US Embassy building in Moscow, May 2021. (Photo: Ultraskrip / Shutterstock) Image: Ultraskrip/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe recently enacted DoD authorization bill for fiscal 2022 incorporates provisions of an earlier bill to improve a range of benefits for the foreign service and their family members.
It authorizes the State Department to offer the same services to foreign service family members that the Defense Department is permitted to provide to military families including special hiring authorities; ensures that foreign service family members receive notice of State Department vacancies and that those who apply receive consideration; and makes space available in State Department facilities for outside entities to provide career services.
The language also (in the words of a summary):
* provides in-state tuition rates to members of the Foreign Service, their spouses, and dependent children;
* extends provisions of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to the foreign service, allowing members of the foreign service who are posted overseas to terminate residential and motor leases and telephone service contracts;
* supports the expansion of telecommuting opportunities for foreign service family members so that family members can continue to work federal civilian jobs while overseas;
* ensures that family members in the Expanded Professional Associates Program, which offers career opportunities for family members with advanced education and professional experience, are not held to unfair hiring standards; and
* ensures that the State Department has fully implemented the Foreign Service Family Reserve Corps, a program intended to speed hiring and improve clearance portability for foreign service family members.
“The legislation will help ensure that the foreign service is able to attract and retain a world-class diplomatic corps by providing expanded career options and services to eligible family members. For many of these family members, the process of finding employment isn’t easy—frequent moves, language barriers, and limited options pose significant challenges,” sponsors said in a statement.
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