# Presentation: 390323

## Strategic Compensation Conference 

- Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR)
- Juanita P. Stokes
- Deputy Director
- Office of Allowances
- U.S. Department of State
-  							August  2002

## U.S. Department of State OFFICE OF ALLOWANCES 

- MISSION
- Protect the interest of USG agencies,
- its civilian employees and their families serving overseas by ensuring appropriate reimbursements for extraordinary costs and difficulties associated with serving abroad.

## The Department of StateStandardized Regulations(DSSR)

- Where we get the authority to do what we do:
- Law:  5 US CODE 5921-5928
- Executive Order 10903 (Jan. 1961)
- DSSR (Apr. 1961) Government-wide Regs
- Agency Implementing Regulations

## HOW DO WE ACCOMPLISH THIS? 	

- Reimburse for Extraordinary Costs:
-  	-Post (cost of Living) Allowance
-    -Education Allowances
-    -Separate Maintenance Allowance
-    -Foreign & Home Service Transfer
-      Allowances
-    - Evacuation Payments

## “Post” (Cost of Living) Allowance

- Reimburse for goods and services more expensive than in Washington, DC

## Education

- Reimburse for adequate education for dependent children in grades K-12

## Educational Travel

- One annual round trip between U.S. high school or college and foreign post
- Not paid concurrently with education allowance

## Separate Maintenance

- Reimbursement for additional expense of maintaining family members elsewhere than at post.

## Foreign and Home Service Transfer Allowances

- Reimburse for extraordinary, necessary and reasonable expenses for establishing employee and family at assigned post  (either foreign or domestic)

## Evacuation Payments

- Payments help cover hotel, meals, laundry, local transportation and essential items not shipped from post (air freight replacement)

## Incentives For Difficulties Associated with Living Abroad

- Quarters Allowances
- Post Differentials
- Danger Pay

##  QUARTERS ALLOWANCES

- Temporary Quarters Subsistence (TQSA)
- Living Quarters Allowance (LQA)
- Extraordinary Quarters Allowance (EQA)

##  QUARTERS ALLOWANCES

- Temporary Quarters Subsistence (TQSA)
- Necessary & reasonable cost of temporary lodging & meals upon arrival or prior to departure from posts

##  QUARTERS ALLOWANCES

- Living Quarters Allowance (LQA)
- Covers most (or all) of your rent and utility expenses when USG housing is not available.

##  QUARTERS ALLOWANCES

- Extraordinary Quarters Allowance
- Covers lodging and meals when employee/family must vacate permanent quarters during TOD due to crisis (fire, structural damage, etc.) or USG renovations

## DIFFERENTIALS

- Post (hardship) Differential
- Incentive to serve at posts with environmental conditions significantly worse than in the US.
- 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% posts

## DIFFERENTIALS

- Difficult To Staff Incentive Differential (DTSID)
- Additional pay of 15% for difficult to staff positions at 15%, 20% and 25% posts.
- Combination of DP and DTSID, not to exceed 25%.

## Danger Pay

- Incentive to serve at posts where there is war and/or civil insurrection.

## HOW TO CONTACT US

- Office of Allowances
- U.S. Department of State
- Internet for DSSR and Allowances:  	www.state.gov/m/a/als
- Internet e-mail: allowancesO@state.gov
- Phone: 202-663-1121
- Fax:  202-261-8707

## Office of Allowances Web Site

- Internet Address
- www.state.gov/m/a/als/

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## Post Classification & Payment Tables - Web DSSR 920

- Web  920 screens
- Examples
- Kabul ,  Afghanistan
- Reykjavik, Iceland

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## Web Version of DSSR 920 Kabul, Afghanistan

- LQA = See footnote d
- Post Allowance = 0
- Transfer zone = 2
- p = danger pay
- differential = 25%
- n =  days 1 -42 paid
- {footnotes  see  separate screen)

- Education - at post inadequate
- Reporting  requirements
- State (lead agency)
- month/year due
- Key to Past Changes
- Prior and recent

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## Web Version of DSSR 920 Reykjavik, Iceland - 2 slides

- Change:
-  b = away edu - 7-12
-  c = PA   Parts  a & b
- LQA = with/without family rates
- Post Allowance = 25%
- c = both TL’s
- Transfer zone = 1
- differential = 0%

- Education - K-6  adequate
-  part b change
- Reporting  requirements
- State (lead agency)
- month/year due
- Key to Past Changes
- Prior and recent
- changed in  both TL’s

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