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Office of Allowances

Frequently Asked Questions
Transitional Separate Maintenance Allowance (TSMA)


QUESTIONS

TSMA AFTER END OF AN EVACUATION 

1. Q: My family and I were evacuated six months ago and I have been leasing a furnished apartment in a high rise building. I'd like to move to a rental house that is less expensive. Can I do this and still receive Transitional Separate Maintenance Allowance (TSMA)?

2. Q:  Even after my family moves, they will have a lot of extraordinary expenses (like furniture rental) until they receive the full Household Effects (HHE) shipment. When will my TSMA payments stop?

3. Q:  Even if my spouse or domestic partner, who is still at post, ships some of our HHE right away; it will still probably take more than 60 days to get here. How do I extend the TSMA to 90 days?

 
 
7. Q:  How do you know when my "complete" HHE has arrived?
 
 
 
 
TSMA IN CONNECTION WITH AN UNACCOMPANIED TOUR
 

TSMA ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19-RELATED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

TSMA AFTER END OF AN EVACUATION 

1.Q: My family and I were evacuated six months ago and I have been leasing a furnished apartment in a high rise building. I'd like to move to a rental house that is less expensive. Can I do this and still receive Transitional Separate Maintenance Allowance (TSMA)?

A: Yes, you and your family can move to a less expensive commercially-leased rental house as long as it is a "transition" residence prior to occupying your permanent residence. If this move to the less expensive rental house is intended to be your permanent residence, then you will not be eligible for TSMA but only eligible for the "regular" Voluntary or Involuntary SMA rates in the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) section 267.1.

2. Q:  Even after my family moves, they will have a lot of extraordinary expenses (like furniture rental) until they receive the full Household Effects (HHE) shipment. When will my TSMA payments stop?

A: If this residence is considered temporary ("transitional") and commercially-leased, then TSMA payments may be paid for up to 60 calendar days awaiting your full HHE shipment.

3. Q:  Even if my spouse or domestic partner, who is still at post, ships some of our HHE right away; it will still probably take more than 60 days to get here. How do I extend the TSMA to 90 days?

A: The employee at post should submit an SF-1190 to the appropriate agency official ahead of the end of the initial 60 day period to request an extension of TSMA payments for the additional 30 days.

One example of extreme or unusual circumstances is that the employee has made every effort to get the full HHE shipment to the family but the full shipment has not been delivered due to restrictions or difficulties beyond the employee's control.

4. Q: Are the TSMA amounts different for days 61 through 90?

A: Yes, the TSMA rates for days 61 through 90 are $58 for 1 or 2 eligible family members and $68 for 3 or more eligible family members.

5. Q: Is TSMA taxable?

A: No. TSMA is considered the same as SMA which is not subject to federal or state income taxes.

6. Q: What if I get some of our furniture from storage and also have some of our HHE shipped. Would I still be eligible for TSMA after I get the items from storage, but until the HHE arrives?

A: If you are still in temporary commercial lodging, you are eligible for TSMA for up to 60 days or until your "full" HHE is delivered.

7. Q: How do you know when my "complete" HHE has arrived?

A: The employee should notify the appropriate agency official to inform them of the date the family received the "complete" or "full" HHE. TSMA must terminate on the date the full HHE is delivered to the family.

 Please note that the USG is not responsible to move an HHE shipment from a temporary residence to the subsequent (permanent) residence, therefore, it would be good to coordinate delivery of HHE to a permanent residence.

8. Q: Is TSMA paid automatically once it commences?

A: Yes. Once an employee has submitted an SF-1190 and it has been processed, payments commence via the payroll process and continue automatically until the employee notifies the appropriate bureau or agency official to terminate the allowance.

9. Q: Once TSMA is terminated, what are my options?

A: You must apply for voluntary or involuntary SMA depending on why TSMA was authorized by completing the SF-1190 and submitting it to the appropriate agency.  The current voluntary and involuntary SMA amounts may be found in DSSR 267.

10. Q: Is there anything else available following termination of TSMA?

A: For your school age children (grades K through 12), according to DSSR 276.23, the employee may be able to request the applicable "away from post"education allowance [for the employee's post of assignment] for his/her child in lieu of involuntary SMA. If the child is in the United States, no away from post education allowance is available if there is a parent (natural, adoptive, step) also resident in the U.S. or on voluntary SMA.  Depending on why TSMA was approved, family members may be eligible for involuntary SMA. 

11. Q: What if my family is at an alternate approved foreign safehaven at the end of the evacuation. Can I get TSMA for my family members in the foreign area?

A: If your family members are occupying temporary commercial quarters then they are eligible to receive TSMA.

 However, if they are in non-commercial quarters they are not eligible for TSMA. If they are not eligible for TSMA, they may be eligible for either voluntary SMA, involuntary SMA or away from post education allowance (see Q&A 9 and 10 for details).

12. Q: Can you give me examples of non-commercial quarters?

A: Non-commercial quarters are considered private residences such as living with family, friends or others in a location which is not commercially leased or rented.

13. Q: I understand you're not supposed to receive regular SMA unless you will be in that status for at least 90 days. I expect my spouse or domestic partner to be reassigned in a month or so. Am I still eligible for TSMA?

A: Your family is eligible for TSMA as long as they are in temporary commercial lodging.

However, if the employee is going to be transferred shortly to the U.S., you may wish to weigh the immediate benefit of TSMA versus the subsistence expense portion of the Home Service Transfer Allowance for family and employee once the employee gets back to the U.S.

If TSMA is used, the family will not be eligible for HSTA "unless official transportation was authorized permitting those family members to join the employee at the new post of assignment in the U.S." (DSSR 252.8).
 
