The dedicated staff at AFSA's Office of the General Counsel (OGC) always stands ready to assist our members with any kind of question or problem related, for example, to security clearances or violations, denial of tenure, employment-related performance evaluation, discipline/selection out, etc. They spend much of their time on individual cases—consultations, meetings, grievance representation and so on. We encourage you to know your rights and to seek out our lawyers and advisors whose main task is to represent your interests. We provide grievance counseling and legal assistance free-of-charge to those who have been AFSA members for at least six months.

As you consider your individual situation, many questions may come up. Is this comment on my employee evaluation grievable? How do I find out whether I have the grounds for an EEO complaint? What do I do when DS or the IG show up and want to ask me questions? What are AFSA's rights and responsibilities while representing me? Our labor management team has compiled a selection of general answers to some of these questions, and these are available here for our members. The list is not comprehensive, and some questions may only be answered by speaking to our lawyers and advisors directly. We encourage you to reach out to us. Click here to email the Office of the General Counsel.

The following basic information may be of some assistance as you confront a question or problem.

• Absentee Voting Guide
• AFSA Labor Management Explanation of Services and Scope of Representation
• AFSA Labor Management Responsibilities
• AFSA Post Representatives
• Anti-Lobbying Act
• Assignment Restrictions and Preclusions – What to Do
• Attorney List
• Dissent Channel
• Divorce Resources
• DS Procedurals for Security Clearance Investigations
• EEO Investigation Guidance
• EEO Witness Guidance
• Ethics and Professionalism
• Foreign Contact Reporting
• The Foreign Service Clause
• Foreign Service Labor Management 101
• General Guidance for FS Employees
• Grievance Guidance
• Guidance on Protesting
• Guidance on Recording of DS/RSO/OIG/OCR Interviews
• Guidance on the Use of Diplomatic Passports
• Guide to Writing Appeal Briefs for Unrepresented Complainants before the EEOC Office of Federal Operations
• Guidelines for Official Writing
• Hatch Act Guidance from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel
• Health Benefits Plan Guide
• IG and DS Investigation Guidance
• In-State Tuition Residency Determination
• Legal Defense Fund (LDF) SOP
• LMRDA Union Member Rights
• Long-Term Care Calculator
• Overtime and Compensatory Time Rules
• Parental Leave
• Pay Chart
• Pregnancy, Adoption, Surrogacy and Foster Care
• Pro Bono Representation Request Process
• Professional Liability Insurance Reimbursement
• Residence and Domicile
• Rules on Political Activity
• Security Clearance Suspension
• Security Reporting Requirements
• Social Media Guidance
• SOP: Policy, Assistance, Oversight and Reporting
• Tax Guide
• Whistleblower
• Workers Compensation