[Request for Decision Concerning Temporary Quarters Subsistence Expenses Claim]

The Department of the Interior requested a decision as to whether it may pay a transferred employee a temporary quarters subsistence allowance for lodging and meal costs. Upon transferring to a new duty station, the employee entered into an agreement under which a coworker would provide him with temporary lodgings and meals. Federal Travel Regulations indicate that temporary quarters may be obtained from either private or commercial sources, and employees may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses. However, GAO has consistently held that claims involving noncommercial lodgings, where the host does not have a history of renting out space in his private residence, should be supported by information indicating that the lodging charges were the result of expenses the host incurred in providing the lodging. Accordingly, since no such information was provided, the claim was denied.