The announcement by GSA of new per diem rates for federal travelers in fiscal 2016 means that more city areas are losing individual reimbursement rates than are being added to the program.
The new rates increase the standard lodging reimbursement, for destinations not having specific rates, from $83 to $89 a day, and raise the minimum “meals and incidental expenses” rate from $46 to $51 a day.
Those changes resulted in the elimination of specific rates in: Huntsville, Ala.; Modesto., Calif.; Driggs/Idaho Falls, Idaho; Springfield, Ill.; Covington/Slidell, La.; Hattiesburg, Miss; Los Alamos, N.M.; Stateline/Carson City, Nev.; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Greenville, Texas; Fredericksburg, Norfolk/Portsmouth and Prince William/Manassas, Va.; Anacortes/Coupeville, Wash.; and Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Two locations are being added: Grand Lake, Colo., and Pecos, Texas.
The meals and incidentals rate will range up to $74 a day instead of $71