Temporary Lodging at Family Residence

An employee of the Department of the Navy requested reconsideration of the denial of his claim for per diem in connection with temporary duty performed for several months in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The denial was based on the fact that the employee stayed in his own residence in Honolulu, Hawaii, during the time in question and did not incur additional lodging expenses. Therefore, the Claims Division found that the 50 percent per diem allowed was proper for reimbursement for the costs of meals and miscellaneous expenses incurred. In affirming this settlement, GAO stated that the only lodging expenses incurred by a traveler which may properly be reimbursed are those which are incurred by reason of the travel and are in addition to the usual expenses of maintaining a residence. In this case, the claimant obligated himself to pay for the costs of purchasing and maintaining the residence irrespective of his travel. Accordingly, the denial of the claim was sustained.