGS employees may only attend the event excursion/non-technical aspect of a conference during normal work hours if they are in a non-duty status.  Source: USGS Directors Memorandum (Guidance for Nontechnical Events at Conferences and Meetings) dated July 10, 2012. 

If the event excursion is the same day as the technical aspects of the conference (talks, presentations, etc.), provided “in-kind,” and made available by the meeting sponsor to all attendees, then you may seek approval to accept free attendance at the event excursion with the DI-2000 by specifically listing the event excursion on your DI-2000 but you must be on personal time when you attend the event excursion. 

If the event excursion is not the same day as the technical aspects of the conference, then in additional to being in non-duty status, you must personally pay for the event excursion and you may not accept non-Federal funds, or seek reimbursement from USGS, to attend the event excursion.  You may not voucher for per diem on days that you will be on annual leave. 

 

What if I want to accept free company-branded-merchandise/ promotional-items from a non-Federal entity at a conference?  Does it matter if the promotional items are included as part of the registration fee and given to all meeting attendees? 

Regardless of whether or not the company-branded-merchandise/ promotional-items are part of the registration fee, there is an exception (5 C.F.R. Section 2635. 204(a)) that allows employees to accept gifts from non-Federal sources valued at $20 (or less) per occasion, provided that the aggregate market value of individual gifts received from any one person/entity do not exceed $50 in a calendar year.  An “occasion” is all the days of the meeting (i.e., each day is not a single occasion).  Travelers are responsible for tracking and ensuring proper compliance with this exception.  Travelers do not need to report company-branded-merchandise/ promotional-items on their DI-2000. 

 

If I want to accept afterhours entertainment from a non-Federal entity that is not part of the registration fee, should I just list it on my DI-2000?

If the afterhours entertainment is incident to the meeting, provided in kind, and made available by the meeting sponsor(s) to all attendees but is not part of the registration fee, list the afterhours entertainment separately on separately on your DI-2000. 

To seek ethics approval to accept free attendance at afterhours entertainment that is not either incident to the meeting, provided in kind, or made available by the meeting sponsor(s) to all attendees, please send an email to ethicsoffice@usgs.gov  If the entertainment is a Widely Attended Gathering (WAG) as defined in 5 C.F.R. Section 2635.204(g), then you must submit a DI-1958 to ethicsoffice@usgs.gov for review.

 

When you receive “complementary” breakfast at a hotel and USGS has paid for your lodging you are not accepting travel expenses from a non-Federal source.  USGS paid for your breakfast when they paid for your room.  The breakfast is included in the cost of the room.  Things paid for by the Federal government are not gifts from non-Federal sources.  5 C.F.R. Section 2635.203.

Similarly, if you plan to go to a conference and the registration fee includes meals and USGS is paying the registration fee, then you would not submit a DI-2000 for the meals that are part of the registration fee; USGS paid for those meals when it paid the registration fee.

By contrast, if a non-Federal entity pays for lodging that includes a complimentary breakfast, the breakfast needs to be noted within the DI-2000 and the traveler may not claim reimbursement for that breakfast.    

 

I am on official travel to attend a conference; may I accept a cup of coffee from a non-Federal entity without submitting a DI-2000 for approval?

Non-alcoholic refreshment items and snacks that are not part of a meal are not considered gifts under ethics rules.  5 C.F.R. Section 2635.203.  This means that you can accept non-alcoholic refreshment items and snacks that are not part of a meal and therefore you would not need to fill out a DI-2000 for these items, including a cup of coffee.  

There is also an exception (5 C.F.R. Section 2635. 204(a)) that allows employees to accept gifts valued at $20 per occasion, provided that the aggregate market value of individual gifts received from any one person shall not exceed $50 in a calendar year.  An “occasion” is all the days of the meeting (i.e., each day is not a single occasion).  You are responsible for tracking and ensuring proper compliance with this exception. 

 

What should I do if the amount I estimated on my DI-2000 was incorrect? 

The DI-2000 must approved prior to travel, so travel expense amounts must be estimated on the DI-2000.  If you have an approved DI-2000 but the value of the travel expense(s) was more or less than originally estimated on the DI-2000:

  • If the estimated total amount of expenses is more than the actual total amount of travel expenses received from the non-Federal entity, the DI-2000 does not need to be corrected.
  • If estimated total amount of travel expenses is less than the actual total amount of travel expenses received from a non-Federal entity, the DI-2000 must be corrected to reflect the actual amount of expenses received from the non-Federal entity. 
    • If you need to correct the travel expense amount(s) on your DI-2000, you need to print the DI-2000, make the corrections in writing with pen, initial the corrections, then scan the corrected DI-2000 to EthicsOffice@usgs.gov for approval immediately upon returning from your trip (but no later than 7 working days after returning). 
    • The USGS Office of Accounting and Financial Management (OAFM) will not process a voucher if it contains a DI-2000 for less than the amount of travel expenses received from the non-Federal entity. 

