Claim for Expenses Incident to a Permanent Change of Station

A Department of the Interior employee appealed the denial of his claim for temporary quarters subsistence expenses (TQSE) and automobile shipping expenses incident to a permanent change of station. In February of 1980, the employee transferred from an overseas position with the U.S. Army to a position with the Interior in the United States. He and his dependents stayed in a motel for 6 days and then moved to an apartment where they resided for a period of 11 months until they purchased a house. Shortly thereafter, the employee submitted a TQSE claim for the time spent residing at the apartment. The employee stated that he moved from the motel to the apartment to establish a residence for the purpose of enrolling his children in school. In support of his appeal, the employee stated that he rented the only quarters in the vicinity of his new office which were available on a month-to-month basis. The employee also reasserted his earlier contention that the apartment was rented to save the Government additional motel expenses. GAO stated that the employee was entitled to reimbursement only for the 6 days that he and his family resided in the motel, because the intent to purchase a home at some time in the future does not change the character of prolonged occupancy of a rented apartment from permanent to temporary. Additionally, payment could not be authorized for automobile shipping expenses since the record revealed that the vehicle was shipped on a foreign flag vessel when a U.S. registry was available. Federal regulations state that payment for shipping by foreign vessels may only be authorized when a U.S. flag vessel is unavailable. Accordingly, the earlier settlement denying the claim was sustained.