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Benefits

Every career at the CIA is a rewarding one. In addition to serving your country with the certainty that your work makes a difference, the CIA offers a comprehensive benefits package to reflect the dedication and contributions of our employees.

WORK LIFE BALANCE

  • 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.

    Years of ServiceHours/Pay PeriodDays/Year
    Less than 3 4 13
    3 but less than 15 6 20
    15 or more 8 26

    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 has 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 to 13 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.

  • Medical Leave Bank
  • Voluntary membership in this program allows employees to maintain a paid leave status during periods of extended personal or family medical emergencies and incapacitation preceding or following childbirth.

  • 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, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

  • Alternative Work Schedules 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 may reimburse new appointees certain costs for personal and dependent travel expenses and shipment of household goods, not to exceed 18,000 pounds.

  • Agency Resource Groups
  • CIA is a diverse workplace, and that diversity is highlighted by its many Agency Resource Groups (ARGs). ARGs contribute to a positive and inclusive workplace where employees with different backgrounds, cultures and talents are respected and given the opportunity to succeed. ARGs are critical to the present and future effectiveness of CIA through their support and advancement of diversity and inclusion.Visit the Diversity pages to see a list of CIA's ARGs.

  • 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 WorkLife4You. For additional information about WorkLife4You, visit WorkLife4You.com. [external link disclaimer]

  • Family Advisory Board
  • The FAB provides a unique opportunity for spouses not employed by the CIA to learn more about the Agency and to play an important role in helping family members and single employees adjust to relocation. Volunteers on the FAB meet with Agency management to discuss employee and family issues and run the Neighborhood Network relocation assistance program.

  • Child Care
  • The CIA sponsors a NAEYC accredited daycare facility that accepts children who are three months old through pre-kindergarten. Referrals to other child care centers are available through WorkLife4You.com. In addition, eligible employees can participate in the child care subsidy program or take advantage of a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account.

  • Fitness and Recreation Programs
  • The CIA offers on-site fitness facilities. Through the Employee Association, access to intramural teams as well as sports and theater tickets are available to employees and their families.

  • Salary
  • 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.

  • Credit Union
  • The Credit Union is a full-service financial institution with six branches and a 24-hour PC banking program. Membership entitles employees and their families to excellent service, competitive rates, and a full range of services including:

    • Free checking, with no minimum balance, no monthly or per item fees, and interest paid on any balance
    • ATM access to Credit Union, HONOR/Star, and Cirrus Network ATMs
    • Free online banking with bill payer to make transfers, pay bills, view cancelled checks, verify account histories, and more, any time of day or night
    • Free direct deposit of your paycheck and payroll deduction options
    • Convenience services such as check cashing privileges, bank-by phone service, safe deposit boxes, traveler’s cheques, US Savings bonds, and more
    • Competitive rates on savings products and loans
    • Mortgage and Equity Loans
    • Free Auto Locating Service
    • Deposits are federally insured by the National Credit Union Association
  • Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (SLRAP)
  • The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) offers a Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program (SLRAP). The program is designed to help employees repay educational loans that were initiated prior to accepting their employment with the Agency. The program is open to CIA staff officers who have six years or less tenure with the Agency and who have active and current student loans that are not in deferment or forbearance. Employees approved for participation must sign a written Continued Service Agreement (CSA) obligating them to complete a specified period of employment with CIA. A CSA must be signed by an employee for each year that the employee participates in the program. For purposes of this program, an eligible student loan is defined as one that was initiated prior to Agency employment from one of the following: (1) Loan institutions insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, the District of Columbia government, a state or U.S. territory, or those insured or guaranteed by a bona fide educational institution attended by the employee seeking reimbursement; (2) U.S. commercial institution loans expressly and exclusively for the purpose of funding, in whole or in part, educational costs.

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.

    As a result of the Supreme Court's decision to repeal Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, health, life, dental and vision benefits are now available to married same-sex couples, regardless of the state in which they reside. The marriage must have taken place in a state where same-sex marriages are allowed. Additionally, the word spouse refers to both same sex and opposite sex marriages. Same-sex couples who are in civil unions or other forms of domestic partnership other than marriage will remain ineligible for most Federal benefits programs.

  • 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 Web site 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.

    As a result of the Supreme Court's decision to repeal Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, health, life, dental and vision benefits are now available to married same-sex couples, regardless of the state in which they reside. The marriage must have taken place in a state where same-sex marriages are allowed. Additionally, the word spouse refers to both same sex and opposite sex marriages. Same-sex couples who are in civil unions or other forms of domestic partnership other than marriage will remain ineligible for most Federal benefits programs.

    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 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), a 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 one percent and match FERS and FERS Special employee contributions up to five percent of basic salary per pay period. A vesting period applies.

    Employee contribution amounts to TSP are subject to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) elective deferral limit. Visit www.tsp.gov or 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 Plan
  • 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.

BONUS PROGRAMS

  • Foreign Language Incentive Program
  • The Central Intelligence Agency has a comprehensive Language Incentive Program that fosters the acquisition and maintenance of foreign language skills. New employees who already possess excellent language skills may be eligible for a significant hiring bonus. All employees who attain tested levels and meet the minimum proficiency requirements in a qualifying language are eligible for monetary incentives. The employee language proficiency is measured against the Intelligence Community’s Interagency Language Roundtable. For a description of each proficiency level, go to www.govtilr.org and consult the Unabridged Version of the Interagency Language Roundtable Scale.

    The CIA offers a rewarding Language Hiring Bonus Program that is comprised of three (3) distinct elements all offering advantageous opportunities:

    • Language Hiring Bonus
    • Mission Critical Language Hiring Bonus
    • Pre-Enter On Duty (EOD) Mission Critical Language Hiring Bonus

    The Language Hiring Bonus is designed to attract individuals with excellent foreign language skills. Bonuses will be paid to new employees who are hired into a language designated occupation, meet the minimum proficiency requirements in a qualifying language and who sign a continued service agreement with the CIA. The position description will state if the position is a designated occupation that may qualify for the Language Hiring Bonus. The amount of the bonus will be based on the established criteria set by the CIA. New employees can qualify for hiring bonuses in more than one language, up to $35,000 per individual.

    The Mission Critical Language Hiring Bonus is provided to new employees who possess excellent foreign language skills in a mission critical language and who meet the requirements of a Language Hiring Bonus. New employees may qualify for this hiring bonus, up to $5,000, in more than one language.

    The CIA’s Pre-Enter On Duty (EOD) Mission Critical Language Hiring Bonus is for individuals who receive a Conditional Offer of Employment for a language designated occupation; test in a mission critical language during the hiring process, meet the requirements of a Language Hiring Bonus and successfully Enter on Duty with the CIA. The amount of the bonus is based on the established criteria set forth by the CIA and will not exceed 25% of the employees salary.

    Also, the CIA’s Language Program is for all Agency employees who possess and maintain language proficiency from a qualifying list of languages. Maintaining language skills requires considerable time and effort, especially when an employee is not using the language on a regular basis, and mission requirements often limit the time employees may devote to language study during the workday. For these reasons, CIA provides biweekly language maintenance pay to encourage employees to devote personal time to language study and to take advantage of work-related opportunities to maintain their language skills. The program also includes biweekly language use payments and lump sum language achievement awards.


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Posted: May 05, 2007 12:32 PM
Last Updated: Oct 18, 2016 12:46 PM