CIA Benefits As Part Of Criminal Justice Careers Job Descriptions
SALARY Of CIA Employees
The CIA offers competitive salaries. In addition to basic pay, in certain circumstances, employees can receive overtime compensation, holiday pay, night differential, Sunday premium pay, bonuses, and allowances.
WORK LIFE BALANCE OF CIA Jobs
Paid Time Off
Annual Leave
Employees accrue annual leave each leave period to be used for approved absence from work. Annual leave accrual rates are determined by an individual's total years of federal service.
Employees are allowed to carry a maximum of 30 workdays (240 hours) of accrued annual leave into the next leave year. Employees with overseas service can carry up to 360 hours, and Senior Intelligence Service Officers, up to 720 hours.
Federal Workforce Flexibility Act (FWFA) - Annual Leave Enhancements
The Central Intelligence Agency in April 2006 adopted portions of the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act of 2004. FWFA provides that a newly appointed employee's non-Federal work experience may be creditable in determining the amount of annual leave earned each biweekly pay period. Qualified non-Federal work experience (at least three years) must have been performed in a position with duties that directly relate to the position to which he or she is hired at the CIA.
Sick Leave
Employees accrue sick leave each leave period to be used for personal illness, care of sick family members, adoption, and medical appointments. Full-time employees accrue four hours of sick leave per pay period, or up to13 workdays per leave year. Unlimited hours of sick leave can be accumulated and carried over to succeeding years.
Family Friendly Leave
Full-time employees may use up to 40 hours of accrued sick leave each year for routine family care and bereavement purposes. Employees may use up to 64 additional hours (104 total) of their sick leave for family care and bereavement purposes, provided they maintain a sick leave balance of at least 80 hours. Employees may be eligible for the Leave Transfer Programs.
In addition to other paid time off, an employee may be eligible for FMLA leave. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), most Federal employees are entitled to a total of up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12 month period.
Leave Transfer Programs
The CIA participates in four leave transfer programs. Leave transfer programs allow employees experiencing extended personal or family medical emergencies to receive donated leave when their leave has been depleted.
Home Leave
Full-time employees accrue 1.25 days/month, up to 15 days per leave year, of home leave for each year of overseas service.
Holidays
CIA employees have 10 paid Federal holidays per year: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULE and HOURS
The CIA allows for flexibility in scheduling working hours and tours of duty for its employees including, but not limited to, gliding schedule, compressed week, variable day and week, flextime, part-time, and job sharing as office needs permit.
Moving Expenses
The CIA will reimburse new appointees certain costs for personal and dependent travel expenses and shipment of household goods, not to exceed 18,000 pounds. For more information about apartments and housing in the Washington Metropolitan Area, visit Apartment or Home Search.
Personal and Family Support
CIA work-life programs provide information, make referrals, and answer questions about work concerns or family situations, including child and elder care resources, emergency assistance, and counseling. Preparation for overseas assignments is available for both employees and family members.
CIA employees and their families are eligible to participate in services offered by Lifecare. For additional information about Lifecare, visit www.lifecare.com.
Dependent Scholarships
Dependents of CIA employees can apply for scholarships, direct grants and interest free loans offered through the Educational Assistance Program.
Child-care
The CIA sponsors two an NYAEC accredited daycare facilities that accept children who are three months old through pre-Kindergarten. One program also offers full-day Kindergarten. In addition, eligible employees can participate in the child-care subsidy program. Referrals to other child-care centers are available through Lifecare.
Fitness and Recreation Programs
The CIA offers on-site fitness facilities. Through the Employee Association, access to intra-mural teams as well as sports and theatre tickets are available to employees and their families.
HEALTH and WELL-BEING
Health Insurance
Federal Employees Health Benefits Plans (FEHBP): Employees can choose from the FEHBP list of fee-for-service, health savings accounts, and HMO health insurance plans that vary in costs and benefits. A comparison guide and plan brochures are available at www.opm.gov/insure.
FEHBP does not place limitations on enrollments due to pre-existing conditions; however, employees should carefully review the plans to ensure they select the best coverage for their needs. Employees may change their insurance plan each year during an open season.
Flexible Spending Plans
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a tax-favored program that allows employees to set aside pre-tax money from your paychecks to pay for a variety of eligible expenses. Employees can enroll in the Health Care Flexible Spending Account and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending account. For more information review the FSA website at www.opm.gov/insure.
Life Insurance
Through the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Program, the government offers group term life insurance at reasonable rates via payroll deductions. CIA employees have a second option for group term life insurance.
For more information about FEGLI and other life insurance visit www.opm.gov/insure.
Supplemental Insurance
Supplemental Insurance programs are also available. Payroll deducted insurance plans include Income Replacement, Group Accident, and Long Term Care. For more information about these programs, visit www.opm.gov/insure.
LONG TERM PLANNING
Education and Training
Education and training should be part of every CIA employee's career development. Employees have access to a variety of training programs. All new employees attend a basic orientation, and most receive on-the-job and formal classroom training through a wide variety of internal courses. Employees may also be sponsored for external university and professional training, both full-time and part-time, in programs that are relevant to their jobs.
The CIA has a complete library with an excellent reference service and an extensive collection of national and international newspapers and periodicals. There is a self-study center and a language school. Monetary awards are available for gaining and maintaining competence in select foreign languages.
Retirement
New employees without prior federal service are automatically covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) three-tier system consisting of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Social Security, and FERS basic benefit. Minimum retirement age under FERS is dependent on date of birth, but ranges from age 55 to 57. After completing five years of qualifying overseas service, FERS participants may be eligible to participate in the FERS CIA Special Category retirement system. FERS Special allows an employee to retire at age 50 with 20 or more years of service.
Additional information about FERS and CSRS is available at www.opm.gov/retire.
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) The TSP is a retirement savings and investment plan for Federal employees. It is one element of the FERS three-part retirement package - TSP, Social Security, and FERS basic benefit - and consists of six investment funds including stocks, bonds, government securities and a lifecycle fund. TSP participants can also borrow from their own TSP contributions and earnings. The Government will automatically contribute 1% and match FERS and FERS Special employee contributions up to 5% of basic salary per pay period. A vesting period applies.
Beginning in 2006, employee contributions to TSP will be subject only to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) elective deferral limit. Visit www.tsp.gov for additional information about TSP.
Voluntary Investment Plan
This IRS-qualified pension plan (401A) is designed to offer employees an opportunity to supplement their Social Security, retirement annuity, and Thrift Plan contributions. Participants pool their contributions to invest regularly in a tax-deferred program consisting of four investment options. There are no employer contributions.
CAREER TRANSITION PLANNING
The CIA offers an array of services to assist employees with career and transition planning, and also assists employees in making a successful transition into retirement or a second career. Services include career counseling for employees seeking a career change within or outside the CIA, resume review and distribution via an area-wide network of corporate recruiters, job leads with numerous area employers in a variety of industries and functions, as well as pre-retirement workshops.
Resources are available to spouses of new and relocating employees through the LEADS job search resource and counseling program.
These are just some of the benefits offered by a career in the CIA. Once again we remind you to check the benefits package of your prospective employer no matter which way you decide to head with your Criminal Justice Degree.