DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DeCAH 50-6 HEADQUARTERS DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY Fort Lee. VA September 1, Personnel & Training

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1 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DeCAH 50-6 HEADQUARTERS DEFENSE COMMISSARY AGENCY Fort Lee. VA September 1, 1998 Personnel & Tranng CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK BY ORDER OF THE DIRECTOR DONNA J. WILLIS Executve Assstant For Support RALPH R. TATE Chef. Safety, Securty, and Admnstraton AUTHORITY: Ths handbook s establshed n complance wth provsons of DoD Drectve Defense Commssary Agency (DeCA), November 1990, MANAGEMENT CONTROLS: Ths handbook does not contan Management Control provsons that are subject to evaluaton, testng, and other requrements of DeCAD 70-2 and as specfed by the Federal Manager's Fnancal Integrty Act. APPLICABILITY: Ths handbook apples to all Defense Commssary Agency (DeCA) cvlan employees. HOW TO SUPPLEMENT: Ths handbook may not be supplemented. However, any recommended revsons may be submtted to DeCA/DP for consderaton. HOW TO ORDER COPIES: Actvtes needng addtonal copes wll submt requrements on DeCA Form 3021 to Regon. Regons wll consoldate requrements and order per publshed schedule. SUMMARY: Ths handbook outlnes DeCA cvlan employee benefts, prvleges, and responsbltes. It s desgned to be gven to each new cvlan employee as part of ther ntal job orentaton for retenton as a reference throughout ther perod of employment. OFFICE OF PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY (OPR): HQ DeCA/DPC COORDINATORS: Regons/FOAs/HQ Drectors & Offce Chefs DISTRIBUTION: E and servcng cvlan personnel offces

2 Table of Contents Preface... Focus... PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES...1 EMPLOYMENT WITH DECA...1 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS...5 EMPLOYEE PAY...7 LEAVE AND HOLIDAYS...11 WORK SCHEDULE...16 CAREER DEVELOPMENT...17 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL...20 DISCIPLINE...21 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, RIGHTS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES...22 INSURANCE...22 RETIREMENT...24 SAVINGS OPTIONS...25 LABOR RIGHTS AND ORGANIZATIONS...26 HEALTH, SAFETY, AND SECURITY...27 ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF CONDUCT...29 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS...33 SPECIAL ISSUES...34 COMMUNICATIONS...35 EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS...36 INCENTIVE AWARDS PROGRAM...36 SUGGESTION PROGRAM...37

3 Preface Preface Welcome to the Defense Commssary Agency. DeCA s an equal opportunty employer commtted to selectng the most qualfed person for the avalable poston wthout dscrmnaton of any knd. Havng been selected as the best applcant for your poston, you are about to embark on an exctng and mportant work experence. Before you begn, you need some basc nformaton that wll help you adjust to your new poston. Ths handbook was created for that purpose. Ths handbook s desgned to help you learn about your benefts, prvleges, and responsbltes as a DeCA employee. It wll answer many questons about your new employment. You may contact your supervsor or personnel offce f you have addtonal questons about any topcs covered. Many DeCA actvtes are represented by elected labor organzatons and have negotated labor agreements n effect. Should ths handbook contan any provson that conflcts wth a labor agreement, the labor agreement wll take precedence. Ths handbook s organzed nto four major sectons: 1. Personnel Polces and Procedures 2. Employee Benefts, Rghts, and Responsbltes 3. Communcatons 4. Employee Programs Ths handbook contans a table of contents to help you quckly locate nformaton. An nformaton worksheet for you to fll n wth mportant nformaton specfc to your job ste s also ncluded at the back of the book. You should revew ths handbook as soon as possble and keep t n a place where you can refer to t as questons come up durng your employment. For further detals on any topc n ths handbook, contact your supervsor or the approprate personnel offce.

4 Focus Focus The followng extracts from DeCA's Strategc Plan are provded to gve you an understandng of the Agency's focus, to nclude ts msson, vson, and values. Managers and employees all play an mportant role n ensurng that these ntatves are upheld as day-to-day operatons are completed. MISSION STATEMENT To operate an effcent and cost-effectve commssary system to provde a non-pay beneft whch mproves the qualty of lfe of our patrons and enhances mltary readness and the retenton of qualty personnel. VISION STATEMENT Dedcated professonals provdng the marketplace of choce. CORE VALUES We value people who demonstrate ntegrty, candor, common sense, and mutual respect. We expect teamwork, loyalty, hard work, and commtment to the goals set by the Agency. We strve for a workplace where empowered people acheve excellence n an envronment that fosters prudent rsk-takng, a sense of urgency, accountablty, and trust n each other. CUSTOMER BILL OF RIGHTS Our customers have the rght to expect: Professonal, courteous servce A clean, pleasant store Fresh, hgh-qualty merchandse Well-stocked shelves The best possble prces Quck, effcent check-out EMPLOYEE BILL OF RIGHTS Our employees have the rght to: Far and equal treatment Challenge work processes wth new deas Express ther vews and have them farly consdered Expect a commtment to qualty Put qualty frst Feel true prde n ther workmanshp

