[Review of Claims Settlement Action]

An Air Force member appealed the disallowance of his claim for an incentive payment under an Air Force do-it-yourself household goods moving program. The member moved his household goods in a station wagon, a privately owned trailer, and a rented truck and presented weight tickets for the moves. The claim was disallowed because transportation of household goods in a station wagon is not authorized by regulation and a weight ticket contained an irregularity. The Claims Group disallowed the claim on similar grounds. The do-it-yourself program authorizes payment to members who move their household goods by privately owned or rental vehicles for amounts established by certified weight tickets. GAO found that the Air Force properly refused to consider the weight of the household goods moved in the station wagon, because the use of station wagons for moving household goods is not authorized by regulation. In addition, GAO found no basis to pay for a weight ticket which reflected the combined weight of the station wagon and the trailer. However, the member presented a valid certificate showing the net weight moved by rental truck, and payment of a partial incentive amount based on that certificate would not adversely affect the integrity of the program. Therefore, the member's incentive allowance should be computed on the basis of the weight transported by rental truck, and payment should be made to him on that basis. Accordingly, the disallowance was reversed in part and was sustained in part.