Claim by Military Member for Household Goods Lost or Damaged in Transit

The Air Force Accounting and Finance Officer presented questions concerning the payment of a reclaim. A member of the Air Force filed a claim for household goods lost or damaged during shipment from overseas to his duty station. After payment on the claim by the Air Force, it was discovered that two of the items had been falsely claimed, whereupon involuntary collections for the entire amount he received were made from the service member's pay. Under Air Force regulations, it is within the jurisdiction of the agency involved to recover only the items on a voucher that were tainted with fraud. Each item claimed as damaged or lost is considered as a separate claim for adjudication purposes. Subsequently, the member filed a reclaim with the two questionable items omitted, and this reclaim was approved by the Air Force property claims officer. GAO has no jurisdiction to review the settlement of a claim under the Claims Act, and the approval of the reclaim is final. Although the false claims statute relates to claims before the Court of Claims and has no direct application in the audit of the accounts of the disbursing officer, GAO emphasized that it is the duty of said officer to review the claim or reclaim and to make proper inquiry if fraud is suspected.