The Foreign Service Journal, May 2003

2 AFSA NEWS • MAY 2003 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Christa Nyamekye: nyamekye@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Suzan Reager: sreager@usaid.gov Grievance Attorneys Harry Sizer: sizerhs@state.gov, an d Neera Parikh: parikhn@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Lindsay Peyton: peyton@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Ward Thompson: thompsonw@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ken Nakamura: nakamura@afsa.org Corporate Relations/Executive Assistant Marc Goldberg: goldberg@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 AFSA Internet and E-mail addresses: AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org AFSA NEWS: afsanews@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: naland@afsa.org STATE VP: cranelk@state.gov RETIREE VP: farrand@member.afsa.org USAID VP: jpastic@usaid.gov FAS VP: afsafas@fas.usda.gov FCS VP: peter.frederick@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John K. Naland STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Louise K. Crane USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Joe Pastic FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Peter G. Frederick FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Edwin Porter RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: Robert W. Farrand SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Thomas D. Boyatt STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Pamela Bates, John P. Boulanger, George W. Colvin, Roy Perrin, Lynn G. Sever, John Weis USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Woody Navin FCS REPRESENTATIVE: James Joy RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: William C. Harrop, David E. Reuther, Richard C. Scissors, Theodore S. Wilkinson, III IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Vacant FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Eric Wenberg Disability Income Plan Offered to AFSA Members A disability income insurance plan, with monthly benefits up to $3,000, is available to members of the American Foreign Service Association. All AFSA members and/or spouses/domestic partners under age 60 who are working at least 25 hours a week are eligible to apply for the AFSA Disability Income Plan. The plan offers the choice of either a $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 monthly benefit, payable for up to five years for a covered accident and one year for a covered illness. This offer is available on a simplified application basis, which means there are only three short health questions to answer. The special enrollment period ends June 1. For more information on the AFSA Disability Income Plan, contact the insurance administrator by phone: toll-free at (800) 503-9230; on the Web at www.seaburychicago.com; or by mail: Marsh Affinity Group Services, a service of Seabury & Smith, P.O. Box 9122, Des Moines, Iowa 50306-9122. Briefs • Continued on page 3 Life in the Foreign Service ■ BY BRIAN AGGELER, FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER & CARTOONIST You and Your Vehicle Currently, if your family is in the U.S. on Separate Maintenance Allowance, whether voluntarily or invol- untarily, the regulations do not permit you to send your car back to the U.S. for your family to use. The depart- ment is considering changing this rule for involuntary SMA. If more posts move to unaccompanied status, more members are likely to want their families to have the car. AFSA is urging the department to allow POV shipment for both voluntary and involuntary SMA. Overtime for JOs A recent A-100 graduate en route to a high-volume visa- issuing post dropped by to tell AFSA that the consular section at his new post is about to start “split shifts” (two shifts a day) and Saturday hours in order to meet the demand to interview visa applicants. We reminded him that untenured officers are eligible for overtime and pre- mium pay. There are a number of untenured officers at this post so AFSA will be alerting the AFSA representative to these rules. “LET’S FACE IT, GORDON, IN TODAY’S FOREIGN SERVICE WE’RE REALLY DINOSAURS.”