5 Employment wth DeCA EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENTS PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES In DeCA, an employee s hred by an appontment. Appontments can be permanent, temporary, or term. In addton to the type of appontment, your employment s categorzed based on your scheduled work hours and the duraton of your employment; these are summarzed n the table below. Crtera Varable Descrpton scheduled full-tme Regularly scheduled work of at least 40 hours per week work hours duraton of employment part-tme Regularly scheduled work of 16 to 32 hours per week (permanent) part-tme Regularly scheduled work up to 39 hours per week (temporary) ntermttent Work that cannot be regularly scheduled and s sporadc and unpredctable n nature permanent Work that s ndefnte; there are two knds: career-condtonal appontments and career appontments temporary Work s temporary n nature and s for up to a year; appontment may be termnated at any tme; employees cannot be promoted or transferred term Work projected to last more than one year but less than four years; employees can be promoted/reassgned to other postons wthn the project for whch they were hred Permanent Appontments There are two knds of permanent appontments: career condtonal appontments and career appontments. A career condtonal appontment s usually made when an employee s selected compettvely from a lst of elgble applcants. A career condtonal appontment leads to a career appontment after three years of contnuous servce (780 days for employees on ntermttent work schedules). After completon of a one-year probatonary perod, a career condtonal apponted employee may not be dsmssed wthout evdence of msconduct, delnquency, or neffcency on the job. If you are servng on a career condtonal appontment or a career appontment, you have permanent status as a Federal Government employee and the assocated rghts and prvleges. There are also a varety of other appontng authortes that may be used to hre employees throughout DeCA. One frequently used appontng authorty s the Veterans Readjustment Appontment; ths s an excepted appontment. There are also dfferent appontng authortes that exst to facltate the hrng of employees n overseas locatons. 1

6 BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH APPOINTMENTS Your elgblty for benefts wll vary dependng on your appontment. The followng table outlnes the benefts assocated wth appontments found n DeCA. Each beneft s descrbed n more detal n the Employee Benefts, Rghts, and Responsbltes secton of ths handbook. Appontment/ Work Schedule Health Elgblty for Employee Benefts Lfe Ins. Benefts Soc. Sec. Retrement Wthngrade Increase Leave Holday FT Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes Permanent PT Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes 2 Int. No No Yes Yes 1 Yes No No Temporary FT PT No 3 No No Yes No 4 /Yes Yes Yes No 3 No No Yes No 4 /Yes Yes Yes 2 Int. No No No Yes No 4 /Yes No No FT Yes Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes Term Veterans Readjustment PT Yes Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes 2 Int. No No No Yes Yes No No FT Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes PT Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 Yes Yes Yes 2 Int. No No No 5 / Yes 1 Yes No No Yes 1 Apples to an employee hred after 12/31/83. 2 A part-tme employee receves holday pay only for holdays that fall on scheduled workdays. 3 The employee becomes elgble to enroll after one year of current, contnuous temporary employment. 4 A temporary General Schedule (GS) employee does not receve wthn-grade ncreases. A temporary Wage Grade (WG) employee does receve wthn-grade ncreases. 5 An employee wth an ntermttent work schedule s excluded from coverage untl he or she s converted to a permanent appontment. PROBATIONARY PERIOD If your appontment has a probatonary perod, the length of the probatonary perod s shown n tem 45 of your Notfcaton of Personnel Acton. The probatonary perod s an on-the-job evaluaton perod durng whch your supervsor wll work wth you to ensure that you can perform the job. If your performance or conduct s unsatsfactory, you may be dsmssed from DeCA. If your conduct and performance are satsfactory, you wll contnue beyond your probatonary perod. After ths perod, you 2

7 stll may be dsmssed, suspended, or demoted, but only for unacceptable performance or conduct. In such a case, you wll be gven wrtten notce and have the opportunty to respond to the charges. OFFICIAL PERSONNEL FOLDER (OPF) Your servcng cvlan personnel offce mantans an OPF that contans records of your cvl servce employment. Upon request, you or your supervsor may revew your OPF. You should perodcally revew your OPF to ensure the contents are accurate. Your OPF contans nformaton such as 0 ntal applcaton documents changes n grade, salary, or ttle awards tranng completed DeCA IDENTIFICATION (ID) CARDS Durng your frst week of employment you wll be ssued an ID card. Ths ID card wll allow you to get onto your nstallaton. Protect your ID card from beng lost or stolen. If somethng happens to your card, notfy your supervsor mmedately. Msuse of your ID card to obtan unauthorzed prvleges or advantages may result n dscplnary acton aganst you. OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT To be employed outsde of your DeCA job or to be self-employed, you need to consder whether such employment may conflct or appear to conflct wth your dutes n your DeCA job. Your nvolvement wth such employment must not reflect poorly on DeCA or the Federal Government, nor may t affect your mental or physcal capacty to perform your DeCA dutes and responsbltes. If you beleve your outsde employment may cause a conflct of nterest, you must receve pror approval from your supervsor. DeCA employees n nonmanagement postons who wsh to work as a vendor stocker, contract stocker, contract custodal worker, or merchandser n the same store n whch they perform duty for DeCA must obtan pror permsson from ther Commssary Offcer, Regon and the Offce of the General Counsel. Ths permsson must be n wrtng. Management personnel may not hold down off-duty jobs n ther own store. No DeCA employee may work as a bagger. RESIGNATION/TRANSFER If you decde to leave DeCA, gve your supervsor as much advance notce as possble (at least two weeks notce s preferred). Before leavng, return all ssued property to your supervsor. It you are leavng government servce, provde your supervsor a wrtten statement gvng the effectve date of your resgnaton and the reason for leavng. Dependng on the type and duraton of your appontment, you may be pad for all unused annual leave accrued through your last full pay perod. If you are renstated, your sck leave wll be credted to your leave account unless the sck leave was forfeted upon reemployment n the Federal Government before December 2,

8 If you are transferrng to another government agency, you don't need to resgn. However, you do need to notfy your supervsor as soon as you have accepted another job. The date of release from your DeCA job should be arranged by your servcng CPO. Your annual and sck leave balances wll be transferred to your new agency. CONTRACTOR, CONCESSION, AND VENDOR EMPLOYEES If you work n a commssary, you wll work wth people who are NOT DeCA/federal employees0the people who stock the grocery shelves, the baggers, the people who demonstrate food products, and the del and bakery workers. These people do not have to follow the same rules and regulatons you do; therefore, you must be aware of and follow DeCA's rules, regulatons, polces, and procedures. Don't hestate to ask your supervsor for gudance. 4

