GRANTS AND REIMBURSEMENTS TO FACILITATE TRAINING FOR ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS
(CT:TPD-29; 05-07-2024)
(Office of Origin: FSI)
13 FAM 601.2-1 Authority
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture /USAGM/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service and Civil Service Employees)
Section 705 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4025), as amended, authorizes the making of grants to eligible family members for language training undertaken at a public or private institution when the family member is unable to participate in language training provided by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). Training is subject to pre-approval by FSI or by USAID’s Office of Training and Education (M/HR/TE). (FSI does not pre-approve training for the Department of Agriculture.)
13 FAM 601.2-2 ADMINISTRATION OF GRANTS AND REIMBURSEMENTS
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/Commerce /USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
Grants and reimbursements to eligible family members shall be administered by the agency authorizing official or designee, listed in the table that follows:
|
State |
Director, FSI |
|
USAID |
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Human Resources (DAA/M/HR) |
|
Commerce |
Human Resources Manager, Office of Foreign Service Human Resources (ITA/USFCS/OFSHR) |
|
Agriculture |
Director, HRD/FSA; Assistant Deputy Administrator, International Services (APHIS) |
13 FAM 601.2-3 TRAINING GRANTS AVAILABLE TO ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS
(CT:TPD-29; 05-07-2024)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/Commerce/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
Subject to availability of funds, training-related grants may be made to eligible family members to facilitate attendance in the following programs, in anticipation of their accompanying the family member who is a member of the Service on their assignment abroad:
(1) Area study courses, full or part-time;
(2) Programs of the Overseas Briefing Center;
(3) Regular full-time, part-time, familiarization and short-term (FAST), and specially arranged language training, including the area study portions of such courses; or
(4) Such other course offerings as may be determined by the agency authorizing official, or designee, as being necessary for the orientation, language training, and functional training appropriate for anticipated prospective employment under sections 311 and 704 of the Foreign Service Act, as amended.
13 FAM 601.2-4 LANGUAGE TRAINING PROVIDED AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/Commerce/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
The specifications of language training, which may be provided under section 705 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4025), as amended, must include:
(1) Training in a primary, primary-alternate, or secondary language of the post to which the member of the Service is assigned;
(2) Training conducted by a public or private institution; and
(3) Training of at least 10 but not more than 30 class hours per week, exclusive of language laboratory or other self-study hours.
13 FAM 601.2-5 ELIGIBILITY
13 FAM 601.2-5(A) Approval of Assignment and Notification
(CT:TPD-29; 05-07-2024)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/Commerce/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
a. In order for an eligible family member to utilize the programs authorized under 13 FAM 601.2, the appropriate office (listed below) must have approved the onward assignment and notified the covered member of the Service in writing of the member's assignment.
|
State |
Office of Career Development and Assignments (GTM/CDA) |
|
Agriculture |
Director, HRD/FSA; Assistant Deputy Administrator, International Services (APHIS) |
|
Commerce |
Human Resources Manager, Office of Foreign Service Human Resources |
|
USAID |
Division Chiefs for the Personnel Operations Division (M/HR/POD) and the Executive Management Staff (M/HR/EM) |
b. In addition, the following offices (as appropriate) must be notified of the onward assignment.
|
State |
FSI |
|
Agriculture |
Director, Personnel Division, APHIS |
|
USAID |
(M/HR/TE) |
13 FAM 601.2-5(B) Language Training at Nongovernment Institutions
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/Commerce/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
a. For language training to be sponsored at a nongovernment institution (for State, as authorized under 13 FAM 601.2-4, for reasons that the family member is unable to attend U.S. Government-sponsored language programs; for Commerce, see Foreign Service Personnel Manual; and for USAID, see Automated Directives Systems, ADS 438), a family member must:
(1) Live outside of the Washington, DC area; or
(2) Be unable to attend a U.S. Government language training institution because of family duties, illness or disability, employment, or a program of formal study.
b. The inability of the U.S. Government to schedule classes at FSI or elsewhere to meet the convenience of an eligible family member does not constitute inability of that family member to attend, if language training can be provided by the U.S. Government in a timely fashion before the family member must leave for the post abroad.
c. Training under this section is subject to availability of funds.
13 FAM 601.2-6 LIMITATIONS
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
The following limitations are placed on eligibility for grants or other compensations under section 705 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4025), as amended:
(1) No grants may exceed the amount actually expended for necessary costs incurred in conjunction with such attendance;
(2) If appropriate U.S. Government-sponsored language training is available and the family member, although able to do so, chooses not to participate, the family member is not eligible for the same training elsewhere at U.S. Government expense;
(3) A family member is eligible for language training abroad only if the member of the Service is being assigned from one post abroad to another (with a different primary or primary-alternate language) without opportunity for training in Washington, DC.
13 FAM 601.2-7 APPLICATION PROCEDURES
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
In addition to the appropriate application form, an eligible family member wishing compensation for training should provide an explanation of inability to attend U.S. Government-sponsored training. The application must be received at least three weeks prior to the scheduled start of the training and be approved (before training starts) by the authorizing official, or designee, in each agency.
13 FAM 601.2-8 Criteria for Payment
13 FAM 601.2-8(A) Reimbursement for Tuition Costs of a Language Program at a Public or Private Institution
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(State, USAID, and Agriculture only)
(Foreign Service Employees)
a. Reimbursement for participation of an eligible family member in language training is contingent upon submission of Form JF-54 with Parts A and B completed, together with receipts for actual expenditures, to FSI for State, M/HR/TE for USAID, or the Director, HRD/FSA for the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), as appropriate. Approval for reimbursement is subject to the availability of funds.
b. (State, USAID, and Agriculture only) Reimbursement for tuition will be based on the amounts quoted by commercial suppliers of language training services to private, business, and U.S. Government customers. The Director of FSI or designee for State; the Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA/M/HR) or designee for USAID; or the Director, HRD/FSA for FAS, as appropriate, determines at the time Form JF-53 (for USAID, see Automated Directives Systems, ADS 438) is submitted for approval whether the training cost quoted by the prospective supplier of training is reasonable. Applications may be rejected if, in the opinion of those officials, the costs of training at a public or private institution appear excessive.
c. Reimbursements for language training provided at a public institution may not be for more than 720 hours of instruction in preparation for any one assignment abroad.
d. It is the policy of State, USAID, and Agriculture to provide reimbursement for dependent care for eligible family members while they are receiving training at a public or private institution on the same basis as if they were in training provided by the U.S. Government at FSI or otherwise.
13 FAM 601.2-8(B) Taxability of Grant Payments
(CT:TPD-1; 09-18-2019)
(Uniform State/Agriculture/USAID)
(Foreign Service Employees)
Individuals receiving grants for reimbursement for tuition costs of nongovernment-sponsored language training are advised that Federal, State, and other U.S. jurisdictions may consider such payments as taxable income. If payments are subject to Federal taxes, the agency concerned will report such payments to the Internal Revenue Service. Individuals receiving grants and/or reimbursements under this section are personally responsible for verifying State and local taxability.