HPA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL & EXPENSE POLICY

Locum Tenens Providers and Nursing Professionals
Effective Date: 1/1/2026 | Policy Owner: HPA Healthcare

1. Purpose

This policy establishes HPA Healthcare's requirements for travel and travel-related expenses associated with healthcare staffing assignments.

Nothing in this policy is intended to limit or waive any right to reimbursement required by applicable federal, state, or local law. Where applicable law requires reimbursement notwithstanding a provision of this policy, HPA will administer the expense in accordance with applicable law.

This policy provides HPA Healthcare's general travel and expense guidelines. The terms of an individual clinician’s assignment agreement, applicable client requirements, and any assignment-specific written travel authorization control in the event of a conflict with this general policy.

Locum Tenens Assignments: HPA Healthcare will arrange and pay approved assignment-related travel expenses when travel is included with the assignment. HPA generally books and pays for approved travel directly. All travel must comply with the applicable client, facility, MSP, or VMS travel policy.

Nursing Assignments: Eligible travel nurses may receive housing and M&IE stipends as outlined in their assignment agreement. HPA does not otherwise arrange, pay, or reimburse travel expenses unless approved in writing in advance.

Travel provided for one assignment does not create an entitlement to travel benefits for another assignment.

2. Client Travel Policies Govern

All HPA-paid or reimbursed locum tenens travel must comply with the travel policies, expense limits, documentation requirements, and approval procedures established for the specific client and assignment.

• Airfare
• Baggage
• Lodging
• Rental vehicles
• Mileage
• Ground transportation
• Parking and tolls
• Travel dates
• Approved vendors
• Accommodation types
• Required receipts and documentation
• Advance approval requirements
• Other travel-related expenses

When a client, facility, MSP, or VMS policy is more restrictive than HPA's general policy, the client-specific policy controls.

HPA will not knowingly approve or reimburse an expense that violates an applicable client travel policy unless the required exception has been obtained in advance.

3. Travel Caps Are Maximums, Not Allowances

Client travel caps represent the maximum amount that may be spent or reimbursed, not an allowance automatically payable to the provider.

For example, if a client allows lodging up to $300 per night and appropriate lodging is available for $190 per night, HPA will pay the actual $190 expense. The provider is not entitled to the $110 difference.

The same principle applies to airfare, rental vehicles, mileage, baggage, and other approved travel expenses. HPA will seek reasonable travel arrangements that balance cost, safety, reliability, convenience, and the provider's assignment schedule.

4. Nursing Assignments - Travel Is Not Paid by HPA

HPA Healthcare does not pay, arrange, or reimburse travel expenses for nursing assignments.

• Transportation to and from an assignment
• Airfare
• Baggage
• Housing and lodging
• Rental vehicles
• Mileage
• Fuel
• Parking
• Tolls
• Meals and food
• Local transportation
• Other travel and living expenses

Any exception must be specifically authorized by HPA in writing and in advance. An exception approved for one nurse or assignment does not modify HPA's general policy or establish an entitlement to travel reimbursement for future assignments.

5. Locum Tenens Assignments - HPA-Paid Travel

For eligible locum tenens assignments, HPA Healthcare will arrange and pay approved assignment-related travel expenses in accordance with the applicable client's travel policy.

• Airfare
• One standard checked bag
• Lodging
• Rental vehicle
• Approved mileage for travel to and from the assignment
• Approved airport transportation
• Other specifically authorized assignment-related travel expenses

HPA-booked and HPA-paid travel is the standard process for locum tenens assignments.

Providers should not independently book travel or incur expenses with the expectation of reimbursement unless HPA has provided prior written authorization.

6. HPA-Booked Travel

Whenever practical, HPA will make locum tenens travel arrangements directly.

• Legal name as it appears on government-issued identification
• Date of birth when required
• Preferred departure airport
• Known Traveler Number, if applicable
• Airline frequent-flyer number, if applicable
• Hotel loyalty membership information, if applicable
• Reasonable scheduling preferences
• Other information reasonably required to complete the reservation

Providers are responsible for reviewing travel itineraries promptly and notifying HPA of any errors or concerns.

7. Air Travel

HPA will generally purchase reasonable economy/main-cabin airfare that complies with the applicable client's travel policy, allows the provider to meet the confirmed assignment schedule, provides a reasonable and reliable itinerary, and falls within applicable client travel limits.

