The Foreign Service Journal, November 2009

56 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 Comparability Pay The State Department and USAID have already moved to implement Overseas Comparability Pay, and we understand that all other foreign affairs agencies, with the possible exception of IBB, have sufficient funds available to implement this for their members. We urge them to do so without delay to avoid the possibility of unequal treat- ment of Foreign Service members from different agencies. We are working on ensuring that IBB is able to implement the measure as well. We still have ground to cover in achieving full imple- mentation, but taking this first step for- ward is historic and a milestone. AFSA takes great satisfaction in the knowledge that our aggressive, creative and unyielding advocacy has borne fruit in the form of additional resources to you and your families. That was our goal all along — serving and repre- senting you. Noth- ing is more impor- tant and basic to AFSA that advanc- ing your interests. State 75056 from Under Secretary of State for Manage- ment Patrick Ken- nedy spells out the procedure for the State Department, and we expect that implementation by other agencies will follow a similar pattern. In essence, in the first phase, State FS-1s and below serving overseas should have seen a 7.7-percent increase in basic pay starting with pay period 17 on Sept. 10. As of this writing, we understand that other agencies may have implemented the raise a pay period or two later. Allowances and benefits calculated using basic pay, such as post allowances, danger pay and post differential, also should have been adjusted and paid ac- cordingly. It is anticipated that eligible employees will also receive a locality ad- justment in January 2010, at the same time as those located in Washington, D.C. However, phases 2 and 3—to pro- vide 7.7-percent increases in both the ensuing two years — still require con- gressional authorization and funding. AFSA continues to work to ensure that the process stays on track. Domestic Partners The ForeignAffairsManual entry on domestic partners (3 FAM 1600) came into force for all foreign affairs agencies on July 30 with an effective, retroactive date for the State Department of June 26. 14 FAM 511.3 has been changed to add the term “domestic partner as de- fined in 3 FAM 1610” to the definition of an eligible family member. Various other changes to 3 FAM affecting over- seas employment, home leave, emer- gency travel, etc., are now also in effect for all foreign affairs agencies covered by the FAM. The Department of State Standard- ized Regulations in- corporating these changes were pub- lished in final form on Aug. 30. How- ever, some changes may take a bit longer to be published. Below is the Internet link to view the new definition of a fam- ily member in the DSSR: http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp? content_id=146&menu_id=81 We understand that all foreign affairs agencies have agreed to the new FAM and DSSR provisions and, as of this writing, have begun implementing them. If you have additional questions on these issues, please feel free to contact AFSA Labor Management Specialist James Yorke at yorkej@state.gov . ❏ A F S A N E W S Changes to Overseas Comparability Pay and Same-Sex Partner Benefits The following has been updated from an earlier cable by AFSA President Susan R. Johnson. Allowances and benefits calculated using basic pay, such as post allowance, danger pay and post differential also should have been adjusted and paid accordingly. Former AFSA/TLG Intern Now a Foreign Service Officer BY LORI DEC, SCHOLARSHIP DIRECTOR M s. Stacy Session, a former AFSA/ Thursday Luncheon Group in- tern, is one of 98 individuals in the 146th A-100 Foreign Service officer class that began on June 22. Ms. Session was a 2005AFSA/TLG intern at the State Department’s Office of International Health Affairs in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and a 2006 intern in the management office at Embassy Nairobi. She recently became an AFSA member, as well. Currently training in the public diplomacy cone at the Foreign Service Institute, Ms. Session will depart for Lagos in November, where she will spend her first year in the political/eco- nomic section and second year in the consular section. AFSA and TLG formed a partner- ship in 1996 to sponsor an African- American college student each summer. The program has inspired at least one other former intern to stay in the for- eign policy world: the 1996 AFSA/TLG Intern, Mr. Stacy Williams, joined the State Department’s Civil Service ranks as a Presidential Management Intern in 1997. He is currently an executive as- sistant in the Bureau of Western Hemi- sphere Affairs. ❏ Former TLG intern Stacy Session, now a Foreign Service officer. LORI DEC