[Liability of Air Force Officer for Excess Costs of Moving Household Goods]

An Air Force officer appealed the Claims Group's disallowance of his claim for excess costs in connection with the transportation of his household goods upon a permanent change of station, contending that the Air Force erred in determining the net weight of his household goods. The officer alleged that the Air Force: (1) did not credit him for lost or damaged goods; and (2) calculated the weight of goods that had been in temporary storage as higher than when the goods were placed into storage. GAO found that: (1) the officer did receive credit for lost or damaged goods; (2) the determination of whether and to what extent authorized weights were exceeded was a matter for administrative determination; (3) it would not review such a determination absent evidence that it was clearly in error; (4) the higher weight of the goods removed from storage may have been due to several factors, including different scales, various types of storage materials, and moisture absorption; and (5) the 5-percent difference in the two weights was not unusual. Accordingly, the Claims Group's disallowance of the claim was sustained.