LE STAFF: TDY AFGHANISTAN BENEFITS PACKAGE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 006085

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT APER AFSN
SUBJECT: LE STAFF: TDY AFGHANISTAN BENEFITS PACKAGE
(ABP)

REF: Action Memos Signed November 4, 2009 and January
12, 2010 by the Under Secretary for Management.

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1. The Department authorizes each post to amend its Local
Compensation Plan (LCP) to provide the following
benefits in association with the new Locally Employed
(LE) Staff temporary duty (TDY) Afghanistan Benefits
Package (ABP).

The ABP incorporates all benefits approved to date for
those LES who are paid under a Local Compensation Plan
other than the LCP for Afghanistan. Some benefits
apply only to LE Staff who are serving on TDY in
Afghanistan for six months or more, but the 50%
special differential is effective upon arrival in
Afghanistan, and Language Incentive Pay begins after
30 days.


2. While on TDY in Afghanistan, an employee will continue
to be paid salaries and benefits from his/her home
post's LCP. In order for employees on TDY in
Afghanistan to be eligible for the ABP, each home
country post must amend the remarks section of its LCP
to include the following:

"In accordance with (cite this telegram),an employee
who is on a TDY assignment of six months or more
(except where a different minimum is specifically
noted below) in Afghanistan will be eligible for the
following benefits outlined below, effective the
beginning of the pay period in which the post adds the
LE Staff TDY Afghanistan Benefits Package (ABP) to the
LCP.

Title: LE STAFF: Afghanistan TDY Benefits Package
(ABP)

(1) SALARY/PREMIUM PAY/TDY ALLOWANCE:

While on TDY in Afghanistan, LE Staff will continue
to be paid salary and premium pay for all overtime
worked in Afghanistan. They will also receive a
TDY Allowance equal to 50 percent of basic salary.
Payments will be calculated in accordance with
their home country LCP. The TDY Allowance ceases
when the employee is outside of Afghanistan.
Details of this allowance are contained in 05 State

93137.

(2) LANGUAGE INCENTIVE PAY:

LE Staff on TDY to Afghanistan for more than 30
days, who fill a Farsi/Dari or Pashto language -
designated position (LDP) and possess FSI tested
language skills at the levels stated below are
eligible to receive Language Incentive pay for the
following FSI tested levels:

10% of basic salary for an S-3/R-3;
15% of basic salary for an S-4/R-3 or higher.

The language incentive pay will be paid in
accordance with the home country LCP. The language
incentive pay ceases when the employee is outside
of Afghanistan.

(3) VISITATION AND RECUPERATION BREAKS (VRB):

--A. LE Staff on TDY in Afghanistan for six months
or more, but less than one year, are eligible for
one Visitation and Recuperation Break (VRB) trip
back to the employee's home country after three (3)
months service in Afghanistan.

--B. LE Staff on TDY for one year to Afghanistan
are eligible for three VRB trips back to their home
country. The three VRB leave periods for a 1-year
TDY should not exceed a total of 63 calendar days -
a maximum of 21 calendar days away from the Afghan
post (including travel time) for each VRB.

--C. Employees will be given up to two days for
travel time but not to exceed the actual time
needed to get from Afghanistan to the home country.
This travel time is not counted against excused

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absence (see next paragraph) or against annual
leave. If it takes longer than two days to return
to the employee's home country, that additional
transit time will be counted against excused
absence or annual leave. Otherwise, counting VRB
leave, as either excused absence or annual leave,
begins the next work day after the employee returns
to his/her home country.

(4) LEAVE:

--A. Excused Absence (consistent with 3 FAM 7450):
LE Staff on TDY to Afghanistan for 6 months or more
are authorized time off with pay to be used during
VRB:


1. For 6 months or more but less than one year - up
to five days may be used for the one VRB trip.


2. For one year TDY - up to five days may be used
per VRB trip (3) not to exceed a total of 15
work days per year for this purpose.

