[Query Concerning Entitlement of Federal Employee To Retain State Juror Fees]

A decision was requested regarding the entitlement of an Air Force employee to retain juror fees. The employee claimed reimbursement of the amount deducted from his wages, contending that under Texas state law, the juror fees were meant as reimbursement for subsistence and travel expenses. GAO held that the Texas law did not define per diem in the same sense as the definition under Federal regulations and that the juror fees amounted to payment for juror services. Accordingly, the claim was denied.