Military Spouses Who Telework Get Boost from Defense-State Agreement
The Biden Administration is making easier for military spouses to continue to work for the federal government while their spouse is stationed overseas.
The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of State signed a permanent memorandum of agreement (MOA) to strengthen the Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas (DETO) program, which allows domestic-based federal workers to work remotely from an overseas location for a limited duration.
It’s part of the administration’s push to make it easier for military spouses to obtain and keep federal employment and supports President Biden’s executive order on the issue.
The MOA was signed at a White House ceremony led by First Lady Jill Biden, who has been an advocate for helping military families.
“A critical part of the Executive Order is allowing military spouses who work for the federal government to take those jobs with them if they have to PCS overseas. With today’s agreement, we’re making that a reality,” said Mrs. Biden, who also runs the Joining Forces initiative to support military families.
Signing the MOA were Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma.
"Allowing more spouses the ability to keep their federal jobs and telework strengthens economic security and quality of life for our Service members and their families, and enhances readiness and retention for our all-volunteer force,” said Deputy Secretary Hicks.
Agreement Details
The agreement, which builds upon an interim arrangement dating to July 2022, speeds up the timeline for State Department approval of the overseas telework by giving DoD more responsibility.
Under the MOA, DoD will be responsible for determining whether the foreign residence from which the employee will be working is safe and secure.
DoD will provide security services that are normally carried out by officers at U.S. embassies and consulates like emergency planning and incident response.
It also eliminates a separate State Department inspection of military housing.
“This provision is expected to greatly streamline the approval process and avoid delays that, in the past, often resulted in military spouses facing a difficult choice whether to forgo continued federal employment or endure lengthy family separation,” DoD said in a news release.
This is part of broader the moves the administration has made to help military spouses find and keep federal employment. Military spouses face a twenty-one percent (21%) unemployment rate, which has barely moved over the last decade.
Other moves increasing agencies promotion of military spouse hiring authority on USAJOBs, establishing a Fast-Track Action Committee to review data on military spouse hiring, reducing childcare costs for military families, and launching an entrepreneurship training course for military spouses.
More than 16,000 military, veteran, and surviving spouses work for the federal government.
