Claim for Relocation Expenses

A Forest Service employee was transferred between two stations in Idaho, following which he filed a reclaim voucher for mileage, transportation of household goods, and temporary quarters expenses. An advance decision was requested as to the propriety of paying these claims and the advisability of billing the employee for a prior payment made to him for house-hunting expenses. The employee claimed reimbursement for 106 miles of travel from one post to the other, but his agency cited the Standard Highway Mileage Guide (which showed the correct distance to be 38 miles), and refused his claim because Federal Travel Regulations only permit payments for distances over 40 miles. House-hunting expenses, for which the employee had been paid earlier, are only authorized for trips over 75 miles. The employee presented evidence and testimony showing that the 38-mile route shown in the Mileage Guide was unsafe due to steep slopes, 9 miles of one-and-a-half-lane road, an unsafe bridge, and seasonal flooding. These factors also rendered the route unsuitable for moving household goods. Since Federal Travel Regulations specify use of a "usually traveled route" and are not intended to encourage risk of injury or accident, the employee was justified in selecting the longer 106-mile route and was entitled to all expenses claimed and received.