B-150154, JAN. 28, 1963

B-150154, JAN. 28, 1963

TO MR. JOHN H. GREVE, FISCAL OFFICER, BATTLE CREEK FEDERAL CENTER:

YOUR LETTERS OF OCTOBER 18, 1962, AND JANUARY 4, 1963, REQUEST OUR DECISION WHETHER A RECLAIM VOUCHER FOR $253.65 IN FAVOR OF MR. GEORGE R. BEAM, CONCERNING EXPENSES INCURRED BY HIM UPON A CHANGE OF STATION FROM ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, TO BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, IS PROPER FOR PAYMENT.

MR. BEAM'S TRAVEL ORDER AUTHORIZED TRAVEL BY PRIVATELY OWNED VEHICLE AT 12 CENTS PER MILE WITH REIMBURSEMENT LIMITED TO COST OF TRAVEL BY USUAL MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, INCLUDING PER DIEM. TRANSPORTATION OF DEPENDENTS WAS AUTHORIZED BY COMMON CARRIER BUT WAS NOT AUTHORIZED BY PRIVATELY OWNED CONVEYANCE. THE TRAVEL ORDER ALSO AUTHORIZED SHIPMENT OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS TO BATTLE CREEK, AND TEMPORARY STORAGE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS FOR NOT TO EXCEED 60 DAYS.

MR. BEAM AND THREE OF HIS CHILDREN PERFORMED THE TRAVEL BY PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMOBILE. HIS WIFE AND OLDEST SON PERFORMED THE TRAVEL BY AIR.

THE RECLAIM VOUCHER IS FOR $106.40 REPRESENTING THE COST OF TRAVEL BY HIS WIFE AND OLDEST SON, AND AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT OF $147.25 FOR STORAGE OVER AND ABOVE THE AMOUNT PREVIOUSLY ALLOWED OF $41.75.

SINCE TRANSPORTATION OF DEPENDENTS BY COMMON CARRIER WAS AUTHORIZED IN THE TRAVEL ORDER, THE AMOUNT CLAIMED FOR MR. BEAM'S WIFE AND OLDEST SON IS PROPER FOR PAYMENT IF OTHERWISE CORRECT.

CIVILIAN PERSONNEL REGULATION T3.5-7C, JUNE 28, 1961, PROVIDES THAT TEMPORARY STORAGE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND EFFECTS, NOT TO EXCEED THE AUTHORIZED WEIGHT ALLOWANCE, INCIDENT TO CHANGE IN DUTY STATION MAY BE AUTHORIZED OR APPROVED FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED 60 DAYS. IT FURTHER SPECIFIES THAT REIMBURSEMENT FOR TEMPORARY STORAGE SHALL BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TABLE OF ALLOWANCES IN SECTION 2 OF GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION CIRCULAR NO. 263, WITH THE PROVISION THAT REIMBURSEMENT SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY THE EMPLOYEE FOR STORAGE. SINCE THE ALLOWANCES SET FORTH IN GSA CIRCULAR NO. 263 FOR TEMPORARY STORAGE REPRESENT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT AN EMPLOYEE MAY BE REIMBURSED, AN EMPLOYEE IS ENTITLED, IN EFFECT, TO REIMBURSEMENT OF THE ACTUAL EXPENSE OF STORING GOODS FOR THE NUMBER OF DAYS AUTHORIZED BUT WITH REIMBURSEMENT OF THE ACTUAL EXPENSE BEING LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT SPECIFIED IN THE TABLE OF ALLOWANCES IN GSA CIRCULAR NO. 263.

OF THE $189 CLAIMED FOR STORAGE ON THE ORIGINAL VOUCHER THE SUM OF $147.25 WAS ADMINISTRATIVELY DISALLOWED WITH A REFERENCE TO SECTION 2 (E), PAGE 122C, CPR T3. THERE IS NO SECTION 2 (E) ON PAGE 122C, CPR T3, DECEMBER 7, 1961, COPY ENCLOSED, OF THE REGULATIONS THEN IN EFFECT. HOWEVER, IT IS SPECIFIED ON THAT PAGE THAT REIMBURSEMENT SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID FOR STORAGE. ALSO, THE PERTINENT SECTION OF BUREAU OF THE BUDGET CIRCULAR NO. A-56, APRIL 30, 1962, CONCERNING TEMPORARY STORAGE IS SECTION 2.1 (E).

