The top five travel spenders were the Indiana Department of Health, Department of Child Services, Department of Revenue, Lieutenant Governor’s Office and Indiana Department of Correction. Photo from Getty Images.

By Mia Hilkowitz
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANA — Indiana’s state agencies collectively spent $5 million on travel during the 2024 fiscal year, with the favored hotel chain being Holiday Inn.

Dozens of entities – some housed within the same agencies – reported a total of 16,325 transactions related to travel activity, according to the Indiana Transparency Portal.

That’s about $45,000 more than was reported the previous fiscal year. Indiana’s fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. Most of the money went to lodging and airfare.

The top five spenders were the Indiana Department of Health, Department of Child Services, Department of Revenue, Lieutenant Governor’s Office and Indiana Department of Correction.

Some contested the expenses.

Ron Green, spokesman for the lieutenant governor’s office, said there are errors in the office’s international travel card activity data that could show inflated costs.

Green said staffers from the office’s four subsidiaries have attended trade missions to other states and countries — including one to Brazil — and various professional conferences. He said that how each trip is funded — including if they use state funds, federal or private grants — depends on the trip.

He provided the Indiana Capital Chronicle with the costs of two trips taken by officials from the subsidiary Indiana State Department of Agriculture to India in March. In those cases, the cost of expenses was not converted from Indian rupees to United States dollars.

In the portal, the transaction amount for the trips was listed as $198,240 — but it was actually 198,240 rupees, or $2,424. The portal displays about $325,243 in travel expenses for the office, but it actually spent $129,435, he said.

What Were The Expenses For?

The Indiana Department of Health reported the highest travel expenses with $627,189.

Spokeswoman Lisa Welch told the Indiana Capital Chronicle that about 57% of these expenses allowed registered nurses and IDOH staffers to travel across Indiana to conduct surveys and inspections. Welch said most of this travel is funded by federal funds through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“These surveyors perform regular inspections and follow up on complaints and are vital to safeguarding patients at a variety of facilities, including nursing homes,” Welch said. “Between periodic surveys and responding to specific complaints, IDOH surveyors performed more than 4,000 separate facility visits in 2023 to keep Hoosiers safe by ensuring all of Indiana’s regulated facilities comply with state and federal laws and regulations.”

The rest of IDOH’s travel expenses are for professional development opportunities and “building partnerships, sharing best practices, and expanding staff skills and abilities,” Welch said.

She asserted that less than 16% — around $100,350 — of IDOH’s total travel expenses were covered by state funds.

Indiana Department of Correction Spokesman Gregory Dunn said his agency’s in-state travel is funded by state funds. However, any out-of-state travel is paid using federal grant money.

The IDOC reported $312,986 total charges, per the portal.

“The Indiana Department of Correction incurs travel expenses for a variety of reasons, including staff traveling from Central Office in Indianapolis to the 21 facilities located across the state; extradition of individuals to other states; and staff traveling to conferences for professional development opportunities,” Dunn said.

The Department of Child Services spent the second-most on travel, with $375,463 reported in the portal.

Spokesman Brian Heinemann said about 68% of travel expenses reported by DCS funded travel for field staff and case managers who travel to help children. The other 32% allowed “non-field staff” to attend in-state conferences and out-of-state professional development opportunities. He said 36% of the agency’s total travel expenses were covered by federal funding.

“DCS is committed to continuous improvement in the practice of child welfare, and we recognize that investing in our workforce is vital to recruiting and retaining a skilled staff with the knowledge and compassion to serve Indiana children and families when they need us most,” Heinemann said. “We continuously look for training opportunities to elevate our knowledge and skills in the practice of child welfare so that we can better protect Indiana children from abuse and neglect.”