[Claim for Household Goods Shipping Expense Under Commuted Rate]

An employee of the Department of Energy submitted a claim for reimbursement of household goods shipping expenses under the commuted rate schedule. The agency allowed the actual cost by commercial bill of lading. When the agency contacted the employee to make transportation arrangements, the employee had already made such arrangements, shipped his household goods, and paid for the shipping and insurance. Subsequently, the agency obtained a cost comparison from the General Services Administration and paid his actual cost rather than the commuted rate which would have been more than the actual cost by either commercial lading or by Government bills of lading. GAO agreed with the General Services Administration that, under the circumstances, the employee's reimbursement should not be limited to the lowest-cost carrier when a rate comparison was made after-the-fact. However, GAO found that, under the applicable regulatory authority, and where the employee determined for personal reasons to make arrangements for and ship his own household goods, the agency properly limited reimbursement to his actual expenses. Finally, GAO found that the employee was improperly reimbursed for a portion of the cost of insurance which must be recouped by the agency.