[Decision Concerning Forest Service Employee's Claim for Meal Expenses]

The Forest Service requested a decision regarding a transferred employee's claim for subsistence expenses he incurred while occupying temporary quarters. The Service advised that it based its reduction of the claim on an analysis of the meal expenses that other employees claimed. GAO would not review the claim, since the Service did not use valid statistical references to determine the claim's reasonableness. Accordingly, the claim was returned to the Forest Service.