[Navy Members' Claims for Family Separation Allowance]

The Navy requested a decision regarding whether ship personnel that were involved in temporary duty at various times away from their home port were entitled to a family separation allowance (FSA), contending that FSA was not authorized, since the ship returned to its home port within 30 days after being placed on special status. GAO held that the personnel were entitled to FSA, since they served a combination of temporary and special status duty away from their home port for a continuous period of more than 30 days. Accordingly, the claim was allowed.