Claim for Reimbursement of Actual Subsistence Expenses for Noncommercial Lodgings

GAO was asked for a decision concerning a reclaim voucher submitted by a General Services Administration (GSA) employee. The employee was claiming reimbursement for lodging costs incident to a temporary duty assignment. She was authorized actual subsistence expenses but stayed at her parents' home. The employee submitted a receipt from her mother for the 2 days in question with her original voucher. The lodging costs claimed on this voucher were challenged on the basis of a prior decision where GAO held that an employee could not be paid a per diem allowance for lodging provided by friends or relatives in the absence of a showing that the amount claimed was reasonable and based on the additional expenses incurred by the host as a result of the employee's stay. GSA questioned whether these costs constituted the actual increased costs to the employee's parents occasioned by her stay or whether they were arbitrary costs chosen to support the original claim. Although GAO has recognized that it may be difficult for a host not engaged in the lodging business to determine the exact additional expenses attributable to a guest's visit, GAO felt that it was incumbent upon an agency to require information as detailed as possible. Federal Travel Regulations contemplate that the employee is to be reimbursed only for actual and necessary expenses. Therefore, GAO believed that, where an agency is not satisfied that the employee's breakdown of a host's costs is sufficient to enable it to determine the reasonableness of the claim, it can and should request additional information before the claim is paid. It did not seem unreasonable for GSA to question the claimant's submission. Her submission did not reflect the actual costs of her stay but was allegedly the cost her parents incur whenever a guest stays in their home. Accordingly, the voucher was returned and may be certified for payment to the extent that additional information is provided explaining or substantiating the expenses claimed.