Board of Contract Appeals

                 General Services Administration

                      Washington, D.C. 20405





         _______________________________________________

                                 

                        November 29, 2001

         _______________________________________________

                                 



                         GSBCA 15654-RELO      

                                 



                In the Matter of PAMELA S. MAANUM      



               

     Pamela S. Maanum, White Sands Missile Range, NM, Claimant.



     Barbara J. Gaydos, Acting Chief, Travel Division, Defense Finance and Accounting

Service, Rock Island, IL, appearing for Department of Defense.

     

BORWICK, Board Judge.



     Ms. Pamela Maanum, an employee of the Department of the Army, moved her

household goods (HHG) during her permanent change of station (PCS), having been

erroneously told by an agency transportation movement officer that the travel authorization

permitted use of the commuted rate method instead of the actual expense (Government Bill

of Lading (GBL)) method actually authorized by the agency.  The agency reimbursed

claimant for $308.38, which would have been the cost of the GBL move.  Claimant seeks

reimbursement of $1111.96, which is the  additional expense claimant incurred in her self-

move.  Despite the erroneous advice, claimant is limited by the Joint Travel Regulations

(JTR) to the cost of the GBL move.  Erroneous advice by agency officials cannot enlarge

claimant's entitlement.



     The facts as indicated by the record are as follows.  On April 20, 2001, the agency

authorized claimant a PCS transfer from Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), Otero County,

New Mexico, to the White Sands Missile Range, Dona Ana County, New Mexico.  Block

15a of the agency travel authorization is the block that describes the entitlement to shipment

of HHG.  Within that block there are two vertical columns of two check-boxes each, with

each check box having descriptive labels immediately to the box's right.  The top check box

on the first column is labeled "yes," and the bottom check box on the first column is labeled

"no."  The top check box on the second vertical column is labeled "commuted rate."  The

bottom check box is designated "Government Bill of Lading (GBL)."  



     Within box 15a of claimant's authorization, the agency had checked the box labeled

"yes," and the box labeled "Government Bill of Lading," intending to authorize claimant's

shipment of HHG by GBL.  



     Claimant states that when she went to the transportation movement office at Holloman

AFB, the transportation officer "told me I had to arrange for the move myself.  She did say

I would be reimbursed for the move."  The agency admits that this advice was erroneous in

that "they misinterpreted the entitlement of HHG shipment to be commuted rate instead of

GBL as marked on the PCS order."  



     Acting on the erroneous advice, claimant made her own arrangements for the move

and incurred charges of $1420.34 from the moving company.  The GBL rate for her move

was $308.38.  Claimant submitted her transportation voucher and the agency reimbursed

claimant the amount of the GBL rate.  Claimant appealed to this Board, and maintains she

is entitled to the additional $1111.96 expenses she had incurred in arranging for the move

herself.



     The JTR provides that when an agency authorizes shipment of HHG by GBL and the

employee makes arrangements for a self-move, reimbursement is limited to actual expenses

incurred by the employee "not to exceed the cost of a Government-arranged move."  JTR

C8210-B.  When an agency has properly authorized use of the GBL method to move HHG,

and an agency gives erroneous advice as to whether an employee may use the commuted rate

method, the employee's reimbursement is limited to the cost of the GBL.  The erroneous

advice cannot enlarge claimant's entitlement granted by regulation.  Terry Beck, GSBCA

14590-RELO, 98-2 BCA   29,969.  [Foot # 1 ]  Claimant is not entitled to recover the

$1111.96. 

                                   

                                   

****************** Footnote Begin **********

[Foot # 1 ]        An agency may authorize use of the GBL method to ship HHG if it

determines after a proper cost comparison, completed prior to determining the method to be

authorized, that a GBL move would be more economical than a commuted rate move.  JTR

C8200, C8220.  Here, claimant does not dispute, nor does the record demonstrate, that the

agency failed to make the proper cost comparison in determining in advance to authorize

shipment of claimant's HHG by a GBL.  

****************** Footnote End ************



__________________________

                                   ANTHONY S. BORWICK

                                   Board Judge