Payment of Per Diem for Temporary Duty Prior to First Official Duty Station

A decision was requested concerning payment of per diem to a newly appointed employee during a period of temporary duty training prior to his first permanent duty assignment. Because the employee's residence was less than 50 miles from the training site, the agency decided not to pay per diem during training. The agency's decision not to authorize per diem was a proper exercise of its discretion since there is no legal requirement that per diem be authorized for temporary duty assignments.