Board of Contract Appeals

                    General Services Administration

                         Washington, D.C. 20405

 

 

 

                                                 

 

                             July 25, 2000

                                                 

 

 

                            GSBCA 15291-RELO

 

 

                   In the Matter of BRUCE BROUILLARD

 

 

        Bruce Brouillard, Coraopolis, PA, Claimant.

 

        MSgt.  Kelly  Dixon, Chief,  Customer Service,  Ramstein Air

   Base, Germany, appearing for Department of the Air Force.

 

   DANIELS, Board Judge (Chairman).

 

        When  the  Department  of the  Air  Force  transferred Bruce

   Brouillard from Germany to Pennsylvania, it authorized payment of

   transportation  expenses for  Mr. Brouillard's  wife  as well  as

   himself.   Mrs.  Brouillard is  a citizen  of Germany and  had to

   purchase an immigration visa in order to enter the United States.

   Mr. Brouillard asked the Air Force to  reimburse him for the cost

   of the visa.   The agency  refused to comply.   The employee  now

   asks us to direct the agency to make payment.

 

        The  Joint  Travel  Regulations (JTR),  which  apply  to Mr.

   Brouillard because he  is a civilian employee of  a Department of

   Defense  agency, contain provisions  which are directly pertinent

   to this  matter.  The  regulations provide for the  Government to

   pay travel expenses of an employee's dependent when  the employee

   is transferred from a place outside the continental United States

   (OCONUS) to  an area within  the continental United States.   JTR

   C7003.  "Authorized expenses for the dependent travel from OCONUS

   areas  are  as  prescribed  in  par.  C7002-E."     JTR  C7003-G.

   Paragraph C7002-E, as  in effect at the time  of Mr. Brouillard's

   transfer,  listed   as  among  reimbursable  expenses   "fees  in

   connection  with . . .  issuance of  passports and  visas."   JTR

   C7002-E.4 (Nov. 1, 1998).

 

        Because the expense for which the transferred employee seeks

   reimbursement is a fee  in connection with issuance of  a visa to

   his dependent wife, and that fee  was incurred so that she  could

   travel  with him from  a location outside  the continental United

   States to  a location within  this country, the JTR  obligate the

   Air Force  to make the  payment sought.   See Lawrence  B. Weier,

   B-157347 (Aug. 26, 1965) (similarly interpreting previous version

   of JTR).

 

                                      _________________________ 

                                      STEPHEN M. DANIELS

                                      Board Judge