Defense Intelligence Agency Benefits

Flexible Work Schedules
DIA offers its employees both civilian and military to participate in the alternate work schedule program. Two types of work schedules are available which consist of the Compressed work schedule and the Flexible work schedule. DIA recognizes two basic compress work schedules:

• 5-4/9 work schedule includes eight, 9-hour workdays, one 8-hour workday and one scheduled day off during the two week pay period.
• 4-10 work schedule includes four, 10-hour work day per week with one regularly scheduled day off each week of the pay period.

The Flexible work schedule consists of four types:

• Flexitour - five, 8-hour workday each week; may preselect starting and stopping times
• Gliding Schedule - five, 8-hour workday each week; may vary daily starting and stopping times and earn credit hours
• Variable day schedule - 40-hour week; may vary daily arrival and departure times and the length of workday and earn credit hours
• Variable week schedule - 80 hour biweekly pay period; may vary daily arrival and departure times, length of workday, or the workweek and earn credit hours.

DIA business hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Leave System and Holidays

Annual Leave

Annual leave provides DIA civilian employees with paid time off, a vacation for rest and relaxation and for taking care of personal business or emergencies. Annual leave is earned every two weeks determined by the length of government service (including applicable military service) as shown below:

• 0-3 years service: 4 hours per pay period or 13 days per year
• 3-15 years service: 6 hours per pay period or 20 days per year
• Over 15 years service: 8 hours per pay period or 26 days per year

All employees may accrue a maximum of 240 hours (30 work days) of annual leave which may be carried over from leave year to leave year. Annual leave in excess of 240 hours must be used during the current leave year.

Sick Leave
Sick leave may be used when an employee is unable to work due to personal illness or injury; pregnancy and childbirth or for personal medical, dental or optical examination and treatment.

Family Friendly
Family Friendly leave allows an employees to take up to 13 days of sick leave per year to provide care to a family member suffering from an injury or illness; pregnancy or childbirth, or for family member requiring medical, dental, or optical examination or treatment, or to attend the funeral of a family member.

Family Medical
Under the Family Medical and Leave Act, an employee is entitled to use a total of 12 administrative work weeks of sick leave or combination of annual leave, sick leave and leave without pay for the purpose of caring for a family member suffering from a serious health condition.

Voluntary Leave Transfer Program
The voluntary leave transfer program allows Federal employees to donate annual leave to assist other Federal employees who have personal or family medical emergency and who have exhausted their own available paid leave.

Bone Marrow/organ Donation Leave
Employees are entitled to 7 days of paid leave in a calendar year to serve as bone marrow donor and up to 30 days of paid leave as an organ donor.

Military Leave
Military leave is granted to civilian employees who are absent from duty without loss of pay or charge to annual leave to perform active or inactive duty for training as a member of one of the following services:

• Army Reserve
• Coast Guard Reserve
• Air Force Reserve
• Navy Reserve
• Marine Corps Reserve
• Army National Guard
• Air National Guard
• National Guard of the District of Columbia

Court Leave
Court leave is leave of absence from duty without loss of pay or charge to annual leave to perform one of the following:

• Jury duty in a Federal, State or municipal court
• Witness on behalf of a state or local government in an unofficial capacity
• Witness on behalf of a private party in an unofficial capacity as long as the United States, District of Columbia, State, or local government is a party to the proceedings.

Government Holidays
The following holidays are observed by the Federal Government:

• New Year's Day
• Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday
• Presidents Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veteran's Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program
The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is available to employees and their families. The FEHB offers the following benefits:

• A chance to enroll in a group health benefits plan with protection at a rate that could not be obtained on an individual plan basis
• Guaranteed protection for the employee and their family members which cannot be canceled by the health carrier
• No medical examination, waiting periods or restrictions because of age or physical condition
• A choice of plans so that employees can get the kind and amount of protection actually needed
• Easy payments through payroll deductions
• Continued protection after retirement at the same cost as an employee
• Employees must enroll in FEHB within 60 days of employment or during the open season that is conducted each year in November in which employees can enroll, change plans, etc. There are life events, (marriage or birth of child) which permit enrollment or changes in enrollment outside of the open season

Federal Group Life Insurance Program
The Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI) is also available to employees and offers low cost life insurance with the convenience of payroll deductions.

• Basic life insurance coverage is equal to your annual basic pay rounded up to the next thousand, plus $2,000. For example, if your annual salary is $15,350, round up to $16,000, then add $2000, which would equal $18,000 of coverage.
• Included is Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage in an amount equal to your Basic Life Insurance coverage at no additional cost.
• In addition to the Basic life insurance, employees can purchase the following coverage:
  • Option A - Standard: $10,000 of additional coverage plus $10,000 accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
  • Option B - Additional: coverage equal to one, two, three, four, or fives times your annual basic pay.
  • Option C - Family: $5,000 coverage for your spouse and $2,500 coverage per child with the option of electing up to 5 times the coverage for a maximum of $25,000 and $12,500.

Federal Employees Retirement System
The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is the Retirement plan for those entering Federal service under a permanent appointment. FERS benefits are portable and allow employees to take an active role in securing their future.

FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan comprise of the following components:

• The FERS Basic Benefit Plan: The plan establishes an annuity amount that is based on an employee's age, years of Federal service as of the effective retirement date, and average highest salary attained over a 3-year consecutive period. The Basic Benefit Plan also provides benefits for survivors of federal employees and retirees.
• Social Security: Benefit payments from the Social Security Fund at retirement are based on an employee's age, type of benefit applied for, earnings history, and former employment history.
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): The TSP is a tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan similar to 401(k) plans offered by private employers. An employee covered under FERS may contribute up to 12% of salary with the Federal government matching up to 7% of the employee's contributions. Employees participating in TSP are able to choose from several investment plans including government securities, common stock funds, bond index funds, small capitalization stock and international stock fund.

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