The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

uprooting a family for just one year.” Deborah Sisbarro, whose tan- dem husband will be staying in the U.S. on unpaid leave with their son while she is posted to Kabul, sug- gests another way to address this discrepancy. “If SMA is intended to offset additional expenses, it is sufficient if you are in overseas housing, but insufficient in the States. The department might want to consider two rates: one for those who are in embassy housing, and one for those who aren’t, along the lines of SMA + Living Quarters Allowance based upon Washington, D.C., housing.” Capital Expenses I am lucky: my children are old enough so that child care is not an issue. But for many spouses, child care — especially in the Washington, D.C., area, where babysit- ting starts at $10 per hour — can be a major logistical and financial problem during an unaccompanied year. Lack of it can even interfere with attendance at UT functions. Virpi Salin, whose husband is currently in Afghanistan while she stays in Washington with their three children, describes her situation: “I do feel that the State Department is seeking and trying different kinds of support for spouses and families that are left behind. In my experience, howev- er, it does not reach the goal. There are unaccompanied tour family meetings, which we have attended and have enjoyed a lot; but as far as I know there are perhaps two a year, which is not enough. There are UT spouse luncheons at the State Department, but for me they are in a difficult place and children are not welcome. … There are meetings at Main State and class- es offered at FSI, which I would love to take. But what do I do with my children?” Washington, D.C., is the logical choice of residence for many UT families, particularly if they were posted here immediately prior to the unaccompanied tour. But while employees posted in the D.C. area receive a nearly 21-percent “locality pay” adjustment as part of their base pay, overseas employees do not. Thus, an employee transferring from Washington to an unac- companied post loses that 21-percent locality pay adjustment, even if the rest of the family will be living F O C U S 34 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 8 Most families of unaccompanied employees do not reside in Washington, D.C. www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c14521.htm Unaccompanied Tours Support page from the Family Liaison Office. Under “Resources to Get You Through,” the most important documents are probably Chapter 25 of the Foreign Service Assignment Notebook, “Unaccompanied Tours,” and “Long-Distance Relationships and Separated Tours: When Couples Live Apart.” www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c24529.htm The Comprehensive Continuum of Support summarizes support options for unaccompanied officers and family members. www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c23131.htm This page includes quick links to FAQs about the Separate Maintenance Allowance. www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/1846.htm FSI courses include “Maintaining Long-Distance Relationships,” a well-reviewed half-day seminar for employees and family members. http://members.mhn.com FLO has contracted with MHN, a health-care company, to offer a limited number of telephone and face-to-face mental health consultations to UT family members. To obtain a login, e-mail FLOASKUT@state.gov . (M/MED’s Employee Consultation Services also offers support, but contact information is not available on the Internet.) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomefrontUS/ FLO sponsors this listserv for unaccompanied family members. Click “Join this Group” and in your message to the moderator, state your name and your family member’s current post. http://aafsw.org/una/una_main.htm The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) offers “Going It Alone,” a collection of useful links and articles for unaccompanied family mem- bers. www.aafsw.org/aafsw/fbspouses.htm AAFSW’s Foreign-Born Spouses Group welcomes all foreign-born spouses. While group activities are based in the Washington area, the e-mail list is open to foreign-born spouses of Foreign Service employees worldwide. UT Resources Online