[Request for Advance Decision Concerning Travel and Transportation Expenses]

An official of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) requested a decision concerning a travel voucher for an employee who traveled at his own expense to accept a temporary appointment outside the continental United States. The employee was offered and accepted a permanent position with the Forest Service in Alaska; before a travel authorization could be issued, the hiring freeze of January 1981 was imposed on Federal agencies, and the individual was offered a temporary position pending the lifting of the hiring freeze. He accepted and traveled to Alaska at his own expense. When the hiring freeze was lifted in April 1981, the employee was again offered and accepted the permanent position. The Forest Service maintains that this was an employment conversion and not a transfer of station, while the employee contends that he traveled to Alaska to accept temporary work in lieu of a permanent position. GAO chose to address the issue of the employee's break in service that occurred between his employment within the continental United States and his starting date at the temporary job in Alaska, holding that as a result of this break in service the individual was a new appointee and as such was entitled to reimbursement of the travel and transportation expenses incurred in reporting for his new appointment outside the continental United States. Accordingly, the voucher may be certified for payment.