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B-231703 1 (1989-10-31)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadnqe0001 and id is 1 raw text is: The Comptroller General 4 . 4 of the United States Wahington, D.C. 20548 Decision Howard L. Magnas - Per Diem Allowance --Meals Furnished at Conference Matterof: File: B-231703 Date: October 31, 1989 DIGEST Reduction in the per diem allowance of an employee who attends a conference for which the conference fee includes meals is not appropriate where the employee, for clearly bona fide reasons beyond personal taste, cannot consume the conference provided meals and cannot arrange for the conference to provide acceptable substitute meals. There- fore, Orthodox Jew who could not obtain kosher meals at the conference and was required to purchase substitute meals is entitled to full per diem. DECISION Mr. Howard L. Magnas was required by his agency, the Department of Enerqy, to attend a conference. The confer- ence fee paid by his agency included the cost of meals which were provided to the conference participants. Mr. Magnas, who is an Orthodox Jew and eats only kosher food, called the conference organizers before the conference to request that he be provided kosher meals or, in the alternative, that the cost of meals be deducted from his conference fee. The conference organizers were unable to comply with his request. When Mr. Magnas advised his supervisors.of this problem, they nevertheless told him to attend the con- ference. While at the conference, he declined the meals provided and purchased substitute meals consistent with his kosher diet. He was reimbursed only a reduced amount for the meals portion of his per diem allowance and he now reclaims the full per diem. The Federal Travel Regulations, at para. 1-7.6f, provide that when meals are furnished without charge by the govern- ment, an appropriate deduction shall be made from the authorized per diem rate. Accordingly, we have held that if an employee is furnished meals at government expense, the employee will not be reimbursed for purchasing alternate meals. See e.g., 60 Comp. Gen. 181, 183-184 (1981); see o -11 / 3 9 0

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