9 Equal Employment Opportunty Programs It s the objectve of the Federal Government to have a workforce that s representatve of the naton's dverse cultures. Equal employment opportunty (EEO) programs provde equal access to jobs, tranng, awards, and promotons. EEO laws prohbt dscrmnaton n employment on the bass of race, color, natonal orgn, relgon, sex, age (over 40 years), or mental or physcal dsablty. It s also unlawful for a manager or supervsor to take retalatory acton because of an employee's partcpaton n the complant process. Affrmatve Acton Programs are desgned to remedy the effects of past dscrmnaton aganst specfc groups. DeCA has an Equal Employment Opportunty Program to allevate any exstng manfest mbalance or conspcuous absence of mnortes and women. The program ncludes an Affrmatve Acton Recrutment Program to ensure applcant pools are representatve of the cultural dversty of our country Specal Emphass Programs (enttled the Federal Women's Program, Hspanc Employment Program, Black Employment Program, Program for People wth Dsabltes, Asan/Pacfc Islander Employment and Amercan Indan/Alaskan Natve Employment Program) establshed to 0 ensure the full use of employee abltes 0 ensure reasonable accommodaton for qualfed persons wth dsabltes 0 ensure the mplementaton of EEO/Affrmatve Acton polces 0 provde tranng and advancement opportuntes 0 assst n recrutment, hrng, retenton, and career counselng LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES An employee n a leadershp poston s 0 responsble for provdng equal opportunty n employment responsble for ensurng that dscrmnatory practces do not exst n defned work areas accountable for subordnates' dscrmnatory actons of whch the supervsor was aware or should have been aware EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES A hghly traned and developed work force ncludes people wth dsabltes. DeCA's Affrmatve Acton Program to employ people wth dsabltes emphaszes that persons wth dsabltes must receve full and far consderaton for employment n all grade levels and occupatons. Every manager and supervsor should make a good fath effort to do ther far share to help DeCA acheve the DoD's 2.0 percent goal. 5

10 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES Complants of dscrmnaton should be made frst to an EEO counselor. If the complant cannot be resolved nformally, you have the rght to fle a formal complant. Contact your EEO counselor for more nformaton on these procedures. In most nstances DeCA has an Inter-Servce Support Agreement wth the host nstallaton EEO offce to provde EEO counselng, It an employee has dffculty obtanng EEO counselng or needs addtonal nformaton regardng EEO, he/she should contact hs/her regon headquarters EEO manager. SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION PROGRAM It s DeCA's polcy that all DeCA facltes wll be managed so that you can perform your dutes n an envronment that s free of sexually harassng behavor. The Sexual Harassment Preventon Program s ntended to nform all DeCA employees of DeCA's polcy. Sexual harassment means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physcal conduct of a sexual nature when: submsson to such conduct s made ether explctly or mplctly a term or condton of employment, or submsson to or rejecton of such conduct by an ndvdual s used as the bass for employment decsons affectng such ndvduals, or such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably nterferng wth an ndvdual's work performance or creatng an ntmdatng, hostle, or offensve workng envronment. Any person who makes delberate or repeated unwelcome verbal comments, gestures, or physcal contact of a sexual nature s engagng n sexual harassment. It s DeCA's frm polcy that sexual harassment s unacceptable behavor and wll not be condoned or tolerated n any way. It s recommended that you take the followng steps f you feel that you are a vctm of sexually harassng behavor by another employee: 1. Notfy the harasser that the behavor s unwelcome. 2. Report the ncdent to your supervsor. It your supervsor s nvolved, contact the next hgher level supervsor n your chan of command, or you may contact the Regon EEO Manager, EEO Counselor, or the Inspector General. 3. Meet wth your EEO Counselor for precomplant counselng wthn 45 days of the date that you become aware of the harassment (requred by law before a complant s fled). The EEO counselor wll explan your optons. 6

11 Employee Pay Two basc systems are used for salary scales or wage rates. They are General Schedule (GS) postons (GS-1, GS-7, GM-1 3, etc.) and Federal Wage System (WS) postons (WS-5, WL-5, WG-5, etc.). Your pay depends prmarly on your poston's grade n one of these systems. GENERAL SCHEDULE POSITIONS The General Schedule covers postons wth professonal, admnstratve, and clercal responsbltes. Wthn each GS grade, there are 10 steps. Ordnarly, a new employee n ths system s pad at the mnmum rate for hs or her grade, or Step One. If you have prevous federal servce, you may begn at a hgher step. FEDERAL WAGE SYSTEM POSITIONS The Federal Wage System (WS), often referred to as the wage board system, covers trade and craft postons. Wage grade pay s based on the prevalng hourly rates pad by prvate ndustry for the same knd of work n the same localty or wage area. There are fve steps wthn each grade. GENERAL PAY INCREASES Generally, cost-of-lvng pay ncreases are "legslated" by Congress to ncrease your pay to the natonal cost of lvng and are applcable to the GS employees only. WITHIN-GRADE PAY INCREASES A wthn-grade ncrease (step ncrease) s an ncrease n pay wthn your current poston and grade. See the elgblty table (pages 2 and 3) to determne f you are elgble based upon the type of appontment and pay schedule. A wthn-grade ncrease s not an "automatc" pay ncrease. You are gven a wthn-grade pay ncrease when you meet the followng three requrements: Your supervsor determnes that your performance s satsfactory. Your present pay s below the maxmum for the grade. You have completed your watng perod (see the followng table). 7