MR. BEAM STATES ON THE RECLAIM VOUCHER THAT $189 WAS CHARGED FOR STORAGE BY WALKER MOVING AND STORAGE COMPANY. HOWEVER, BILL OF LADING NO. 89909, U.S. VAN LINES, INC. SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, COPY ENCLOSED, SHOWS A NET WEIGHT OF 8,350 POUNDS, AND CHARGES THEREFOR AS FOLLOWS:

TABLE

TRANSPORTATION $450.90

CARTAGE TO OR FROM SIT WAREHOUSE 125.25

WAREHOUSE HANDLING (TRANSIT) (RATE: .50) 41.75

TRANSIT STORAGE FROM 7-6-62 TO 7-11-62 (RATE: .50) 41.75

TOTAL CHARGES 450.90

BALANCE DUE 658.65

RECEIPT NO. 286, WALKER MOVING AND STORAGE, COPY ENCLOSED, SHOWS PAYMENT IN FULL OF $658.65. THE RECEIPT SHOWS THAT THE WAREHOUSE IS LOCATED AT KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, AND THAT THE GOODS WERE MOVED FROM THE WAREHOUSE TO BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN. THIS PRESUMABLY IS THE SERVICE CHARGED FOR AS CARTAGE OF 22 MILES ON THE BILL OF LADING.

DRAYAGE CHARGES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH THE TEMPORARY STORAGE OF HOUSEHOLD EFFECTS, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM DRAYAGE CHARGES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSPORTATION THEREOF, ARE ALLOWABLE AS A NECESSARY CHARGE INCIDENTAL TO THE TEMPORARY STORAGE IN AN AMOUNT WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THE ACTUAL STORAGE CHARGE, DOES NOT EXCEED THE SPECIFIED MAXIMUM COMMUTED RATE. 28 COMP. GEN. 41.

DRAYAGE OR CARTAGE IS DEFINED, GENERALLY, AS THE MOVEMENT OF ITEMS WITHIN A RECOGNIZED METROPOLITAN AREA IN WHICH BOTH THE POINT OF PICKUP AND DELIVERY ARE LOCATED. ON THE OTHER HAND, TRANSPORTATION CHARGES GENERALLY REFER TO LINE-HAUL OR INTERCITY CHARGES FOR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES PAID DIRECTLY TO THE COMMON CARRIER PROVIDING SUCH SERVICES. SEE B-145519, MAY 1, 1961; AND 40 COMP. GEN. 199, COPIES ENCLOSED.

THE FIRST TWO ITEMS OF THE BILL OF LADING EVIDENTLY ARE BILLED AS TRANSPORTATION CHARGES, AND, ARE, THEREFORE, COVERED BY THE REIMBURSEMENT THE EMPLOYEE HAS RECEIVED FOR TRANSPORTATION. THE THIRD ITEM (WAREHOUSE HANDLING (TRANSIT) ( RELATES TO STORAGE AND IS ALLOWABLE AS SUCH. THE FOURTH ITEM (TRANSIT STORAGE) HAS BEEN ALLOWED AND PAID ON THE ORIGINAL VOUCHER. HOWEVER, THE AMOUNT ALLOWED SHOULD HAVE BEEN $35 (7,000 POUNDS AT 50 CENTS A HUNDREDWEIGHT OR $35).

IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY EVIDENCE SHOWING THAT THERE WAS AN ACTUAL CHARGE OF $189 FOR ITEMS RELATING TO STORAGE, OR ANY EXPLANATION THEREOF, THE ONLY ADDITIONAL AMOUNT IN REGARD TO STORAGE WHICH MAY BE ALLOWED ON THE PRESENT RECORD IS $35 FOR THE HANDLING CHARGE, FROM WHICH $6.75 REPRESENTING THE OVERALLOWANCE ON THE $41.75 STORAGE CHARGE SHOULD BE DEDUCTED.

TO SUMMARIZE, OF THE $253.65 RECLAIMED ON THE RECLAIM VOUCHER, THE AMOUNT OF $106.40 CLAIMED FOR THE TRAVEL OF MR. BEAM'S WIFE AND SON IS FOR ALLOWANCE OF OTHERWISE CORRECT; OF THE AMOUNT OF $147.25 CLAIMED FOR STORAGE, $35 FOR HANDLING CHARGES INCIDENT TO STORAGE MINUS $6.75, OR$28.25 IS PROPER FOR PAYMENT OF OTHERWISE CORRECT; AND, THE REMAINDER OF THE AMOUNT CLAIMED FOR STORAGE, WHICH IS $119 ($147.25 MINUS 28.25) MAY NOT BE PAID.

THE VOUCHER AND RELATED DOCUMENTS ARE RETURNED HEREWITH AND MAY BE CERTIFIED FOR PAYMENT ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOREGOING.