DEA Employee's Claim for Lunch Expenses

The Drug Enforcement Administration requested a decision on whether: (1) it could reimburse an employee for a lunch consumed while on official travel; and (2) a claim for actual expenses as snacks, in addition to regular meals, could be reimbursed if it was supported by a statement that it was a habit. GAO held that: (1) the employee was not entitled to reimbursement for his separate lunch expenses, since he consumed a lunch during a commercial airplane flight while on official travel and the second lunch did not constitute an actual and necessary expense; and (2) expense claims for snacks could not be reimbursed, since they were not necessary subsistence expenses.