Claim for Cost of Alcoholic Beverages Consumed With Meals

An employee of the Army Corps of Engineers appealed a Claims Division action which disallowed his claim for the cost of alcoholic beverages consumed with meals incurred incident to travel on official Government business. Although the record was imprecise, it was clear that the sum claimed included the cost of alcoholic beverages taken with meals. Alcoholic beverages, even when taken with meals, are not reimbursable expenses; thus, the Claims Division declined to pay that portion of the claim. The employee contended that he should be reimbursed for the expenditure since his religion requires that he take alcohol with his meals and that refusal to pay the expense was religious discrimination. There was no religious discrimination as the claimant alleged since GAO did not deny the claimant the right to consume alcohol with meals. Rather, the GAO decision merely required the employee to bear the expense of his religious beliefs. Accordingly, the claim for reimbursement for alcoholic beverages consumed while in travel status was properly denied.