[Proof Required for Compensation Claim]

A former State Department employee appealed the denial of her claim for payment of 80 hours unpaid annual leave and salary, stating that she should be compensated for the forfeited annual leave. She further claimed that she did not receive one salary check and that the endorsement on a copy of the check was not her signature. GAO found that she had been properly paid for her unused annual leave and that she had misconstrued the forfeiture category on her leave and earnings statement. GAO held that, under such circumstances, the burden of proof is on the claimant, and she failed to establish her claim for annual leave. Regarding the allegedly forged paycheck, GAO stated that she should refer the matter to the Department of the Treasury, Examiner of Questioned Documents. Accordingly, the claim for additional payment for lump-sum annual leave and salary was denied.