Constructive Travel Expenses
Highlights
A Federal employee requested reconsideration of a GAO decision in which his claim for the constructive costs of a car rental was denied because no official business was performed during the weekend when he voluntarily returned home from temporary duty. The employee contended that it would have been impractical for him to return the car over the weekend and provided a cost comparison in support of this contention. The comparison included traveltime, mileage, round-trip bus fare, and a rental car drop-off charge. The comparison indicated that it was less costly to the Government for him to keep the car over the weekend. In addition, the employee contended that since travel regulations allow the use of Government-furnished vehicles on nonworkdays, such use should also apply to commercially rented vehicles. GAO held that the regulations governing the use of Government-furnished vehicles did not apply to commercially-rented vehicles. The employee's travel voucher showed that he spent Government time traveling to and from the airport. GAO held that the cost of this travel equaled or exceeded the savings claimed by the employee. Therefore, the earlier decision was sustained.