[Claim for Reimbursement of Laundry Expenses]

An advance decision was requested as to whether an employee's laundry expenses could be reimbursed incident to two temporary duty assignments. The agency had refused to allow the reimbursement because the employee was not away from his post of duty for more than 7 consecutive days and all of the laundry was done at his permanent post after his return from his temporary duty assignments. GAO held that the agency should not have based its decision on the 7-day time period because the applicable regulation it cited no longer existed. However, its decision to disallow the expense because the laundry was done at the employee's permanent post after his return was proper. Even though the employee's need for the laundry services arose while he was on official travel status, the expenses were not incurred until the laundry was done upon return to his permanent post. Federal regulations specify that reimbursement for subsistence expenses are authorized only for expenses incurred during official travel. Accordingly, reimbursement for the laundry expenses cannot be allowed.