Mileage Allowance

An employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), who was appointed to a position as a translator in Stockholm, Sweden, reported for duty at Arlington, Virginia, and was required to attend a training course in Washington, D.C. The employee claimed mileage allowance for travel between her residence in Annandale, Virginia, and the training site. The DIA questioned whether the training site or Arlington was the employee's permanent duty station for that period. GAO held that Arlington and Washington were temporary duty stations, as the employee was assigned to those locations only for processing incident to permanent overseas assignment. Since transportation is allowable between lodgings and a temporary duty station, payment of the claim was authorized.