Claim for Reimbursement for Meal Expenses

An agency official asked for a decision regarding the approval of payment for a reclaim voucher for an employee and his family for meal expenses incurred while occupying temporary quarters incident to a change of permanent station. The agency disallowed $96.10 of the first 10-day period as excessive. This determination was based on the average meal expenses in the "Runzheimer Meal-Lodging Cost Index." Regulations authorize reimbursement only for the actual subsistence expenses incurred, provided they are incident to the occupancy of temporary quarters and are reasonable as to amount. The employing agency has the responsibility of determining the reasonableness of the expenses of each individual case, and GAO will not substitute its judgment for that of the agency in the absence of evidence that the agency's action was erroneous, arbitrary, or capricious. GAO determined that the agency's use of the Runzheimer Index for meal expenses was a valid statistical reference and an appropriate method for measuring the level of reimbursement for the employee's meal expenses. Thus, the agency action was supported. Accordingly, the voucher was not certified for payment.