12 Step to be Reached Watng Perods for Wthn-Grade Pay Increases GS Employees WG, WL, & WS Employees (Permanent) Full- tme Part- Tme Intermt- tent Full- Tme Part- tme Intermt- tent Step 2 52 weeks* 52 weeks* 260 days 26 weeks* 26 weeks* 130 days Step 3 52 weeks* 52 weeks* 260 days 78 weeks* 78 weeks* 380 days Step 4 52 weeks* 52 weeks* 260 days 104 weeks* 104 weeks* 520 days Step weeks* 104 weeks. 520 days 104 weeks* 104 weeks* 520 days Step weeks* weeks* days Step weeks* weeks* days Step weeks* weeks* days Step weeks* weeks* days Step weeks* weeks* days * Weeks are calendar weeks. PREMIUM PAY Premum pay s addtonal compensaton beyond the basc rate of pay that an employee s enttled to receve for such stuatons as overtme work, work at nght, and work on Sundays or holdays. Ths secton provdes, an overvew of premum pay; however, t s not all-nclusve and you should understand that there may be varables assocated wth the premum pay enttlements, dependng on dfferent crcumstances. When workng n the U.S., a federal employee's enttlement to premum pay s governed by two dfferent laws: Ttle 5, U.S. Code, Chapter 55; and Ttle 29, U.S. Code, Chapter 8 (usually called the Far Labor Standards Act [FLSA]). U.S. employees are categorzed as ether exempt or nonexempt from the provsons of the FLSA. Employees who are exempt from FLSA are enttled to premum pay under condtons defned n Ttle 5. Employees who are nonexempt from FLSA may be enttled to premum pay under provsons of the FLSA or under Ttle 5, whchever offers them the greater enttlement. (The FLSA does not apply to employees statoned overseas unless the employee s on temporary duty to the U.S.) Overtme pay s approprate when an employee s requred to work ether n excess of eght hours n a day or n excess of 40 hours n a week. It s DeCA's polcy that employees who work n excess of eght hours n a day or 40 hours n a week wll be approprately compensated for such work. Therefore, t s mportant that employees not work n excess of eght hours n a day or 40 hours n a workweek unless they have the advance approval of ther supervsor. Overtme pay calculatons are as follows: 8

13 A. For FLSA exempt postons, the overtme rate for each GS employee whose rate of basc pay does not exceed the mnmum rate for GS-1 0 s 1.5 tmes hs or her hourly rate of basc pay. For FLSA exempt GS employees whose rate of basc pay exceeds the mnmum rate for GS10, the overtme rate s 1.5 tmes the hourly rate of basc pay at the mnmum rate for GS-1 0. B. For FLSA nonexempt GS employees, the overtme rate s 1.5 tmes ther regular rate of pay. C. For WG employees, the overtme rate s generally 1.5 tmes the hourly rate of pay. D. At the request of the employee, compensatory tme off may be granted to an employee nstead of overtme payment for rregular or occasonal overtme. The compensatory tme oft wll be granted n an amount equal to the amount of rregular or occasonal overtme worked. E. Irregular or occasonal overtme work performed by an employee on a day when work was not regularly scheduled or for whch the employee was requred to return to the place of employment shall be consdered to be at least two hours n duraton for the purpose of overtme pay regardless of whether the employee performs work for two hours. Nght pay s dfferent for General Schedule (GS) and Federal Wage System (FWS;.e., WS, WL, WG) employees. GS employees receve nght pay for regularly scheduled hours worked after 6:00 p.m. and before 6:00 a.m. The compensaton for GS employees s 10% of the rate of pay. FWS employees receve nght pay only when the majorty of ther regularly assgned shft falls n the nght-pay perod. FWS employees who work from 3:00 p.m. to mdnght are compensated at 7.5% of the rate of pay; FWS employees who work from 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. are compensated at 10% the rate of pay. Holday pay s pad to both GS and FWS employees f they are requred to work on a holday. The compensaton s twce the basc rate of pay for the hours worked, up to a maxmum of eght hours. Any hours worked n excess of eght hours are pad at the regular overtme rate. Sunday pay s pad when a full-tme employee s requred to work on Sunday at the rate of 1.25 tmes the basc rate of pay for each hour of Sunday work, up to a maxmum of eght hours. Hours worked n excess of eght hours are pad at the regular overtme rate. Employees who work part-tme or ntermttent work schedules are not enttled to Sunday pay. PAY DEDUCTIONS Two types of deductons-mandatory and optonal-are taken from your paycheck. Mandatory deductons nclude: Federal ncome tax Medcare tax State and local taxes Lfe nsurance (unless waved) Basc retrement deducton and Socal Securty (t not a partcpant n CSRS) 9

14 Optonal deductons are ntated at your request f elgblty requrements are met and may nclude any of the followng: Health nsurance Labor organzaton dues Chartable contrbutons Allotments to savngs accounts or credt unon Thrft Savngs Plan U.S. Savngs Bonds purchase Your earnngs statement documents these deductons and should be carefully revewed. You should report any changes n wthholdngs for tax purposes (e.g., martal status or number of dependents) to the personnel off ce. WAGE ASSIGNMENTS AND GARNISHES If your wages are legally garnshed, a b-weekly deducton wll be made from your pay untl your debt s resolved. For more nformaton about garnshments or chld care payments, consult your satellte or servcng CPO. PAYMENT You wll be pad every two weeks through the Defense Fnance and Accountng System (DFAS). You wll receve your frst paycheck approxmately one month after your frst day on the job. You are requred to have your paycheck deposted drectly nto your bank or credt unon account. EARNINGS STATEMENT Every pay perod you wll receve an Earnngs Statement. Ths s a record that you should check carefully and retan wth your employment records. Annual and sck leave balances, premum pay, and deductons are reflected on ths statement. Report any errors n your deducton amounts or sudden or unexplaned changes n pay to the servcng CPO. 10

