CA/AEFMs: SOP 134F5

BUREAU OF GLOBAL TALENT MANAGEMENT
OFFICE OF TALENT ACQUISITION

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES NOTICE NO. 134F5

This SOP replaces and supersedes SOP 134F43 dated 03/18/2022 and all previous versions of 134F.

SUBJECT: Salary Standards for Foreign Service Consular Affairs Appointment Eligible Family Members effective October 15, 2024.

PURPOSE: To provide procedures for determining the entry-level salary for Foreign Service Consular Affairs Appointment Eligible Family Members (CA/AEFMs) in accordance with 3 FAM 8216.

AUTHORITY: 22 USC 3964 and Section 404 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 authorize the Secretary to assign all Foreign Service personnel “to appropriate salary classes in the Foreign Service Schedule.”

FAM 3121.1 governs Foreign Service salary assignments

3 FAM 8216 governs salary assignments for Foreign Service Consular Affairs Appointment Eligible Family Members.

PROCEDURES: The Office of Intake, Planning, and Onboarding (IPO) is responsible for determining the entrylevel salary (grade and step) offered to a candidate, based on the candidate’s qualifying experience, education, and current salary and using the guidelines in 3 FAM 8210 and the GTM/OE Family Member Employment Policy guidebook, except as indicated below. Salary review/appeal procedures are covered by Salary Review Procedure SOP 134D5.

Determination of Entry-level Grade and Step

A candidate’s grade and step determination are based on the combination of their level of education and their years of qualifying professional experience (QPE), as provided in the chart below:

For the relevant education level and range of qualifying professional experience, one step above the minimum is added for each year of qualifying experience above the minimum, up to the maximum within the range indicated above. For example, a bachelor’s degree plus nine years of qualifying experience receives FP-5, Step 10.

Education:

To be considered, all degrees must be from accredited institutions, education completed in foreign institution may be used to meet Federal job requirements if the candidate can show that the foreign education is comparable to education received in the United States. A bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree, received from an accredited institution after the IPO has sent an offer of employment, but before the candidate has been sworn in as a CA/AEFM will be credited for grade and salary determination upon submission of evidence of the degree to the IPO.

Calculation of Qualifying Professional Experience (QPE):

An additional step may be granted for each year of qualifying professional experience, calculated up to the effective date of the Appointment offer (i.e., class start date). Regardless of the nature of work performed, the number of positions held, hours worked, or employment status (including self-employment), no more than 40 hours of qualifying professional experience will be credited for anyone-week period. Part-time work will be prorated. When totaling a candidate’s qualifying professional experience, no credit is given for periods of less than one year (e.g., four years and eleven months of experience is credited as four years).

For the purposes of this SOP, qualifying professional experience refers to work in a field that requires a bachelor’s degree or higher. Experience in clerical, wage-grade positions, or other roles that do not require a bachelor’s degree will not be considered qualifying. Qualifying professional experience involves the application of specialized knowledge, acquired through a bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field conferred from an accredited academic institution. Recognized fields include, but are not limited to, journalism, social sciences, business management, project management, marketing, economics, political science, law, engineering, computer science, healthcare, teaching, or natural sciences. Volunteer work may be credited if it meets the definition of qualifying professional experience.

Military Service:

All relevant military experience, whether as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer, can be considered qualifying professional experience if it aligns with the job requirements of the position.

Training:

Credit towards salary calculation for periods of qualifying training can be included if the candidate received full salary during the training. Any training considered as QPE cannot also be counted in another part of the calculation, such as educational credit.

Internships:

Credit towards salary calculation for an internship can be applied if the internship is:

a. Involved work that would be considered qualifying professional experience, as defined above.

b. Was not part of an academic requirement (e.g., the internship was neither required nor part of an advanced degree program).

In computing salary level, any internship considered as QPE cannot also be counted in another part of the calculation, such as educational credit.

Salary Matching Considerations:

The Executive Order 14035 titled “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce” was signed into law on June 25, 2021. The order prohibits the use of an applicant’s non -federal salary history to set pay for a federal employee. To adhere to this order and OPM’s ruling of “Advancing Pay Equity in Governmentwide Pay Systems”, salary matching will not be considered for CA-AEFM candidates who do not have federal salary history.

For candidates who do have federal salary history, once the candidate’s grade and step are determined based on education and QPE, IPO will compare the candidate’s “current federal salary history” (defined below) with the base salary at the projected grade and step. If the candidate’s current salary is higher than the projected grade and step salary provided in the Foreign Service “Base” Salary Schedule, the candidate’s starting salary will be raised to the closest step within the grade for which they are qualified, without being less than their current salary. If the current salary exceeds step 14 of the qualified grade, then the step 14 of that grade will remain the starting salary. The salary rate is then set at that grade and step as provided in the Foreign Service “Overseas Comparability Pay” Salary Schedule. For the purposes of this SOP, “current federal salary” means base salary earned for at least 90 days prior to appointment as a Foreign Service Consular Affairs Appointment Eligible Family Member (CA/AEFM) candidate. Candidates must submit a copy of their SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for the most recent promotion, general adjustment, or within-grade increase, and/or other appropriate personnel documentation.

For candidates with current federal employment, only the base salary will be considered for salary matching. Locality pay or other special differentials will not be considered part of “current salary.” The highest federal base salary held for at least 90 days may be considered for salary matching regardless of how long ago the position was held.

Candidates who are current federal government civilian direct-hire permanent or career employees risk a termination of benefits if there is a break in service of more than three calendar days between their current federal employment and their date of appointment to the Foreign Service (in accordance with government-wide regulations).

Salary Offer Response Deadline:

You will have 10 calendar days to accept, decline, or appeal the salary offered.

Because CA/AEFMs may enter on duty before arriving at post, CA, as the hiring Bureau, will confirm whether funds are available.