[Decision Concerning DLA Employee's Entitlement to Mobile Home Sale Expenses]

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) requested a decision regarding whether it should reimburse a transferred employee for his parking and collection account costs associated with the sale of his mobile home. DLA had disallowed the claim, since the claimant: (1) continued leasing parking space for the home for a year after his transfer; and (2) elected to finance purchase of the home through a collection account. The claimant contended that the: (1) parking fee was an unavoidable expense, since he could terminate it only through removal or sale of the mobile home; and (2) sale of the mobile home required the establishment of the collection account. GAO held that DLA should not reimburse the claimant for these costs, since: (1) the claimant did not incur any lease-breaking expense; (2) the parking fee was not reimbursable; and (3) local law did not require him to establish the collection account. Accordingly, the claim was disallowed.