MY DEAR ADMIRAL HILLENKOETTER:

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-05844A000100160033-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 12, 2002
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: March 10, 1948
• Content Type: LETTER

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COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
WASHINGTON 25
B-72680 March l0, 1948
Director ,
Central Intelligence Agency.
My dear Admiral Hillenkoetter:
Reference is made to your letter of January 7, 19LC, as follows: -
"It has come to ray attention that there is some doubt in the
mind's.of this Agency's Finance officials and Authorized Certifying
Officers with respect to the proper amounts of quarters and cost of
living allowances to be paid at classified posts under the provisions
of Bureau of the Budget Circular 111c. A-6, Revised. The question
currently involved relates specifically to payments which should be
made to married employees.
It has been our understanding that the increased allowances at
classified posts are payable to married employees (regardless of
whether or not the wife resides at the post) or unmarried employees
with families at their foreign posts, with only the basic allowances
payable to single employees without families at the posts. Accordingly;
a married employee has automatically been granted the increased allow-
ances for both 4uarters and Cost of hiving without taking into con-
sideration whether or not his wife lives with hire at the post. Of
course, an employee who is not responsible for the support of a wife,
because of death, divorce, or other appropriate reasons, has been paid-
only the basic allowances unless inembers of his family were present.
It has now been brought to our attention that it may be proper to pay
married employees the increased allowances on1 if their wives or mere
bers of their families are living with them.
"To support the interpretation heretofore followed by this office
attention is invited to Appendix II, Circular No. A-s, Revised, which
sets forth the quarters allowances payable under the various Post
classifications. The increased 'allowances authorized by this ap-pendi:x'
are payable to employees who are 'married, or unmarried-with family',
and the basic allowances are payable to employees who are 'single,
without family' . Circular No. A-8 Revised, stipulates that ' faml_y'
means the mother, father, children, stepchildren or sister of a marri.:e
or unmarried employee livin; with the employee at the foreign post.
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B-72680
mention of a wife. It is also to be noted that the cost ox wing
Allowance schedules provide for allowances for personnel "Wit 'h
Dependents' and "Nithout Dependents'. Further, Standard Form 1069
It is of primary importance to note that the definition omits any
employee is not entitled to the increased allowance, because his wife-
does not live with him, neither of the qucted certifications will pro-
vide the necessary information. The pertinent instructions seem to
indicate that a married man who does not have his wife residing with
him is entitled to the increased allowances.
have living with me at the above-mentioned post or station, ch ldrer
stepchildren, mother, father or sister' and 'I am unmarried and have
no children, stepchildren, :pother, gather or sister living with me at
the above-mentioned post or station'. It appears that if a married
cations appear o, she face of the form and are to be checkett y__the
-
properly certified and presented for payment. The following certifi-
a statement to that effect on the lace of the form. before it could bey
nave Ills w1:Le living with him at his ?~oreign post would have to add
H.ev., Voucher for Allowances at Foreign Poses of Duty, which has
been prescribed for use in the payment of quarters and cost of
living; allowances, is so devised that a married employee who does not
''it it assumed that a dependent husband would take the same stat ,s_
for allowance purposes as a wife. Your decision of April 3, 1947
(B-63L711.) to I,r. W. H. Rohrrnan, Authorized Certifying Officer, Depart-
,cant of Agriculture, has been noted.
"it brill be appreciated if you will render a decision in this
matter at the earliest possible date. If you should rule that a
married employee must have his wife at his foreign post of duty in
order to be entitled to the increased allowances (in the absence of
other members of his family) this office will immediately alter its
payment procedure in those few cases affected. In the event of such
a ruling, it is requested that because of the terminology contained
in Bureau of the Budget Circular No. A-U, Revised, this Agency be re-
lieved of the responsibility of collecting payments which may not have
been made in accordance with your conclusion."
,he referred-to Bureau of the Budget Circular No. A-0 defines the.....
word "' L'araily " as meaning the mother, father, children, stepchildren oy .
sister of an employee Y'living with the employee at the foreign post,t'
and specifically states (see paragraphs 4 and 13 therein) that the
quarters and cost of living allowances prescribed in appendices II and
I:I] thereof are based upon the "family status" of an employee, as
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B-72680
defined above. It has been informally ascertained from the Bureau of
the Budget that the word fl ife" was inadvertently omitted from the
definition of "family" in said circular and that the increased allow
ances for a "married" employee in appendix it and for an employee "with
dependents" in appendix III were established for an employee who had
a wife, mother, father, children, stepchildren, or sister living with
him at his foreign post of duty.
Since it appears that the quarters allowances are authorized to
be paid in order to compensate an employee for expenses incurred by
him for quarters at his foreign post of duty because of the fact that
he is not provided free rent, heat, fuel, and light in Governm:_it
owned or rented buildings, and that the cost of living allowance is
payable in order to equalize the difference between costs at the
foreign post and Washington, D. C., of subsistence, services,
commodities, and other living expenses, except quarters (including
heat,, fuel, and light), the increased allowances for a married employee
may be regarded as payable to such an employee only if his wife or
other!, dependents be living with him at his foreign post of duty. See
27 Comp. Gen. 121, and 26 Comp. Gen. 731.
As the meaning of the-regulation appears confusing by reason of
the fact that the wor4 "waifs.&' wa omitted from the definitior of
nfy" the crcua, you are advised that no question will be
raised in the audit sw th,respect to payments heretofore made on the