Claim for Relocation Expenses

A representative of a Department of the Navy employee asked for a reconsideration of a claim for relocation expenses which had been denied by two decisions based on an administrative determination that his transfer was not in the Government's interest. The representative contended that the employee was transferred under a merit promotion plan and therefore the transfer was for the benefit of the Government. The claim was again denied since it appeared that the transfer was lateral to a position with no greater promotion potential than the employee's former position, thus being an exception to the merit promotion plan. The representative also submitted a statement from a former employee to the effect that the activity rarely had sufficient funds to pay relocation expenses except where mandatory, and that a previous decision held that budget constraints cannot form the basis for denial of relocation expenses. However, the record failed to show that the employee was denied relocation expenses due to budget constraints. Accordingly, the previous decisions denying the claim were upheld.