AFSANET: AFSA State Vice President Update - March 3, 2006
Hardship/Danger Pay Levels

THE FOLLOWING IS A MESSAGE FROM AFSA STATE VICE PRESIDENT STEVE KASHKETT:

AFSA welcomes the Department's decision, announced in an ALDAC cable being transmitted today, to implement the new 35% caps for hardship and danger-pay at certain posts. AFSA had worked long and hard to persuade Members of Congress to pass legislation authorizing this increase from 25% to 35%, which we believe reflects the reality that conditions at many of our overseas posts are more difficult and more dangerous than in the past. We are pleased to see that the Department is acting on that authorization.

We regret, however, that the Department decided that, in order to cover the costs of increasing these hardship/danger-pays at certain posts, it needed to eliminate the 5% hardship differential at some 14 other posts. These 14 posts are identified in the ALDAC cable, as are the posts that will be moved up to 30% or 35%. This should not be a zero-sum game; there certainly should be other places in an overall $10 billion Department budget where money could have been found to pay for the higher hardship/danger-pay caps, without having to take the 5% differential away from others. The welfare of all of our employees overseas is important. While we understand that the hardship differential levels at all overseas posts are constantly being reviewed and modified, we do not believe that benefits should have to be taken from one group of employees in order to fund authorized benefits for others.

Nonetheless, we are happy to see that hardship/danger-pay compensation will finally be raised for those courageous Foreign Service members who are serving their country selflessly, separated from their families, at some of our most critical and high-risk posts.