Claim for Per Diem, Mileage, and Room Rental at TDY Near Permanent Duty Station

A civilian employee of the National Security Agency located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, was authorized to attend a conference at a motel in Dorsey, Maryland, which was located 5 miles from the site of his official duty station. Per diem, mileage, and rental of the conference room were authorized in the travel orders. The conference at Dorsey occurred on April 26 and 27, 1978. The purpose of the conference was to discuss an ongoing project. It was apparently determined by someone with authority that the participants needed an improved work environment in order to make the meetings meaningful and productive. The participants were performing essentially the same type duties that they were responsible for on a day-to-day basis. Although the motel at which the conference was held was outside the employee's duty station, the distance traveled to and from the conference site was no greater than the distance the employee and the other participants normally travel from their residence to their work site. The question at issue was whether the employee was entitled to per diem, mileage, and rental of conference rooms, since the temporary duty station was only a short distance from the permanent duty station. The answer was in the affirmative. It was held that the authorization of temporary duty travel expenses, if the temporary duty station is near but not at the headquarters of the traveler, is primarily an administrative determination. Since per diem was authorized by an appropriate official in this case, payment of travel costs as authorized in law and regulation was appropriate.