Request for Reimbursement of Miscellaneous and Transportation Expenses

An advance decision was requested concerning reimbursement of miscellaneous expenses and transportation costs to an employee who was transferred from overseas to the United States. In accordance with the local custom, when the employee terminated the lease on his overseas residence, he was required to forfeit his security deposit to defray the costs for finding new tenants and redecorating. It was asked if the forfeited security deposit was reimbursable as a miscellaneous expense allowance and if the reason for the forfeiture had any bearing on whether the forfeited deposit was reimbursable. GAO held that the retention of the security deposit was incident to the termination of the lease and was, therefore, a cost incurred incident to that termination. It was not reimbursable as a miscellaneous expense, since one duty station was outside of the United States or other qualifying areas. Unexpired leases are reimbursable if both the old and new duty stations are in the United States or other specified areas. The reason for the forfeiture was not relevant, and the forfeited amount may not be reimbursed. Several questions were asked concerning the employee's travel expenses. Regulations require that a traveler be notified of the existence of or the intent to make a Military Airlift Command (MAC) reservation on his travel order. In this case, the employee's travel order contained no such notification, and the employee received no notice of any type of that intent until the day before he was to fly to the United States on a commercial airline. Since the employee was not required to use a MAC flight because his travel order did not so indicate, and since the transportation officer refused to issue a ticket for the employee's use, GAO held that he may be reimbursed for the full cost of his and his wife's commercial flight which was authorized by the travel order.