Claim for Travel Allowances

A retired military member appealed the disallowance of his claim for travel allowances for himself and his dependents from his last permanent duty station to his new home upon retirement. For a retired member to qualify for the payment of travel allowances, the travel must be performed within 1 year after the member's retirement. Documents which the member submitted to the agency and to GAO showed that the travel was completed more than 1 year after retirement. Therefore, the agency and GAO disallowed his travel allowance. The member appealed the disallowance by submitting new documents which showed that he and his son were employed at his retirement location 11 months after retirement. The member also stated that his wife and other children did not complete their travel within the year because they had remained at the duty station to complete the sale of their home and because of agency delays in the shipment of household goods. However, if the member felt that an unexpected event beyond his control would prevent his travel within 1 year of retirement, he should have requested an extension of the time period. None was requested or granted in this case. Therefore, the 1-year time limit must be applied. Since some of the dependents did not complete their travel within the 1-year period, and the member presented conflicting dates for his travel and that of his son, GAO did not have sufficient evidence to permit payment. Accordingly, the Claims Group disallowance of the claim was sustained.