[Claim for Temporary Lodging Allowances]

The Army requested an advance decision as to whether an Army sergeant is entitled to temporary lodging allowances incurred during a 2-day stay for personnel processing at one Army installation while en route to his new permanent duty station at another installation. The Army denied the sergeant's claim for reimbursement of lodging expenses incurred for the 2-day stopover on the basis that the installation was not the claimant's permanent duty station. Since the claimant was assigned there for purposes of personnel processing, after which he was diverted to permanent duty elsewhere, GAO held that his arrival at the first installation did not constitute completion of travel to a new permanent duty station. Accordingly, the claimant was still in a travel status and is not entitled to temporary lodging allowances for the stopover period. However, GAO found that the time spent undergoing personnel processing was a part of the time required for the claimant to travel from his old duty station to his new duty station, which entitles him to per diem allowances. Accordingly, the claimant is not entitled to temporary lodging allowances, but is entitled to per diem allowances at the prescribed rates for the 2-day stopover en route to his permanent duty station.