 

What should I do if a non-Federal source offers to pay some or all my travel expenses after my trip has begun?

If you have an approved DI-2000 and the USGS Ethics Office approved other travel expenses from the same non-Federal source, then you may accept additional travel expenses from the same non-Federal source during your trip if:

  • the expenses paid or provided in-kind are comparable in value to those offered to or purchased by other similarly situated meeting attendees; and
  • the USGS Ethics Office did not decline to accept payment for those expenses in advance of your travel.

In such situations, travelers should email ethicsoffice@usgs.gov as soon as possible (but no later than 7 working days after returning from their trip) if they need to make edits to their DI-2000 regarding the types of travel expenses accepted from a non-Federal source. 

If the USGS Ethics Office did NOT approve a DI-2000 prior to your travel or a new non-Federal source offers to provide travel expenses, then you may only accept the following:

  • the types of travel expenses that are authorized by your travel authorization (i.e., meals, lodging, transportation, but not recreation or other personal expenses); and
  • travel expenses that are within the maximum allowances stated on your travel authorization (e.g., if your travel authorization states that you are authorized to incur lodging expenses up to $100 per night, you may not accept payment from the non-Federal source for a $200 per night hotel room).

In such situations, travelers should submit a new DI-2000 for approval as soon as possible but no later than 7 working days after returning from their trip. 

If the USGS Ethics Office declines to approve the payment of travel expenses from the non-Federal source, the USGS must either reimburse the non-Federal source the value of the benefit provided or require the traveler to reimburse the non-Federal source.  41 C.F.R. Section 304-3.13.

 

What happens if payment from a non-Federal source is accepted in violation of 31 U.S. Code Section 1353?

If a traveler accepts payment or travel benefits in violation of the regulations, the USGS Ethics Office may require the traveler to pay the General Fund of the Treasury an amount equal to any payment or benefit accepted.  31 U.S. Code Section 1353.  Where the USGS requires reimbursement to the Treasury, the USGS must deny the traveler any reimbursement for the travel expenses the payment was intended to cover.

 

How do I determine the value of payments provided in-kind?

Transportation: 

  • Report the cost the non-Federal source paid or usually would have been charged for using a commercially available service.

Lodging where commercial rate is available: 

  • Report the cost that the non-Federal source paid or usually would have been charged for such event.

Lodging where no commercial rate is available: 

  • Report the maximum lodging rate established by GSA for CONUS, the Department of Defense for non-foreign areas, and the Secretary of State for foreign areas.  These rates are available at https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/per-diem-rates-look…
  • Only use the maximum lodging rate if you cannot determine the commercial rate.  If you can determine the commercial rate with an internet search, list the commercial rate in your DI-2000. 

Meals:

  • Report the per diem for meals for the locality unless the traveler is unable to consume the meal(s) due to an exception provided in F.T.R. Section 301-11.18. 

Conference or similar registration fees waived or paid by a non-Federal source: 

  • Report the amount charged to other participants; if there is a government rate you may use the government rate. 

Other benefits that are not provided as part of transportation or lodging, or a conference, training or similar fee: 

  • Report the cost to the non-Federal source or provide a reasonable approximation of the market value of the benefit. 

 

It depends. 

For foreign travel, the maximum travel reimbursement that you could receive from the USGS is the maximum travel reimbursement that you can accept from a non-Federal source.  41 C.F.R. Section 304-3.11.  Therefore, if you are traveling internationally you cannot stay at a hotel paid for in-kind by a non-Federal source that is over the per diem rate.  There are no exceptions.     

  • Note: While the general rule is to reasonably overestimate the funds received from a non-Federal source on both the DI-2000 and the DI-1175 so that the real lower cost can be claimed from the external source after the travel voucher has been approved, the exception to the general rule is for per diem paid by a non-Federal source during foreign travel because when you travel outside of the States, you cannot accept more from a non-Federal source than what you could submit to USGS for reimbursement. 

