Board of Contract Appeals
                    General Services Administration
                         Washington, D.C. 20405
 
 
 
                           __________________
 
                              May 27, 1998
                                                     
 
 
                            GSBCA 14210-RELO
 
 
                   In the Matter of LAURA A. CUSHLER
 
 
        Laura A. Cushler, Reno, NV, Claimant.
 
        Kathie Allen, Paralegal Specialist, United States Industrial
   Operations Command,  Rock Island, IL, appearing for Department of
   the Army.
 
   WILLIAMS, Board Judge.
 
        Claimant, Laura  A. Cushler,  a civilian  attorney with  the
   Department  of the  Army, seeks  reimbursement  for certain  real
   estate  expenses  incurred in  connection  with the  sale  of her
   residence  when she was transferred from  the Corpus Christi Army
   Depot in  Corpus Christi,  Texas, to  the  Sierra Army  Depot  in
   Herlong,  California.  Specifically, the agency determined that a
   tax service  fee of  $78, an administration  fee of  $250, and  a
   messenger/processing  fee of  $200 were not  reimbursable because
   they were not typically  paid by the seller in Corpus Christi and
   because they were finance charges.  For the reasons stated below,
   we agree with the agency and deny the claim.
 
                               Discussion
 
        When  a  federal  agency  transfers  an  employee  from  one
   official  duty  station  to  another   in  the  interest  of  the
   Government,  the agency shall reimburse the employee for expenses
   the employee is required  to pay in  connection with the sale  of
   the    residence   at    the   old    official   duty    station.
   5 U.S.C.   5724a(a)(4)  (1994).     The  statutory  provision  is
   implemented in the  Federal Travel Regulation  (FTR), and in  the
   Joint Travel Regulations  (JTR), which govern  civilian employees
   of the  Department of  Defense.   As  we recognized  in Floyd  L.
   Craft,  GSBCA 13698-RELO, 97-2  BCA    29,092,  these regulations
   expressly provide that  a condition to reimbursement  is that the
   "expenses be those customarily paid  by the seller of a residence
   in the locality of the old permanent  duty station."  Id. (citing
   JTR C14002-A.4.a.); see also FTR 302-6.2(c), (d), (f); William D.
   Beller, GSBCA 13692-RELO,  97-2 BCA   29,153  (incidental charges
   made  for  required   services  in  selling  residences   may  be
   reimbursable if customarily paid by  the seller of a residence at
   the  old  official duty  station,  provided  they  do not  exceed
   amounts customarily charged at the locality of the residence).
 
 
        In the instant case, claimant  has not provided evidence  to
   support her assertion that  the expenses at issue are customarily
   paid by the seller of a residence  in Corpus Christi, Texas.  For
   this reason, this Board has no basis upon which  to authorize any
   additional  reimbursement,  and  the  claim  is  properly denied.
   Moreover,  this Board,  following  decisions  of the  Comptroller
   General, has determined that a tax service fee has been deemed to
   be  a  prerequisite to  the  extension  of  credit and  thus  not
   reimbursable.   Gerald Fediw, GSBCA 14256-RELO, 98-1 BCA   29,513
   (citing Craft);  Pamela  Swires, B-260724  (Sept. 21, 1995);  Sue
   Wolohan, B-219546 (Jan. 30,  1989); Richard P. Johnson,  B-281754
   (Sept. 17, 1985).
 
                                Decision
 
        The claim is denied.
   _______________________________
 
                                      MARY ELLEN COSTER WILLIAMS
                                      Board Judge