15 Leave and Holdays You are expected to be at work durng your establshed work hours unless you have permsson to be absent. Permsson to be absent from work s called "leave." The types of leave are descrbed below. SICK LEAVE Sck leave covers tme lost because of llness and medcal appontments, It s an employee beneft that s defned by law and regulaton and/or n the barganng unt agreement, t applcable. You must use your sck leave properly by notfyng your supervsor as early as possble (or wthn two hours after the start of your tour of duty) t you are too sck to report for work. If you are suspected of abusng sck leave, you may be asked to provde documentaton to support these absences. Sck leave s earned as follows: A full-tme employee earns four hours per pay perod for a total of 13 days per year. A part-tme employee earns sck leave n proporton to the hours worked. There s no lmt to the amount of sck leave you may carry forward from year to year. Sck leave s an mportant beneft that should be judcously used for ts ntended purpose. Its wse use can help assure that you contnue to receve pay durng extended perods of llness. Unused amounts of sck leave are credtable for retrement computatons for the tme perod for whch employees are covered by CSRS and can serve to ncrease the amount of the retrement annuty. For more nformaton about retrement credt, contact your servcng CPO. FAMILY FRIENDLY LEAVE ACT Full-tme employees may use up to 104 hours (13 days) of sck leave each leave year to care for a famly member or to arrange for or attend a funeral of a famly member. Full-tme employees may use up to 40 hours (5 day of sck leave for these purposes wthout regard to ther current sck leave balances. An addtonal 64 hours (8 days) may be used t the employee mantans a balance of at least 80 hours of sck leave n hs or her sck leave account. A part-tme employee's use of ths type leave upon the average number of hours n hs or her regularly scheduled work week. ANNUAL LEAVE Annual leave s typcally used for vacatons, personal busness, or emergency reasons. You must have your supervsor's approval to use annual leave. Annual leave accrues as follows: Full-tme employees earn annual leave accordng to ther length of servce as follows: Years of Servce less than more than 15 Hours Earned per Pay Perod 4 6 (10 hours the last pay perod) Days Earned per Year

16 Part-tme employees earn annual leave n proporton to ther length of servce and workng hours. Years of Servce Less than more than 15 Number of hours n pay status to earn one hour annual leave Employees forfet accrued leave of more than 240 hours (30 days) durng a leave year (.e., "Use t or lose t."). Exceptons to ths are that employees wth overseas cvlan servce may carry over 360 hours and that employees workng at nstallatons affected by Base Realgnment and Closure (BRAC) may carry over an unlmted number of hours of annual leave. VOLUNTARY LEAVE PROGRAM Ths program allows employees to donate annual leave to other employees who have medcal emergences and who have exhausted all ther own leave. To become a donor or leave recpent you should contact your local servcng personnel actvty for addtonal nformaton. ADVANCE OF LEAVE Employees who have exhausted ther annual or sck leave accounts may request advances of such leave. The advanced leave may be authorzed for up to 30 days n ether account. Advances of leave place you n a negatve leave balance, and subsequent leave accruals wll be used to repay your leave account. Requests for advance leave should be submtted to your mmedate supervsor for revew and approval. Approval of a request for advance leave wll depend upon such factors as the agency's work load, the employee's leave record and the expectaton that you wll return to duty and accrue suffcent leave to repay the leave debt. COURT LEAVE If you are offcally summoned for a judcal proceedng that wll requre you absence from work, notfy your supervsor mmedately. In some crcumstances you may be granted court leave to perform the dutes. You or your supervsor should contact the servcng satellte offce to determne duty status and/or requrements to pay fees receved and to nqure about requred documentaton. If your absence s to serve as a wtness for a prvate party, you may be granted annual leave or leave wthout pay, but not court leave. LEAVE WITHOUT PAY Leave wthout pay (LWOP) s an approved absence n a nonpay status, whch you may request. The approval of LWOP s at the dscreton of your supervsor. LWOP s typcally used and approved n the followng crcumstances: 12

17 A dsabled veteran who s enttled to LWOP, f necessary, for medcal treatment (under Executve Order 5396) A mltary reservst or a member of the Natonal Guard who s enttled, to LWOP, f necessary, to perform mltary tranng dutes A DeCA employee currently collectng worker's compensaton benefts A DeCA employee ncapactated due to llness or njury and no other leave s avalable leave A permanent employee who s the spouse of a transferrng actve duty member of the mltary. In such a case, you should submt a SF-52, Request for Personnel Acton, to your supervsor requestng LWOP to accompany your mltary sponsor. A copy of the mltary sponsor's PCS orders must be attached to the SF-52. EXCUSED ABSENCE Under some crcumstances, supervsors may excuse you wthout chargng you for leave or loss of pay. Employees under the followng crcumstances may be granted excused leave: Permanent change of duty staton Volunteerng as blood donors (may not receve compensaton and wll be excused for up to four hours) Obtanng emergency treatment for an njury on the job Havng a medcal examnaton f requred to determne ftness for duty" Attendng professonal meetngs that beneft DeCA and have a drect relatonshp to offcal assgnments Employment ntervew Counselng Votng THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT Under the Famly and Medcal Leave Act, f you have at least 12 months of servce and are n a permanent full-tme or permanent part-tme poston, you are enttled to 12 work weeks of unpad leave durng any 12-month perod for one or more of the followng reasons: Brth of a chld and care of a newborn (wthn one year after brth) Adopton of a chld or foster care recpent (wthn one year after placement) Care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent wth a serous health condton 13