HPA may consider reasonable provider preferences regarding airline, airport, departure time, or routing when the requested option does not materially increase the cost or conflict with client requirements.

• First-class airfare
• Business-class airfare
• Premium cabin upgrades
• Preferred or upgraded seating
• Airline lounge access
• Personal itinerary changes
• Additional travel for personal convenience
• Other optional airline upgrades

If a provider selects a more expensive itinerary for personal preference, the provider may be responsible for the incremental cost.

8. Baggage

HPA will pay for no more than one standard piece of checked luggage per provider when baggage is permitted under the applicable client travel policy.

• A second or additional checked bag
• Overweight baggage
• Oversized baggage
• Specialty baggage
• Personal shipping expenses
• Other excess baggage charges

If the first checked bag is already included in the airfare, no additional baggage payment or allowance is provided. Any exception requires prior written HPA approval and, when applicable, client approval.

9. Lodging

HPA will arrange reasonable lodging that complies with the applicable client's travel policy and is appropriate for the assignment's location and duration.

• Hotels
• Extended-stay hotels
• Corporate housing
• Other client-approved accommodations

Providers may be required to provide a personal credit card at check-in for incidental expenses.

• Room upgrades
• Minibar purchases
• Meals or room service
• Alcohol
• Movies
• Spa services
• Personal entertainment
• Personal purchases
• Additional nights for personal travel
• Other personal expenses

10. Rental Vehicles

When a rental vehicle is necessary and permitted under the applicable client travel policy, HPA will generally arrange and pay for the rental directly. HPA will select a reasonable vehicle category appropriate for the assignment and within applicable client limits.

• Maintaining a valid driver's license
• Meeting rental-company requirements
• Operating the vehicle safely and lawfully
• Promptly reporting accidents or damage
• Traffic citations
• Parking violations
• Toll violations and associated penalties
• Unauthorized upgrades
• Charges resulting from improper or unauthorized use

Providers should not purchase optional rental-car insurance, upgrades, or other add-ons at HPA's expense unless specifically authorized.

11. Travel Loyalty & Rewards Programs

Providers may utilize their individual airline and hotel loyalty or rewards programs in connection with HPA-approved locum tenens travel.

Providers may provide HPA with their airline frequent-flyer number and hotel loyalty program number. HPA may add these numbers to eligible reservations when permitted.

Any airline miles, hotel points, qualifying nights, status credits, or similar personal loyalty benefits earned through eligible travel may remain with the provider.

Use of a loyalty program must not increase the cost to HPA or the client, cause an expense to exceed applicable client limits, require HPA to select a more expensive airline, hotel, fare, or room type, interfere with HPA's ability to modify or cancel business travel, or conflict with client travel policy.

Rental-Car Loyalty Programs

Individual rental-car loyalty or rewards programs may not be utilized for HPA-booked or HPA-paid rental vehicles. Providers should not add, substitute, or associate their personal rental-car loyalty account with an HPA-paid rental unless HPA specifically authorizes it.

12. Mileage Reimbursement

When authorized for a locum tenens assignment, mileage reimbursement applies to approved travel to and from the assignment.

Mileage reimbursement is not intended to reimburse routine, incidental, commuting, or personal driving while the provider is on assignment.

• Approved travel from the provider's approved home or departure location to the assignment
• Approved return travel from the assignment to the provider's approved home or departure location

Mileage is not reimbursed for daily commuting between lodging and the facility, restaurants, grocery shopping, personal errands, recreational activities, sightseeing, routine local driving, or other incidental or personal travel while on assignment.

Mileage reimbursement is subject to the applicable client's mileage policy and maximum reimbursement limits. Providers may be required to submit origin, destination, date of travel, business purpose, number of miles, and MapQuest or other required mapping documentation.

When mileage reimbursement is paid for use of a personal vehicle, gasoline is not separately reimbursed.

13. Meals, Food & Per Diem

HPA Healthcare does not pay or reimburse meals, food, groceries, beverages, or meal per diems.

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Restaurant expenses
• Room service
• Food delivery
• Groceries
• Snacks
• Coffee and other beverages
• Alcohol
• Meal per diem

Providers are responsible for their own food and meal expenses while traveling to, from, or working on an assignment.

