The Foreign Service Journal, October 2022

18 OCTOBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In an Aug. 18 interview with Federal News Network, the Bureau of Global Talent Management’s Work Life Division Chief Margery Gehan said that the Vet- erans Support Program (VSP) will serve as a one-stop shop where all former active military or current reservists and guard employees can access service- related resources and raise questions. Gehan noted that the VSP is just the second unit of its kind in the federal government. The VSP is currently running a pilot program in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which has the largest percent- age of veterans. After the pilot is com- pleted and best practices are compiled, it will be rolled out departmentwide. The program has three components: guidance and support, advocacy and policy, and partnership and collabora- tion. In the past, veterans had to scour the State Department’s intranet or reach out to the Department of Veterans Affairs for help; the VSP will streamline access to information and support. Veterans make up about 20 percent of the State Department’s workforce, according to Federal News Network. That includes some 13,000 members of the Foreign Service and more than 11,000 Civil Service employees. n This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Julia Wohlers. 1 Limited number of family members permitted to work 2 Offer of employment required 3 Restricted employment fields 4 NATO dependents also included 5 NATO dependents included by de facto arrangement 6 Only valid 5 years (8/2/2021-8/1/2026) ALBANIA 4 ANDORRA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA ARGENTINA ARMENIA AUSTRIA AUSTRALIA AZERBAIJAN BAHAMAS 1 BAHRAIN BARBADOS 1 BELARUS BELGIUM 5 BENIN BHUTAN BOLIVIA BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA BOTSWANA BRAZIL BULGARIA CAMEROON CANADA 4 CABO VERDE CHAD COLOMBIA² COMOROS COSTA RICA CROATIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (Kinshasa) DENMARK 4 DJIBOUTI ECUADOR EL SALVADOR EQUATORIAL GUINEA ESTONIA 4 ETHIOPIA FIJI FINLAND FRANCE 4 GABON THE GAMBIA GEORGIA GERMANY 5 GHANA GREECE 1 GRENADA GUATEMALA GUINEA BISSAU GUYANA HONDURAS HUNGARY ICELAND INDIA² IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY (includes The Holy See) 2 JAMAICA 2 KAZAKHSTAN KENYA 6 KOSOVO KUWAIT KYRGYZ REPUBLIC LATVIA LIBERIA LIECHTENSTEIN LITHUANIA 4 LUXEMBOURG MADAGASCAR MALAWI MALAYSIA MALI 3 MALTA MAURITIUS MOLDOVA MONACO MONGOLIA MONTENEGRO MOROCCO NAMIBIA NAURU NEPAL NETHERLANDS 4 NEWZEALAND NICARAGUA NIGERIA NORTH MACEDONIA 2 NORWAY 4 OMAN PAKISTAN PANAMA PERU PHILIPPINES POLAND PORTUGAL REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (Brazzaville) ROMANIA RWANDA SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES SAINT LUCIA SAMOA SAN MARINO SENEGAL SERBIA SIERRA LEONE SLOVAK REPUBLIC SLOVENIA SOMALIA SPAIN 5 SRI LANKA SWEDEN SWITZERLAND TAJIKISTAN TANZANIA TIMOR-LESTE TRINIDAD/TOBAGO TURKEY 2,3 TURKMENISTAN UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED KINGDOM 4 URUGUAY VENEZUELA YEMEN ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE State Department List of Bilateral Work Agreements with the U.S. O n June 1, a new bilateral work agreement entered into force between the U.S. and the Sultanate of Oman. The agreement authorizes spouses of official employees serving at diplomatic missions in the host country to work in nongovernment institutions there. Signed in Muscat by U.S. Ambassador Leslie M. Tsou and Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs Mohammed Alwahaibi in April, this agreement is the latest on the list of more than 100 bilateral work agreements between the U.S. and foreign countries. To learn more about legal employment for accredited FS family members on the local economy overseas, please consult the Global Community Liaison Office at GCLOAskEmployment@state.gov or visit https://bit.ly/ GCLO-work-agreements. New Work Agreement with Oman