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B-318499 1 (2009-11-19)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadbcv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ,G A O Comptroller General LXn , Accountability * Integrity * Reliability of the United States United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 D .. Decision Matter of: Department of the Navy-Lunch for Volunteer Focus Group File: B-318499 Date: November 19, 2009 DIGEST As part of an assessment of readiness and quality of life concerns for Department of Navy activities in Japan, a Navy Inspector General (IG) team led a focus group in which volunteer ombudsmen, generally spouses of active duty command members, participated. A certifying officer asks whether his command could have used appropriated funds to pay for lunch for the ombudsmen in order to increase participation at the focus group. In general, an agency may not use appropriated funds for a personal expense, such as lunch. Consideration of whether to provide food as an incentive for focus group participation must be addressed on a case-by- case basis, taking into account all the factual circumstances and the particular statutory objective the agency is trying to achieve. In the present instance, the command has not identified a specific statutory objective, just a general responsibility to cooperate with an IG investigation, conducted under the IG's authorities. Accordingly, under the facts presented, we cannot conclude that the command could have used its appropriated funds in this manner. DECISION A certifying officer with the United States Navy Fleet Activities at Okinawa, Japan, requests a decision regarding the provision of lunch at a Navy Inspector General focus group. Letter from Supervisory Financial Management Analyst, Commander, Fleet Activities Okinawa, Japan, to GAO, July 1, 2009, at 1 (July Letter). Specifically, the certifying officer asks whether his command could have used appropriated funds to provide lunch to volunteer command ombudsmen at a Navy Inspector General (IG) focus group. July Letter, at 1. Consideration of whether to provide food as an incentive for focus group participation must be addressed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all the factual circumstances and the particular statutory objective the agency is trying to achieve. Here the focus group was conducted under the IG's authority, and the command did not identify a specific statutory objective.