For travel within the States, the maximum per diem that you could get from USGS is not always the maximum a traveler can accept from a non-Federal source, but the travel expense paid by the non-Federal source must be comparable in value to what is offered to or purchased by other meeting attendees.  41 C.F.R. Section 304-3.11.  Therefore, if you are traveling within the United States you may be able to stay at a hotel paid for in-kind by the non-Federal source that is over the per diem rate if you can show that lodging is comparable in value to what is offered to or purchased by other meeting attendees.    

 

Do Scientist Emeriti and other volunteers need to fill out DI-2000?

Yes; when Scientist Emeriti, other volunteers or student contractors are traveling to a meeting to represent USGS, they must be on an official USGS Travel Authorization.  Those on an official USGS Travel Authorization need to either have their travel funded by USGS or a non-Federal source through an applicable legal authority.  Solicitations of travel expenses from a non-Federal source is prohibited. 

 

Must a claim for reimbursement of travel expenses (travel voucher) reflect the payment of travel expenses by a non-Federal source?

YES, and you must include your DI-2000 when you submit your travel voucher. 

Travelers MUST not claim reimbursement for travel expenses that were provided in-kind by a non-Federal source.  Anything provided by the non-Federal source in-kind should not be included in the travel voucher but must be annotated in the comments field on the voucher or by attaching an explanation that the travel expense was paid in-kind by the non-Federal source.  

For example, if there is a meal provided at a conference or lodging includes breakfast, then the travel reimbursement must be decreased by the amount that would otherwise be payable for the meal.

 

Can I just personally pay for my travel to avoid reimbursement from the non-Federal source and thereafter the requirement to fill out the DI-2000?

Those on official USGS travel authorizations are not permitted to donate personal funds to the USGS for payment of travel expenses to which they are entitled under Federal Travel Regulations (or waive reimbursement/payment of travel expenses to which they are entitled). 

The only exception is that you may voluntarily donate personal frequent flyer miles if the miles were earned on official Government travel.  See 41 C.F.R. Section 301-53.  To utilize this exception, the traveler must contact the USGS Ethics Office via ethicsoffice@usgs.gov before travel arrangements are made.  The USGS Ethics Office needs to make certain that the traveler has not been coerced into using their frequent flyer miles, so we require email statements from the traveler and their supervisor (in a format we explain to the traveler).  

 

Why does my DI-2000 have to be approved by my supervisor and/or an approving official?

The supervisor (or an approving official) needs to:

  1. Certify that the travel is official in nature.
  2. Recommend whether the official travel should occur (i.e., the traveler’s participation would be a good use of USGS time and resources and is in the best interest of the USGS). 
  3. Recommend whether the offer should be accepted from the non-Federal source.

 

You only use a DI-2000 for a conference or meeting with a lot of people, correct?

No.  Meeting(s) or similar functions means a conference, seminar, speaking engagement, symposium, workshop, training course, or similar event that takes place away from the official duty station.

For a DI-2000, a meeting need not be widely attended and includes:

(1) An event where the traveler will participate as a speaker or panel participant focusing on their official duties or on the policies, programs or operations of the USGS.

(2) A conference, convention, seminar, symposium or similar event where the primary purpose is to receive training (other than promotional vendor training), or to present or exchange substantive information of mutual interest to several parties.

(3) An event where the traveler will receive an award or honorary degree, which is in recognition of meritorious public service that is related to the traveler’s official duties, and which may be accepted by the traveler consistent with the applicable standards of conduct regulations.

“Meeting” does not include a meeting or other event required to carry out USGS’s statutory or regulatory functions (i.e., a function that is essential to the USGS’s mission, such as investigations, inspections, audits, negotiations or litigation).  “Meeting” also does not include promotional vendor training or other meetings held for the primary purpose of marketing the non-Federal sources products or services.  41 C.F.R. Section 304-2.1.

 

Must payments of travel expenses by a non-Federal source in accordance with 31 U.S. Code Section 1353 be reported on a financial disclosure report?  (Note: this information is only applicable to employees designated as OGE Form 278 or OGE Form 450 filers) 

No.  Since travel expenses are accepted by or on behalf of USGS under 31 U.S. Code Section 1353, they are not considered personal gifts and therefore do not need to be reported on financial disclosure forms.

 

After reading the information above and the information here, I still have a question about the DI-2000; what should I do?

Please email the USGS Ethics Office at ethicsoffice@usgs.gov  Put DI-2000 in the subject line and if the matter is urgent put URGENT in the subject line.  In the email, please include the traveler’s name, dates of travel, location of travel and reason for travel.  More information is always helpful.