[FDA Employee's Claim for Additional Per Diem Under Shared Lodgings Policy]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested a decision regarding: (1) the propriety of its policy of arranging for employees participating in training courses to share lodging accommodations to reduce per diem rates; and (2) an employee's claim for reimbursement for additional expenses he incurred when he chose single-occupancy accommodations as a personal preference. FDA advised that it: (1) reviewed potential policy exemptions, such as medical problems, on an individual case basis; and (2) had not exempted the claimant from the shared accommodations policy. GAO held that the shared accommodations policy: (1) was not legally objectionable; (2) followed regulations requiring per diem reductions when lodgings were available at reduced cost; and (3) reasonably granted exemptions when accommodation sharing was not feasible or reasonable. Accordingly, the policy was allowed, and the claim was denied.