Ask the Lawyer received the following question (paraphrased for easier reading and clarity) from a reader on a legal matter that might be of interest to the entire audience. Q: How can a federal employee qualify for a per diem? A: For a federal employee to qualify for a per diem, he/she must be on official travel away from their official duty station.  The “official duty station” means the geographic area surrounding an employee’s regular work site that is the same as the area designated by the employing agency for the purpose of determining whether travel time is compensable for…