Foreign Service officers eligible for travel comp time
Office of Personnel Management originally indicated that Foreign Service members would not be eligible under new regulations.
Almost two months after the Office of Personnel Management released interim guidelines governing compensatory time off for travel, the pool of federal employees eligible for the benefit has expanded.
In an apparent reversal, Foreign Service officers now will be able to claim comp time for work-related travel outside of normal business hours, according to the State Department's human resources department.
The new time off regulations are in response to provisions in the 2004 Federal Workforce Flexibility Act, passed by Congress in November.
In early February, OPM officials held a forum to explain the interim regulations and to invite comment. A State Department official expressed concern that State employees who travel regularly would quickly acquire large amounts of comp time.
In response, OPM officials said comp time would only be available to workers who are defined as employees under Title 5 personnel regulations. This definition excludes Senior Executive Service personnel and Foreign Service officers, among others.
In late February, however, the State Department's Office of Resource Management and Organization Analysis released a memo saying that Foreign Service officers would in fact be allowed to request comp time.
"All civil service and Foreign Service specialists and untenured officers at the GS-15/FP-01 level and below may request compensatory time off for official travel performed outside of regular duty hours that is not otherwise compensable, in accordance with the new law," the State regulations said. "The [former] undersecretary for management [Grant Green] made a determination that tenured FSOs may request compensatory time off for official travel outside regular duty hours."
On Monday, State Department spokeswoman Joanne Moore confirmed that Foreign Service officers are eligible for comp time.
Personnel officials said that State has the power to override OPM's recommendations and issue special regulations for employees not covered by Title 5.
"State indeed has its own authority to administer pay for the Foreign Service," said OPM spokesman Mike Orenstein. "As a result of that they are able to make the decision to extend comp time."