Request for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses

An authorized certifying officer for the Department of Agriculture requested an advance decision concerning whether a Forest Service employee could be reimbursed for travel via a privately owned airplane. The employee made several business trips traveling in his own plane. Since the trips were post approved, the employee submitted travel vouchers for expenses incurred in the course of business travel. The Forest Service disallowed the employee's claim on the basis of a Forest Service regulation that prohibits authorization of travel by private aircraft for safety reasons. The certifying officer wanted to know whether reimbursement was permissible since Federal Travel Regulations permitted compensation under certain circumstances. GAO concluded that the Forest Service restriction was imposed as a safety measure and, as such, is clearly a proper exercise of the agency's discretionary authority. The regulation is not arbitrary, capricious, or contrary to the statutes or Federal Travel Regulations. Accordingly, the employee may not be reimbursed for travel costs he incurred in using his privately owned aircraft.