B-158746, APR. 7, 1966
Highlights
WHICH INDEBTEDNESS WAS REPORTED TO OUR OFFICE ON FEBRUARY 24. AN EXCEPTION TO THAT PAYMENT WAS ISSUED BY OUR DENVER REGIONAL OFFICE ON THE BASIS THAT NO OFFICIAL WEIGHT CERTIFICATE OR OTHER ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE OF WEIGHT SUPPORTED YOUR VOUCHER AS REQUIRED BY LAW. YOU WERE REQUESTED TO REMIT TO THE GOVERNMENT THE SUM OF $265.65. YOU HAVE FURNISHED A LETTER FROM THE WITHERSPOON COAL COMPANY STATING THAT SAID COMPANY DID WEIGH YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS ON AUGUST 28. THAT THE SIZE OF YOUR TRAILER WAS 12 FEET AND CAPABLE OF CARRYING 2. STATING THAT HE DID ACCOMPANY YOU TO THE WEIGHING STATION AND DOES RECALL THAT THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS WAS OVER 2. WE WILL ACCEPT THE TWO SUPPORTING STATEMENTS DESCRIBED IN THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH AS CONSTITUTING SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF THE FACT THAT YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS DID WEIGH AT LEAST 2.
B-158746, APR. 7, 1966
THIS REFERS TO YOUR LETTER OF MAY 17, 1965, WITH ENCLOSURES, ADDRESSED TO MR. J. T. CHILDS AND FORWARDED TO OUR OFFICE BY THE U.S. AIR FORCE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE CENTER ON NOVEMBER 23, 1965. YOUR LETTER RELATES TO YOUR INDEBTEDNESS TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE AMOUNT OF $265.65, WHICH INDEBTEDNESS WAS REPORTED TO OUR OFFICE ON FEBRUARY 24, 1965.
THE FACTS OF RECORD SHOWN THAT INCIDENT TO YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH THE MOBILE AIR MATERIEL AREA, BROOKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA, YOU TRANSPORTED YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS BY RENTED TRAILER FROM KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, TO MOBILE, ALABAMA, ON AUGUST 28 AND 29, 1961. BEFORE DEPARTING FROM KNOXVILLE YOU HAD YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS WEIGHED AT AN AUTHORIZED WEIGHING STATION WHICH ISSUED A WEIGHT CERTIFICATE TO YOU. HOWEVER, EN ROUTE TO MOBILE, ALABAMA, YOU STOPPED AT YOUR PARENTS' HOME IN FLORENCE, ALABAMA, AND LOADED INTO YOUR TRAILER AN ADDITIONAL BEDROOM SUITE, WHICH YOU ESTIMATED TO WEIGH 500 POUNDS.
UPON ARRIVAL AT BROOKLEY AIR FORCE BASE YOU PRESENTED THE WEIGHT CERTIFICATE WHICH YOU RECEIVED IN KNOXVILLE TO A CLERK OF THE FINANCE OFFICE AND EXPLAINED TO SUCH CLERK THAT THE WEIGHT SHOWN ON THE CERTIFICATE DID NOT INCLUDE THE WEIGHT OF THE BEDROOM SUITE WHICH YOU ADDED IN FLORENCE. YOU SAY THAT THE CLERK THEN ASKED YOU FOR THE DIMENSIONS OF YOUR TRAILER AND TO SUBMIT A SIGNED STATEMENT AS TO YOUR ESTIMATION OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS. HOWEVER, THE CLERK DID NOT ASK YOU TO TURN IN THE WEIGHT CERTIFICATE WHICH SINCE HAS BEEN MISPLACED BY YOU. YOU ESTIMATED THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS TO BE 3,100 POUNDS--- 2,600 POUNDS AS ALLEGEDLY SHOWN ON THE WEIGHT CERTIFICATE PLUS 500 POUNDS FOR THE ADDITIONAL BEDROOM SUITE.
YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE PAID YOU THE SUM OF $292.95 UNDER THE COMMUTED RATE SYSTEM FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF 3,100 POUNDS OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS (BASED ON YOUR ESTIMATE) AT $9.45 PER HUNDRED WEIGHT FROM KNOXVILLE TO MOBILE. AN EXCEPTION TO THAT PAYMENT WAS ISSUED BY OUR DENVER REGIONAL OFFICE ON THE BASIS THAT NO OFFICIAL WEIGHT CERTIFICATE OR OTHER ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE OF WEIGHT SUPPORTED YOUR VOUCHER AS REQUIRED BY LAW. THEREFORE, YOU WERE REQUESTED TO REMIT TO THE GOVERNMENT THE SUM OF $265.65, REPRESENTING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMOUNT ERRONEOUSLY PAID TO YOU ($292.95) AND THE AMOUNT ALLOWABLE TO YOU AS ACTUAL EXPENSE FOR THE RENTAL OF THE TRAILER ($27.30).
AS EVIDENCE OF THE ACTUAL SCALE WEIGHT OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS, YOU HAVE FURNISHED A LETTER FROM THE WITHERSPOON COAL COMPANY STATING THAT SAID COMPANY DID WEIGH YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS ON AUGUST 28, 1961, AND THAT THE SIZE OF YOUR TRAILER WAS 12 FEET AND CAPABLE OF CARRYING 2,000 TO 3,000 POUNDS. YOU ALSO FURNISHED A LETTER SIGNED BY A. G. BYRD, JR., STATING THAT HE DID ACCOMPANY YOU TO THE WEIGHING STATION AND DOES RECALL THAT THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS WAS OVER 2,600 POUNDS.
SINCE THE EVIDENCE SUBMITTED BY YOU DISCLOSES THAT YOU DID IN FACT WEIGHT YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS AT POINT OF ORIGIN, WE WILL ACCEPT THE TWO SUPPORTING STATEMENTS DESCRIBED IN THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH AS CONSTITUTING SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF THE FACT THAT YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS DID WEIGH AT LEAST 2,600 POUNDS. THEREFORE, YOUR ENTITLEMENT TO REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE COMMUTED RATE SYSTEM WILL BE BASED ON THE TRANSPORTATION OF 2,600 POUNDS OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS FROM KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, TO MOBILE, ALABAMA--- A DISTANCE OF 517 MILES. ACCORDING TO BUREAU OF THE BUDGET CIRCULAR NO. A- 37, TRANSMITTAL MEMORANDUM NO. 3, DATED OCTOBER 22, 1959, ATTACHMENT A, SCHEDULE 3, THE APPLICABLE COMMUTED RATE FOR SUCH SHIPMENT IS $9.45 PER HUNDRED WEIGHT, RESULTING IN A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $245.70.
SINCE, AS STATED ABOVE, YOU PREVIOUSLY WERE PAID THE SUM OF $292.95 BY YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS, YOU ARE NOW REQUIRED TO REMIT TO THE UNITED STATES THE OVERPAYMENT OF $47.25.
PAYMENT MAY BE MADE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MADE PAYABLE TO THE "U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING FFICE" AND FORWARDED TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:
U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
POST OFFICE BOX 2610
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20013 ..END :