Board of Contract Appeals
                    General Services Administration
                         Washington, D.C. 20405
 
 
 
                ________________________________________
                             March 19, 1998
                ________________________________________
 
                            GSBCA 14413-TRAV
 
 
                   In the Matter of TIMOTHY W. POGANY
 
        Timothy W. Pogany, San Diego, CA, Claimant.
 
        Darlene  Wooden,  Travel  Section,  Department  of  Veterans
   Affairs,  Washington, DC,  appearing for  Department  of Veterans
   Affairs.
 
   BORWICK, Board Judge.
 
        Claimant,  Timothy Pogany,  is  entitled  under the  Federal
   Travel Regulation (FTR) to be reimbursed $276 for indirect travel
   on Government  business between  San Diego,  California, and  New
   Orleans, Louisiana.  The agency has paid claimant $134;  claimant
   is entitled to an additional $142.    
        Claimant  is  a  resident engineer  with  the  Department of
   Veterans Affairs  (VA) in  San Diego.   The  VA sent  him to  New
   Orleans for  a training conference  during the week  of September
   21, 1997.  Both  the agency and claimant agree that  $276 was the
   lowest available Government round-trip fare between San Diego and
   New Orleans during the period of claimant's travel.
 
        After he was  scheduled to travel to New  Orleans on Govern-
   ment business, claimant decided to stop-off in Dallas, Texas, for
   personal reasons.  He would not have  gone to Dallas at that time
   save for his  Government trip.  Claimant sought  and received the
   oral approval  of his supervisor  for his indirect  itinerary; he
   stopped-over in Dallas, Texas, on both  the departing and return-
   ing leg  of his trip between San Diego and New Orleans.  The cost
   of the  stop-over flights was  $415.50, which claimant  paid from
   his own funds. 
    
        Upon his  return, claimant  submitted a  travel voucher  for
   reimbursement of $276 -- the  Government contract fare.  The VA's
   finance  office reimbursed claimant  $134, which was  the cost of
   the  round-trip leg  between  Dallas and  New Orleans.   Claimant
   seeks reimbursement of  $142, the difference between  the Govern-
   ment contract fare and the agency reimbursement. 
 
        The Federal Travel Regulation provides the following regard-
   ing indirect-route or interrupted travel:
 
        When a person for his/her own convenience travels by an
        indirect  route or interrupts travel by a direct route,
        the extra expense shall be borne by him/her.  Reimburse
        ment for expenses shall  be based only on  such charges
        as would  have been  incurred by  the usually  traveled
        route.   An employee may not use contract airline . . .
        service provided  under contract with  the General Ser-
        vices  Administration . . . for  that portion  of [the]
 
        travel covered by  an indirect route which  is for per-
        sonal convenience.
   FTR 301-2.5(b) (1996).  
 
        The VA  regional travel office diasallowed  reimbursement of
   the Government contract fare between San Diego and Dallas because
   "the VA did  not authorize the trip to Dallas and was not respon-
   sible for that  expense."   The General  Accounting Office  (GAO)
   long  enforced the rule that when an employee proceeds to a point
   away from  his official station  on annual leave, he  assumes the
   obligation of returning  himself to his  official station at  his
   own expense.  If, during such leave, the  employee is required to
   perform  temporary duty  at some  point other  than his  place of
   leave prior to  returning to his official station, the Government
   is  chargeable only  with the  travel cost  between his  place of
   leave and his temporary duty  station.  Cf. Ronald Todd, B-185070
   (Apr. 13, 1976).  
 
        That  rule is simply  inapplicable here, since  claimant was
   not  on leave  in Dallas  when he received  travel orders  to New
   Orleans.  Rather, he interrupted  his San Diego-New Orleans  trip
   to stop in Dallas, and is therefore entitled under the regulation
   to  reimbursement  based on  "such  charge[] as  would  have been
   incurred by the usually traveled route."  That charge is $276 for
   the  Government contract fare between San  Diego and New Orleans.
   Claimant  is entitled  to be  reimbursed $276,  not the  $134 the
   agency has paid.  Claimant is entitled to be paid  the additional
   $142.
 
 
                                 __________________________
                                 ANTHONY S. BORWICK
                                 Board Judge