14. Provider Self-Booked Travel

HPA recognizes that there may occasionally be situations where it is more practical for a locum tenens provider to arrange and pay for their own approved travel.

Provider self-booking is an exception to HPA's standard travel process and requires HPA's written approval before the reservation is made or the expense is incurred.

• Type of travel authorized
• Approved travel dates
• Maximum reimbursable amount
• Applicable client travel limits
• Documentation requirements
• Any special conditions

15. Self-Booked Travel Reimbursement

When HPA authorizes a provider to self-book travel, HPA will reimburse the provider for the actual approved and documented expense, up to the authorized maximum. Approval of a maximum amount does not create an allowance.

Example: If approved roundtrip airfare is up to $800 and the provider purchases an approved flight for $625, reimbursement is $625. If the provider purchases a $950 ticket without prior approval to exceed the $800 limit, maximum reimbursement is $800.

An expense that exceeds a client travel limit cannot be approved by HPA when client approval is required unless that approval has first been obtained.

16. Expense Documentation

Providers must submit appropriate documentation for all approved travel expenses they incur directly and seek to have reimbursed by HPA.

• Itemized receipt
• Proof of payment
• Airfare itinerary and receipt
• Baggage receipt
• Final hotel folio
• Final rental-car receipt
• Mileage documentation
• Ground transportation receipt
• Parking or toll receipt
• Business purpose
• Assignment information
• Other documentation required by the applicable client

A reservation confirmation may not be sufficient documentation of the actual final expense. HPA reserves the right to deny reimbursement for expenses that cannot be adequately documented or that do not comply with the applicable client travel policy.

17. Weekly Expense Submission Requirement

All provider-incurred approved travel expenses must be submitted to HPA each week at the same time as the provider's corresponding timesheet.

HPA's workweek runs Sunday through Saturday. Timesheets and all corresponding reimbursable expenses and receipts are due following completion of the applicable workweek.

Providers should not accumulate expenses and submit them several weeks or months later. Timely expense submission is necessary because HPA must comply with client, facility, MSP, and VMS invoicing and expense-submission deadlines.

Late submission may result in delayed reimbursement and may result in denial when HPA is unable to submit the expense to the client because the applicable client deadline has passed.

18. Parking, Tolls & Ground Transportation

Assignment-related parking, tolls, taxis, rideshare, airport transportation, and similar expenses are reimbursable only when permitted by the applicable client travel policy, reasonably necessary for assignment-related travel, and approved by HPA.

Receipts must be provided when required. Routine local transportation or transportation associated with personal activities while on assignment is not automatically reimbursable.

19. Combining Assignment and Personal Travel

Providers may combine personal travel with assignment-related travel when doing so does not interfere with assignment responsibilities, does not violate client travel requirements, and does not increase HPA's cost.

HPA's financial responsibility is limited to the reasonable approved expense HPA would have incurred for travel necessary solely to complete the assignment.

• Personal travel extensions
• Additional hotel nights
• Additional rental-car days
• Different destinations
• Personal itinerary changes
• Upgrades
• Companion travel
• Other personal preferences

If combining business and personal travel results in a higher airfare or other expense, the provider may be required to pay the difference.

20. Companion, Family & Pet Travel

HPA does not pay expenses associated with a provider's spouse or partner, children, family members, friends, other companions, or pets. If their presence increases airfare, lodging, rental-car, transportation, or other costs, the provider is responsible for the additional expense.

21. Changes to HPA-Booked Travel

Providers should contact HPA as soon as possible if assignment-related travel plans need to change. Providers should not independently cancel, modify, or rebook HPA-arranged travel without authorization from HPA unless an emergency or immediate travel disruption makes contacting HPA impractical.

When HPA or the client changes an assignment schedule, HPA will coordinate reasonable changes to HPA-booked travel. A provider may be responsible for additional expenses resulting from voluntary itinerary changes made for personal reasons.

22. Emergency Travel Disruptions

If severe weather, airline cancellations, mechanical problems, or other unforeseen circumstances disrupt travel, providers should contact HPA as soon as reasonably possible.

When immediate action is necessary and HPA cannot reasonably be reached, providers should use reasonable judgment to obtain safe and reasonably priced transportation or lodging and notify HPA promptly.