18 Serous health condton that renders you unable to perform the dutes of your poston You may use any accrued annual or sck leave, as approprate, for any part of the 12-week perod. You must notfy your supervsor of your ntent to take leave. You may be requred to provde medcal documentaton. If you take leave for these reasons, you are enttled to return to the same or equvalent poston wthout loss of benefts, pay, status, or other condtons of employment. MILITARY DUTY LEAVE If you are a member of the mltary reserve, you may be granted mltary leave for up to 15 calendar days each calendar year whle absent on actve duty. However, you are not elgble for mltary leave for the followng types of servce: Summer tranng as a member of Reserve Offcers Tranng Corps Temporary Coast Guard Reserve State Natonal Guard Parades Tranng for a State defense organzaton or State mltary organzaton that s not part of the Natonal Guard (or any other organzaton created by the State) when the State Natonal Guard s absent durng an emergency Cvl Ar Patrol Tme taken on a workday to travel to a tranng ste unless mltary tranng orders encompass the perod of travel tme requred If you are a temporary or part-tme employee, absence for mltary tranng duty wll be charged to annual leave. Addtonally, f you have a permanent or ndefnte appontment and are a member of a reserve component or of the Natonal Guard, you may be granted mltary leave for up to 22 workdays n a calendar year to provde mltary ad to enforce the law. 14

19 HOLIDAYS The followng 10 days are pad holdays for DeCA employees: Holday Date New Year's Day January 1 Martn Luther Kng's Brthday Thrd Monday n January Presdent's Day Thrd Monday n February Memoral Day Last Monday n May Independence Day July 4 Labor Day Frst Monday n September Columbus Day Second Monday n October Veteran's Day November 11 Thanksgvng Fourth Thursday n November Chrstmas Day December 25 15

20 Work Schedule WORK HOURS Employees on full-tme schedules work 40 hours per week. Specfc days, hours, and shfts vary by work stes. Check wth your supervsor for specfcs on lunch and other types of breaks. Part-tme schedules may be from 16 to 32 hours per week and work schedules are provded pror to the workweek. Temporary part-tme employees may be scheduled to work up to 39 hours per week. Intermttent work schedules requre rregular numbers of hours of work, and there are no prearranged schedules. TIMEKEEPING You are expected to be on tme and have good attendance. Take your lunch and breaks when assgned to make sure there s coverage n each department. If you wll be unavodably late for work, let your supervsor know. There s an offcal Tme and Attendance Record kept that wll record the tme you arrve, work, and depart each day. Ask your supervsor who keeps t at your work ste. ATTENDANCE When you wll be absent because of llness or for other legtmate reasons, notfy your supervsor pror to your absence so that arrangements can be made to cover your dutes. Your supervsor wll nform you of procedures for reportng your absence. Your supervsor may take dscplnary acton aganst you for repeated, unexplaned, or unwarranted absences or tardness. 16

21 Career Development ADVANCEMENT AND REASSIGNMENT Once you have been n your new job for a perod of tme, you may wonder how you can be promoted or assgned to another poston. There are several avenues avalable. If you are nterested n advancement, you may want to dscuss your desres wth your supervsor. JOB VACANCIES Job vacancy announcements are openly posted n each DeCA locaton (except for commssary management, GS seres postons). You may apply for any job for whch you are nterested by submttng your paperwork to the approprate personnel offce by the announcement deadlne. Job announcements are not usually posted for postons covered by the Commssary Career Program (commssary management, GS seres postons). DeCA mantans a centralzed referral nventory of canddates to fll commssary management postons. Canddates apply by submttng a Commssary Career Program (CCP) regstraton package to HQ DeCA, Drectorate of Human Resources Management. PROMOTIONS, POLICIES, AND PROCEDURES In general, f you are promoted from one GS poston to another, you are enttled to pay that s equvalent to a two-step ncrease of your former grade. To be elgble for promoton, you must meet any tme-n-grade (TIG) requrements, as well as general and/or specalzed experence requrements. TIG apples to you f you currently hold a GS poston or have held a GS poston durng the last 52 weeks. Wage system employees are not subject to TIG requrements. TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) To be promoted to a hgher grade, employees must meet certan regulatory tme-n-grade requrements. TIG requrements are summarzed below. Your servcng CPO representatve can advse you about TIG requrements as they pertan to your stuaton. Canddates may be advanced wthout tme restrcton to postons up to GS-5 f the poston to be flled s no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held wthn the precedng 52 weeks under hs or her latest nontemporary, compettve appontment. For clercal and admnstratve support postons at the GS-6 through GS11, you must usually serve one year n the next lower grade (example: must hold a GS-6 for one year to meet TIG requrements for promoton to GS-7). To meet TIG requrements for admnstratve, management, and professonal postons, GS-6 through GS-11, you must serve one year n the second lower grade (example: must hold a GS-7 poston for one year to qualfy for GS-9). To meet TIG requrements for any poston at the GS-12 grade level or above, you must serve one year n the next lower grade (example: must hold a GS-12 for one year to meet TIG requrements for promoton to GS-13). 17