14. Q: I'm here in the U.S. on transfer orders from my former foreign post, where my family members were with me, to an unaccompanied post. They are at the eventual ISMA location searching for permanent quarters and I intend to apply for involuntary SMA for them. My orders are for transfer via home leave and training here. Can I get transitional SMA to help with the cost of my family's temporary commercial lodging while I'm still here? Or must I be at my onward post before that can happen?  

A: With transfer orders in hand for an unaccompanied tour, you can be granted transitional SMA for your family members' stay in temporary commercial lodging at their SMA location before your arrival at your onward post. While here in the U.S., you may apply in advance for involuntary SMA on their behalf as well, but that SMA is not payable until you depart for your onward post.

15. Q: Referencing 20 STATE 58606, paragraph 6, First Situation, following TSMA if they do not want to go back to post citing quarantine/testing restrictions they feel are unacceptable for their families, as well as limited flight options can then choose Involuntary SMA (ISMA)?  

A: If post is accompanied status and the EFMs/dependents are allowed to go back to post but choose not to, this is a personal choice and would not be ISMA. It would be Voluntary SMA (VSMA) using the exception at DSSR 264.2b. The provision at DSSR 264.2b states that if they have return transportation to post following the evacuation the employee could apply for this VSMA as long as it’s not within the employee’s last 90 days at post. This would not count as the one change of option in a tour of duty. Employees need to make sure that the return transportation authorization has not expired.

 16. Q: What if after First Situation TSMA the EFMs/dependents decide they will not return to post for the duration of the employee’s tour of duty (TOD)? Would they activate the one change of option in the TOD? What if it’s within the employee’s last 90 days at post?  

A: If the EFMs/dependents decide they will not return to post for the duration of the employee’s tour of duty then this request for VSMA would be the one change of option in a TOD if that has not already been used and if it’s not within the employee’s last 90 days at post. It will be rare, but if the EFMs/dependents had already used their one change of option in a TOD they do not have the choice of VSMA for the duration of the TOD. If there are more than 90 days left in the employee’s TOD then in this situation they would need to return to post or would be left without VSMA. If they are within the employee’s last 90 days at post then this could possibly be early return of EFMs/dependents and commence the subsistence expense portion of the Home Service Transfer Allowance (HSTA) if the employee’s next post of assignment is in the U.S. .

 17. Q: Referencing 20 STATE 58606, paragraph 7, Second Situation, after having been on this TSMA and the EFMs/dependents are finally allowed to go to post, does this TSMA count as their one change of option in the tour of duty (TOD) as it would under Voluntary SMA? Are the EFMs/dependents now ineligible to opt to depart post during the tour and take up normal VSMA away from post?  

A: Under the Second Situation the EFMs/dependents would travel to post under the employee’s PCS orders. TSMA does not include the one change of option provision as does VSMA. Once the EFMs/dependents arrive at the foreign post they cannot make a change to VSMA in the first or last 90 days at post.

 18. Q: Referencing 20 STATE 58606, paragraph 8, Third Situation, after having been on this TSMA and the EFMs/dependents are finally allowed to go to post, does this TSMA count as their one change of option in the tour of duty (TOD) as it would under Voluntary SMA? Are the EFMs/dependents now ineligible to opt to depart post during the tour and take up normal VSMA away from post?  

A: Under the Third Situation the EFMs/dependents would travel to post under the employee’s PCS orders. TSMA does not include the one change of option provision as does VSMA. Once the family members arrive at the foreign post they cannot make a change to VSMA in the first or last 90 days at post.

 19. Q: What is allowed for the following situation: An evacuated US Direct Hire (USDH) is currently on temporary duty (TDY) orders and will be extended on TDY after their evacuation status has been terminated. The USDH’s EFMs/dependents are not co-located with the USDH, but are choosing to delay return to post, following termination of the evacuation order, until USDH TDY orders are terminated and family can travel together.  

A: The USDH will remain on TDY. The EFMs/dependents will not be eligible for TSMA, due to the fact they are choosing to delay return to post. The EFMs/dependents may be eligible for VSMA per DSSR 264.2b EXCEPTION described in FAQ #15 above.

 20. Q: What is allowed for the following situation: An evacuated USDH is currently on TDY orders and will be extended on TDY after their evacuation status has been terminated. The USDH EFMs/dependents are co-located with the USDH, and are choosing to delay return to post, following termination of the evacuation order, until USDH TDY orders are terminated and family can travel together.  

A: The USDH will remain on TDY. The EFMs/dependents will not be eligible for TSMA, due to the fact they are choosing to delay return to post. The EFMs/dependents will not be eligible for VSMA, as they are co-located with the USDH and lodging is being provided via the USDH TDY orders.

 21. Q: What is allowed for the following situation: An evacuated USDH is currently on TDY orders and will be extended on TDY after their evacuation status has been terminated. The USDH EFMs/dependents are not co-located with the USDH, but are not allowed to return to post, following termination of the evacuation order.  

A: The USDH will remain on TDY. EFMs/dependents will be eligible for TSMA per the 20 STATE 58606, as they are not co-located and are prevented from returning to post.

 22. Q: What is allowed for the following situation: An evacuated USDH is currently on TDY orders and will be extended on TDY after their evacuation status has been terminated. The USDH EFMs/dependents are co-located with the USDH, but are not allowed to return to post, following termination of the evacuation order.?  

A: The USDH will remain on TDY. EFMs/dependents will not be eligible for TSMA or VSMA, as they are co-located with the USDH and lodging is being provided via the USDH TDY orders.