Any reimbursement remains subject to applicable client policies, reasonableness of the expense, documentation requirements, and applicable client reimbursement limits.

23. Travel Credits, Refunds & Vouchers

Any refund, travel credit, voucher, or similar value resulting from travel paid for by HPA belongs to HPA to the extent permitted by the travel vendor.

If an airline or other vendor issues a credit in the provider's name because of its policies, the provider must notify HPA and cooperate with HPA regarding the future business use of that credit when permitted.

A provider may not intentionally cancel HPA-paid travel for the purpose of retaining a personal travel credit or benefit.

24. Non-Reimbursable Expenses

• Meals, food, groceries, beverages, or meal per diem
• More than one standard checked bag
• Excess, overweight, oversized, or specialty baggage
• Routine, commuting, personal, or incidental mileage while on assignment
• Daily mileage between lodging and the assignment facility
• Fuel for a personal vehicle when mileage reimbursement is provided
• First- or business-class airfare
• Premium airline upgrades
• Preferred seating charges
• Airline lounge access
• Hotel room upgrades
• Alcohol
• Entertainment
• Minibar charges
• Room service
• Spa services
• Personal shopping
• Family or companion travel
• Pet-related expenses
• Traffic citations
• Parking violations
• Toll violations or penalties
• Unapproved rental-car upgrades
• Personal vehicle repairs or maintenance
• Personal travel expenses
• Unapproved additional hotel nights
• Personal itinerary changes
• Expenses exceeding approved travel limits
• Expenses prohibited by the applicable client
• Expenses unrelated to the assignment

25. Provider Responsibility

Providers are responsible for understanding and complying with the travel instructions provided for their assignment.

• Review itineraries promptly
• Provide accurate information to HPA
• Travel in sufficient time to meet assignment and orientation requirements
• Follow applicable client travel limits
• Obtain authorization before self-booking
• Obtain authorization before exceeding an approved amount
• Retain required receipts
• Submit approved expenses weekly with the corresponding timesheet
• Promptly communicate travel changes or disruptions

Failure to follow this policy may result in an expense being deemed non-reimbursable. Submission of false, altered, duplicate, or misleading expense documentation may result in denial of reimbursement and may be addressed pursuant to the provider's agreement with HPA.

26. Exceptions

Exceptions to this policy require prior written approval from an authorized HPA Healthcare representative.

When the exception also requires client approval, HPA must obtain that approval before authorizing the provider to incur the expense.

Client-specific travel policies and contractual requirements always control when they are more restrictive than this policy.

HPA Travel & Expense Quick Reference

Provider-Facing Travel & Expense Summary

Travel & Expenses: HPA Healthcare will arrange and pay approved travel expenses associated with Provider's locum tenens assignment in accordance with the applicable client's travel policies, expense limits, and approval requirements. HPA generally books approved airfare, lodging, and rental vehicles directly. HPA will pay for no more than one standard checked bag when permitted by the client. Meals, food, groceries, beverages, and meal per diems are not paid or reimbursed. When approved, mileage reimbursement applies only to travel to and from the assignment and does not include daily commuting, routine, personal, or incidental mileage while on assignment. Providers may utilize personal airline and hotel loyalty programs when doing so does not increase travel costs or conflict with client requirements; individual rental-car loyalty programs may not be used for HPA-paid rentals. Providers may self-book travel only with HPA's prior written authorization and within applicable HPA and client expense limits. All provider-incurred approved expenses and supporting receipts must be submitted weekly with the Provider's corresponding timesheet. Expenses exceeding approved limits or otherwise inconsistent with the applicable client travel policy will not be reimbursed unless approved in writing in advance.

Nursing Agreement Language

Travel & Expenses – Nursing Assignments: Eligible travel nurses may receive housing and meals & incidental expense (M&IE) stipends as outlined in their assignment agreement. These stipends are separate from company-paid or reimbursed travel expenses.

Unless HPA Healthcare expressly agrees otherwise in writing in advance, HPA does not separately arrange, pay, or reimburse airfare, baggage, lodging, rental vehicles, mileage, fuel, parking, tolls, local transportation, or other travel-related expenses for nursing assignments. Any written exception applies only to the specific assignment and expense expressly authorized and does not create an entitlement to reimbursement for any other assignment.