22 GENERAL AND/OR SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS In addton to meetng TIG for promoton, f requred, all canddates must meet the general and/or specalzed experence requrements for a partcular poston. The specfc type of experence requred usually dffers for each vacancy. Also, n some nstances, certan types of educaton may be substtuted for the general or specalzed experence. The vacancy announcement for a poston wll outlne the type of general or specalzed experence requred. It wll also nclude nformaton regardng the substtuton of educaton. REASSIGNMENTS If DeCA management determnes there s a need, you may be reassgned wthout makng an applcaton for a specfc job. Reassgnments are movements of employees on permanent appontments at the same grade level from one poston to another and may be at dfferent duty locatons. Reassgnments may be management-drected or ntated by the employee. Wth management-drected reassgnments, DeCA tres to consder the career development and preferences of ts employees. There may be occasons where DeCA's needs requre that you accept an assgnment that s not your frst choce. If you desre a reassgnment for reasons such as career development, you should talk to your supervsor. You ntate the request for reassgnment, subject to management approval. MERIT PROMOTIONS All permanent promotons and temporary promotons expected to last for more than 120 days are made n accordance wth mert promoton procedures. These procedures do not guarantee that you wll be promoted, but they do ensure that you receve consderaton for hgher level jobs for whch you are nterested and elgble. Mert promoton opportuntes for vacances are advertsed through Job Opportunty Announcements (JOAs), except those covered by the Commssary Career Program (CCP). Each JOA summarzes the dutes of the postons and specfes the qualfcaton requrements and procedures for applyng. Vacances covered by the CCP are not usually announced. (Some unque or new postons may be announced from tme to tme.) To fll commssary management vacances, HO DeCA mantans a centralzed nventory of canddates for consderaton. Employees regster by completng the Commssary Career Program Regstraton package, DeCA Form 50-26, Parts A, B, and C. Part B of the regstraton allows regstrants to ndcate the job categores and locatons where they desre consderaton. As vacances occur, regstrants are automatcally consdered for the postons for whch they qualfy and at the locatons they have chosen. Regstrants should ndcate all locatons where they are truly nterested n employment so that they do not mss any opportuntes. See your supervsor to request the CCP regstraton package. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT DeCA wants to help you meet your career goals. The development "tools" avalable to help you work wth your supervsor on developng and meetng your goals are descrbed below. 18

23 OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING PLAN (OTP) An OTP descrbes the knowledge, sklls, and abltes (KSAs) requred to perform the dutes of your job and other jobs n your occupatonal famly. Your occupatonal famly ncludes your job and other related jobs above and below n the career path. An OTP also dentfes the tranng actvtes necessary to help you progress from one job to another and s used by your supervsor n preparng your Indvdual Development Plan (IDP). INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (IDP) An IDP wll be completed jontly by you and your supervsor. The IDP wll dentfy tranng requred for an orderly progresson n your career feld. You wll receve more nformaton from your supervsor about your IDR TRAINING RESOURCES You may receve many knds of tranng as a DeCA employee. Some of the tranng wll be mandatory, and other tranng wll be avalable to help you mprove job performance and advance your career. Tranng wll be avalable through HQ DeCA, your Regon offce, and locally through your work ste. Your supervsor or desgnated Actvty Tranng Coordnator can tell you more about avalable tranng. DD FORM 1556 The DD Form 1556 s completed when requestng tranng, obtanng authorzaton for tranng, documentng tranng, and ensurng that tranng s reported upon completon. You wll complete the DD Form 1556 for any formal, classroom tranng you attend that requres you to leave your job for any length of tme. Your Actvty Tranng Coordnator wll help you complete ths form. TUITION ASSISTANCE DeCA may provde tuton assstance for job/career-related courses taken through a state-accredted nsttuton of hgher learnng. However, federal law prohbts DeCA from provdng tuton assstance for the sole purpose of obtanng an academc degree. For more nformaton on the avalablty of tuton assstance, ask your supervsor or Actvty Tranng Coordnator. 19

24 Performance Apprasal At the begnnng of each apprasal perod, you wll develop your performance plan n cooperaton wth your supervsor usng the DeCA Form The plan dentfes the performance elements and standards for your job. Your performance apprasal wll be based upon ths performance plan. Performance apprasals are used to 0 strengthen supervsor-employee relatonshps mprove ndvdual performance dentfy and nform employees of work elements and standards recognze employee accomplshments correct work defcences dentfy tranng needs justfy personnel actons such as pay ncreases, promotons, awards, demotons, and removals CIVILIAN PERFORMANCE PLANS For each apprasal perod, you wll dscuss your job standards and expectatons wth your supervsor. After revew, you wll sgn the performance plan (DeCA Form 50-3) to show that you acknowledge your job standards and expectatons. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL All DeCA employees receve performance apprasals on an annual bass for the ratng perod of July 1 through June 30. The annual performance apprasal s completed on DeCA Form Your supervsor wll dscuss your performance wth you durng a mdyear revew sesson so that you have an ndcaton of whether you are performng satsfactorly. Your supervsor can provde more nformaton about performance apprasal procedures. 20

25 Dscplne In the workplace, dscplne can be thought of n two parts. The frst part nvolves establshng clear and far rules by whch you can work. The second part nvolves makng sure that everyone follows the rules that are establshed. Acton wll be taken aganst any employee who volates the rules. If you have any questons, ask your supervsor about the rules. Your supervsor should 0 know the rules strve to prevent stuatons requrng dscplnary actons keep you nformed of establshed rules evaluate all the facts about an ncdent before takng acton mpose penaltes to correct offenses DISCIPLINARY INFRACTIONS Just as t s your supervsor's responsblty to nform you of the rules, t s your responsblty to follow these rules. A dscplnary nfracton s any acton you take that breaks the establshed rules. DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS Should you or another employee commt a dscplnary nfracton, your supervsor may take dscplnary acton. A standard table of penaltes exsts that serves as a gude for mposng dscplnary actons. In order of severty (from least to most), the possble dscplnary actons are: Oral admonshment Letter of counselng/warnng Wrtten reprmand Suspenson Demoton Dsmssal Dependng on the acton taken, you may be able to appeal and/or greve n response to the dscplnary acton. It you have any questons, contact your satellte personnel representatve or unon/barganng unt representatve, f applcable. 21

