[Computation of Average Cost of Lodgings While on Annual Leave at Temporary Duty Site]

A certifying officer of the Bonneville Power Administration requested advice as to the proper method of determining the average cost of lodging for computing per diem by the lodgings-plus method when an employee goes on annual leave at a temporary duty site. The employee had rented a house at the temporary duty site at a cost which did not exceed the cost of renting a suitable motel or hotel room at a daily rate. The employee took 1 day of annual leave at the temporary duty site but stayed that evening in the house which he had rented. The agency reimbursed the employee for less per diem than the employee claimed. GAO did not believe that the employee's occupancy of his rented lodging on the day he was in a non-per diem status required inclusion in the computation of his average cost of lodging. However, the method of computation should be contingent upon a determination that the employee acted prudently in obtaining the lodgings for a period longer than a day and the cost to the Government did not exceed that which would have been incurred had the employee obtained suitable lodgings at the daily rate.