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  4. Entitlement Checklist for Deploying Civilians

Keeping your pay entitlements on track

This checklist serves as a means of communication between all Department of Defense (DoD) civilians deploying through Individual Replacement Deployment Operations (IRDO) and their local personnel office. This checklist references entitlements for employees deploying on Temporary Duty (TDY) to the countries of Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is meant to assist federal civilian employees and their servicing Human Resources (HR)  or personnel office with properly updating pay entitlements while deployed to Southwest Asia (SWA).

___ If you are scheduled for deployment, meet with your HR office or command’s designated point of contact as soon as possible. They will help:
  • Identify your point of contact with your parent command/agency to handle your pay or personnel actions such as processing your SF 1190 (see below).
  • Identify who will coordinate and input your timekeeping submissions or help with any timekeeping problems.
___ SF 1190 (Foreign Allowances Application, Grant and Report): This form is used to apply for danger pay and post (hardship) differential once you arrive in theater. Your HR office can tell you how to submit your SF 1190, what information is required, and when to submit a SF 1190 addendum.  Your POC at your parent command/agency is a key link to keeping your pay current with DFAS Civilian Pay.

___ CENTCOM Increased Bi-Weekly Pay Cap and Annual Limitation Waiver (Sample Memorandum)

Civilians deploying to SWA should have their bi-weekly pay cap (BPL) waived for the duration of their deployment. This waiver must be provided to your personnel and payroll office for processing.

If you deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan, you are eligible to have you annual premium pay cap (APPL) lifted to the vice-presidential limit after completion of the mandatory 42 consecutive days in-theater eligibility period. The limit for 2011 is $230,700.00.  Any combination of regular pay and premium pay earned in excess of this limit will be forfeited and not deferred for payment in CY 2012.

Those deployed to any non-Footnote “N" post (Qatar and Kuwait) require secondary authorization to be eligible for this waiver.

This sample memo accomplishes the necessary primary and secondary authorizations for all deploying DoD civilian employees. This memo waives the pay cap that limits civilians from earning more than a GS-15, Step 10 for their employing locality.  Please ensure your supervisor, personnel appointing authority or HR office (procedures may vary depending on your command/agency) generates a Civilian Pay Cap Waiver memorandum and submits it to your civilian personnel office. This waiver memo must be on file with your personnel office and provided to your payroll office for processing.

___ All travel in and out of your designated country of assignment requires submission of an SF 1190 Addendum. Submit this form to your serving HR representative.

___ Upon your departure from theater, complete and submit an SF 1190 Addendum to report the date and time you departed. This step is vital in stopping in-theater allowances, avoiding overpayments.  At that time, a memorandum will need submitted to restore pay caps.

Summary of location entitlements

This information will help you complete portions of your SF 1190 based on your TDY location.
 
Qatar: Post Differential (PD) is the only authorized pay entitlement for Qatar.
 
PD entitlements are set by the State Department, based on environmental conditions by assigning numeric weights based on the severity of the hardship. As of March 1, 2011, the PD rate for Qatar is five percent. Check current PD rates by location when completing your SF 1190 .

PD is paid as a percentage of basic compensation [DSSR 040k] and is included in gross income for Federal income tax purposes [DSSR 054.2].
 
PD starts after the initial eligibility period (42 days in country) has been obtained. PD starts on day 43 in country and is not retroactive to day one. Any travel outside of country that is not “for the convenience of the government” (such as R&R) and is greater than 14 days will lose PD eligibility which must be re-earned upon return to country [DSSR 541, DSSR Section 040 and Post Allowances Q&A’s – Question 11 and 12].
 
Kuwait: Post Differential (PD) and Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) are the only authorized pay entitlements for Kuwait.
 
Post Differential (PD) entitlements are set by the State Department, based on environmental conditions by assigning numeric weights based on the severity of the hardship. As of March 1, 2011, the PD rate for Kuwait is ten percent. Check current PD rates by location when completing your SF 1190 .

PD is paid as a percentage of basic compensation [DSSR 040k] and is included in gross income for Federal income tax purposes [DSSR 054.2].
 
PD of starts after the initial eligibility period (42 days in country) has been obtained. PD starts on day 43 in country and is not retroactive to day one. Any travel outside of country that is not “for the convenience of the government” (such as R&R) and is greater than 14 days will lose PD eligibility which must be re-earned upon return to country [DSSR Section 040 and Post Allowances Q&A’s – Question 11 and 12, DSSR 541].
 
Some areas in Kuwait are eligible for Imminent Danger Pay (IDP). IDP is calculated as a daily rate and paid on a monthly basis. Daily rates are determined by dividing the monthly amount by the number of days in a month. This rate will change based on the number of days in a month. For periods of less than a month, an employee is entitled to the daily rate times the number of days in the month the employee is in the eligible area. Employees cannot receive IDP and PD at the same time. Civilians in Kuwait are entitled to IDP during the 42 day eligibility period for PD. When PD eligibility is established, IDP entitlement will cease and PD entitlement will initiate [DSSR 652(g)].
 
Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan: These countries are considered ‘footnote n’ posts [DSSR 920]. Post Differential (PD) and Danger Pay are the only authorized pay entitlements for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for DoD civilians in TDY status.
 
Danger Pay entitlements are set by the State Department. As of March 1, 2011, the Danger Pay rate for Iraq and Afghanistan is 35 percent and 30-35 percent for Pakistan. Your can find current Danger Pay rates by location online.
 
Danger Pay is payable beginning the first day the employee enters country [DSSR 652 (f), DSSR 920, footnote “n”]. Employees qualify for Danger Pay Allowance after being in the country for at least four cumulative hours in one day [DSSR 651c].
 
Post Differential (PD) entitlements are set by the State Department, based on environmental conditions by assigning numeric weights based on the severity of the hardship. As of March 1, 2011, the PD rate for Iraq and Afghanistan is 35 percent and 25 to 35 percent for Pakistan. Check current PD rates by location when completing your SF 1190 .
 
PD is paid as a percentage of basic compensation [DSSR 040k] and is included in gross income for Federal income tax purposes [DSSR 054.2].
 
PD starts after the initial eligibility period (42 days in country) has been obtained. PD starts on day 43 in country and is retroactive to day one [DSSR 511c, DSSR 920, footnote “n”]. If an employee is on leave for more than 30 consecutive days, PD for the footnote "n" post will cease from the 31st day and the employee will have to meet the 42-consecutive day eligibility requirement on return to the footnote "n" post [DSSR 533].

References

Updated May 10, 2011