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[Claim for Travel Expenses Incurred in Using Privately Owned Vehicle]

B-208183 May 20, 1983
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Highlights

An authorized certifying officer of the Department of Energy requested an advance decision regarding an employee's claim for reimbursement for using a privately owned vehicle (POV) while traveling on temporary duty. The employee's physician had advised him not to travel by air and he chose to travel by POV. The first issue raised was whether he was entitled to reimbursement for the constructive cost of air or rail travel. GAO stated that, since rail travel was the appropriate common carrier under the circumstances, the employee should be reimbursed up to the constructive cost of first-class rail transportation. The second issue was whether his annual leave should be charged for normal working hours he missed in excess of the hours he would have used if he traveled by air. GAO responded that the resolution of this issue was primarily within the discretion of the head of the agency concerned and that employees who use POV's for official travel, when that mode is not advantageous to the Government, should be charged leave for the excess traveltime. In this case, the agency must determine the constructive traveltime on the basis of rail travel. Furthermore, GAO noted that, since the employee made several stops for personal reasons, the normal work hours involved in the trip in excess of those required for the same trip by rail transportation may be charged to the employee's annual leave.

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