Applicability of Statute of Limitations to Moving Expenses

A federal employee who transferred duty stations in 1971 and received an advance travel payment, did not submit his travel voucher for additional expenses until 1975. Discrepencies noted in the voucher caused it to be returned, and the employee did not resubmit the voucher until 1979. At issue was whether the fact that the employee submitted his voucher to the agency in 1975, albeit deficient, precluded the running of the statute of limitations, and if not, whether the agency was entitled to recover the travel advance. It was held that, since the claim for additional expenses was not received in GAO within 6 years after the date they first accrued, it was barred from consideration. However, to the extent that the travel advance was used for authorized transfer expenses, the agency was not entitled to recover the advance.