--B. Restoration of Annual Leave: The Department
has designated employees serving in Afghanistan as
performing "national emergency" work. Per the
public interest determination (PID) approved by the
Under Secretary for Management, LE Staff will not
suffer the loss of annual leave accumulated during
the year in which they serve at least six months
TDY in Afghanistan. If the home country LCP
contains a "use or lose" clause, the LCP is amended
to reflect this exception as approved in the PID.
LE Staff must formally apply for leave restoration
through the home post timekeeper.

--C. Transition Leave: LE Staff who complete a
12-month TDY assignment in Afghanistan are eligible
for 10 (ten) work days of transition leave upon
return to the home country.

(5) EMERGENCY VISITATION TRAVEL:

Employees on TDY to Afghanistan for one year are
eligible to travel at U.S. Government expense to
their home country, in certain situations of family
emergency.

For the purposes of this authorization, the
employee's or the employee's spouse's immediate
family is defined as a child, parent, or sibling.

--A. Eligibility: Emergency travel is only
authorized under the following circumstances and
must be approved by the employee's American
supervisor:

-1. Medical - an immediate family member is
seriously ill or injured and faces imminent death.
-2. Death - an immediate family member has died.
-3. Unusual Personal Hardship - emergency travel in
situations involving unusual personal hardship may
be approved in exceptional circumstances on a case-
by-case basis by the American supervisor and the
HRO. Requests for approval of travel at U.S.
Government expense in this category must detail the
exceptional circumstances under which such a
request is made and must include a statement by the
employee certifying the nature of the circumstances
and any available documentation relating to the
circumstances of the request.

--B. Leave: Eligible employees must take annual
or sick leave, in accordance with U.S. Department
of State and their LCP leave regulations.

(6) PAYMENT OF OVERTIME TO LE STAFF WHO ARE ON TDY
IN AFGHANISTAN AND NOT OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE FOR
OVERTIME PAY:

LE Staff who are not otherwise eligible for
overtime pay based on their home post's LCP are
entitled to payment of overtime performed while on
TDY to Afghanistan. The rate of overtime pay
should be consistent with the home post's local
compensation plan, local labor law, and/or
prevailing practice.

(7) CONTINUATION OF HOME POST'S UNIQUE CONDITIONS
OF WORK ALLOWANCE(UCWA) FOR LE STAFF AWAY FROM

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POST SERVICE TDY IN AFGHANISTAN:

LE Staff will continue to receive the home post's Unique
Conditions of Work Allowance (UCWA) while on TDY to
Afghanistan.

(8) ENTITLEMENT TO ALL LE STAFF TDY AFGHANISTAN
BENEFITS FROM DATE OF ARRIVAL IN COUNTRY:

LE Staff on TDY to Afghanistan are entitled to
all LE Staff TDY ABP benefits from the date of
arrival in Afghanistan, retroactive only to the
date of this telegram.

(9) OTHER BENEFITS:

--A. Medical: Basic medical care for TDYers in
Afghanistan in accordance with 03 State 328740.

--B. UAB Shipment: Unaccompanied Air Baggage (UAB)
consisting of 250 pounds gross weight is approved
for LE Staff serving a one-year TDY in Afghanistan.
No UAB is authorized for TDYers of less than one
year.

(10) END OF AFGHANISTAN TDY BENEFITS PACKAGE (ABP)


1. The effective date is the beginning of the pay
period in which the post adds the LE Staff TDY
ABP to the LCP, or the beginning of a later pay
period if post prefers. A retroactive effective
date is not authorized.


2. Post must immediately provide a copy of the
signed, revised LCP to the pay-rolling FSC and
HR/OE/CM.


3. The TDY Afghanistan Benefits Package does not
apply to USAID FSN personnel services
contractors who are paid in accordance with
USAID's AAPD 03-11 in lieu of being paid under
the Local Compensation Plan.


4. No further authorizations or amendments to Local
Compensation Plans are required as a result of
this authorization, and the Afghanistan Benefits
Package, above, should be incorporated as an
attachment under Item 17 - Afghanistan TDY
Benefits to the Post's local compensation plan
as soon as possible. This cable should be
attached to post's LCP as authorization to
provide these additional benefits.


3. Questions concerning the ABP should be directed to
NEA-SCA/EX. Questions concerning the LCP should be
referred to the HR/OE/CM compensation analysts.


4. Minimize considered.
CLINTON