Entitlement to Inactive Duty Training Pay

An Army accounting and finance officer requested a decision as to whether an Army Reserve private awaiting initial active duty for training should receive pay for training assemblies attended after 180 days had passed since his enlistment. The private was paid for about half of the training sessions he attended; denial of payment for the remainder of the training duty was based on regulations which limit the payments to a 180-day period prior to enlistment. GAO found that: (1) the regulations were statutory and could not be waived except when specifically authorized; and (2) since the private was not ordered to initial active duty training at the end of 180 days, he was not eligible to receive pay for the sessions he attended after that period. Accordingly, the vouchers may not be paid.