Entitlement to Benefits of a Civilian Employee

An Army official submitted questions to GAO concerning a civilian employee's entitlement to an allowance for the shipment of household goods when her husband, a member of the uniformed services, had already received such an allowance for a move to the same location. The case in question involved a military member and his wife who resided in Government quarters at an Army base. The officer was on active duty, and his wife was a civilian employee of the Army. In anticipation of her husband's permanent change of station, the wife established a civilian residence since the family would be ineligible to remain in Government quarters after the officer's transfer. Upon his transfer, the officer shipped nearly his maximum weight limitation in household goods. His wife remained in her civilian position with the Army for several months until she, too, was transferred. Incident to this transfer, she also shipped household goods to the new duty station. The Army official wanted to know if the wife was also entitled to a shipping allowance. GAO stated that the civilian employee was entitled to the maximum shipping allowance permissible to civilians, as long as she was not making a claim for the same household goods shipped by her husband.