Request for Relocation Expenses

An employee requested a transfer of duty stations for personal reasons, waived all moving costs, and subsequently claimed relocation expenses. GAO denied the claim, and the employee requested reconsideration on the grounds that he could not waive a right to which he was entitled, and that other people were given moving expenses in similar situations. Legislation provides that reimbursement of these expenses is conditioned upon a determination by the head of the agency concerned that a transfer is in the interest of the Government, and is not primarily for the convenience or benefit of the employee. The legality of the employee's purported waiver of his right to reimbursement had no bearing on the outcome of the case because the agency determined that the transfer was in the employee's interest. GAO agreed with the agency determination of the employee's transfer, and the prior decision was sustained.