26 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, RIGHTS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES Insurance HEALTH BENEFITS If you are a permanent DeCA employee, you are elgble to enroll n the Federal Employee's Health Benefts Program (FEHBP). Temporary employees whose appontments have been extended beyond one year may enroll n the FEHBP (f ther appontments are extended wthout a break n servce of more than fve days). Temporares pay the full prce for health care coverage. The followng facts apply to all avalable plans: The plans do not requre medcal examnatons or watng perods, and age or physcal condton restrctons do not apply. You choose whether you want to partcpate n the health program. The amount you contrbute depends, on the prce of the plan you choose. The Government contrbutes to the cost of your plan; your contrbuton s made through payroll deductons. A permanent part-tme employee s elgble for partcpaton n the program, but the Government's contrbuton to the cost of the plan s proportonal to the hours worked. You have 31 days from the date you become elgble (date of appontment) to enroll n a health plan. You wll be gven a form and descrptons of the varous plans from whch you can choose. You may not change your plan untl the next "open season" (whch occurs once a year) or f your status changes (e.g., marrage, brth of a chld, or dvorce). You may enroll yourself and/or your famly. The defnton of famly s: "Your spouse, and n nearly every case, your unmarred chldren under the age of 22. Unmarred chldren more than 22 years of age may also be ncluded f they are not capable of supportng themselves due to a dsablty whch began before the age of 22." Health benefts law prohbts ncludng your parent or other relatves, even f they lve wth you and are dependent upon you. If you enroll your famly, the benefts for survvng members wll contnue after your death provded you had fve or more years of cvlan servce and they receve survvor annutes. Survvng members may cancel ther enrollment at any tme, but as long as they contnue, the Government wll pay part of the cost. Your famly's share of the cost wll be deducted from ther survvor's annutes. You should jon the health program at your frst opportunty f you want to contnue your enrollment after you retre. Your benefts wll contnue nto retrement f you meet the followng two crtera: You retre on an mmedate annuty after completng fve years of servce, ncludng mltary servce, or you retre on dsablty. You have been n the program from the tme of your frst opportunty to enroll or for the fve years of servce mmedately before you retre. 22

27 If you leave the Government, you wll have a 31-day coverage extenson durng whch tme you may convert your group enrollment to an ndvdual plan. You wll have to pay the entre cost for the ndvdual plan. LIFE INSURANCE All permanent employees may partcpate n the Federal Employees' Group Lfe Insurance Program (FEGLI). It offers low rates and the convenence of payment through payroll deductons. FEGLI offers protecton aganst loss due to death or accdental dsmemberment. It also extends coverage to the death of your spouse or dependent chld. Enrollment n FEGLI s automatc, but partcpaton s voluntary. You are automatcally enrolled unless you sgn a waver. FEGLI provdes basc lfe coverage and three optonal coverages. Basc Lfe. The base accdental death and dsmemberment coverage wth the basc lfe plan s equal to the greater of the followng: annual basc pay, rounded to the next $1,000, plus $2,000 or $10,000. The amount of basc lfe nsurance doubles f you are under age 35. Ths extra beneft decreases by 10 percent each year untl age 45 when the extra beneft ceases. You pay two-thrds of the total cost of the nsurance, and the Government pays one-thrd. Opton A (Standard). Ths opton ncludes $10,000 lfe nsurance coverage and $10,000 accdental death and dsmemberment coverage. You pay the total cost, whch s based on your age. Opton B (Addtonal). You may purchase addtonal lfe nsurance coverage equal to one, two, three, four, or fve tmes your annual basc pay. You pay the total cost. Opton C (Famly). $5,000 coverage for your spouse and $2,500 coverage for your chld (or chldren) less than 22 years of age or who are ncapable of self-support s avalable to you. You pay the total cost. FEGLI does not buld cash or loan value. FEGLI coverage, except accdental death or dsmemberment, may be carred nto retrement f you meet the requrements for contnuaton; most benefts, however, are reduced or elmnated after age

28 Retrement There are two retrement systems: the Federal Employees Retrement System (FERS) for Federal employees hred on or after January 1, 1984; and the Cvl Servce Retrement System (CSRS) for Federal employees hred before January 1, FERS EMPLOYEES Under FERS there are three sources of retrement ncome: FERS annuty that s based on your number of years of servce and your three years of hghest earnngs. Proceeds from Socal Securty benefts. Proceeds from any Thrft Savngs Plan contrbutons and matchng Government funds (lump sum or annuty). These may be transferred to an ndvdual retrement account (IRA). CSRS EMPLOYEES The followng provsons apply to employees under CSRS: A payroll deducton of 7 percent s allowed. Annuty payments are based only on the number of years of servce and your three years of hghest earnngs. Pror mltary servce may be credtable towards CSRS computatons. If you have such servce, contact your servcng personnel off ce for addtonal nformaton and advce. 24

29 Savngs Optons FEDERAL CREDIT UNIONS All DeCA employees may become members of a Federal Credt Unon. You become a member and save your money by buyng shares n the credt unon. You also may borrow money subject to approval of a loan applcaton. The nterest on loans provdes the funds for the credt unon's operatng expenses. When the credt unon declares a dvdend, you beneft based on the number of shares you own. U.S. SAVINGS BONDS A savngs bond drve s held annually to help you develop a savngs program that ncludes U.S. Savngs Bonds. Durng ths drve, a representatve from your work ste wll contact you about the program. However, you may begn an allotment at any tme. It you are nterested n begnnng an allotment, contact your supervsor or CPO representatve for nstructons. THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN The Thrft Savngs Plan s avalable to employees who are covered by ether retrement system. For FERS employees: The Government wll match your contrbutons up to 5 percent. You get a choce of nvestment funds. These savngs are tax-deferred. For CSRS Employees: The Government wll not match your contrbutons. You get a choce of nvestment funds. These savngs are tax-deferred. 25