HISTORY OF PERSONAL AFFAIRS BRANCH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00314R000600200006-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 42
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 23, 2002
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: September 8, 1971
• Content Type: REPORT

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8 September 1971
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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Section I - Historical Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Section II - Major Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Overseas Medical Program . . . . . ... . . . . . 24
Bureau of Employee Compensation Claims . . . . . 27
Casualty Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Source Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
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INTRODUCTION
In 1951 the initial forerunner of the Personal Affairs Branch was
established with the purpose of centralizing the functions of the various
offices in the Agency responsible for administering the benefits
available to Agency employees. Since that time there have been exten-
sive and far-reaching organizational changes, as well as new programs
and greatly modified old ones. However, the constant philosophy of the
Branch, whatever its name or divisional placement, has been service to
the employee, especially in emergency situations.
This emergency service in the case of illness, accident, or death
to the employee or his survivors has been the vital work of PAB, and a
job that has been its continuous responsibility. That is, while PAB has
dealt with varied programs at one time or another in its history, picking
up a service or program where no other personnel branch could be as
flexible, the constant viable activities of the Branch have dealt with
personal emergencies)
/'-Vn9h.. ;YFGe#7f?ih
I resolution.
ILLEGIB
Because of the above, the history of the Branch will be dealt with in
two ways. First, a straight organizational history will be developed
including the statutes and regulations upon which the Branch is based
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with all the organizational changes that have occurred, including changes
in responsibilities, size, :Leadership, and the types of services the
Branch has administered. Secondly, to give continuity and the proper
emphasis to the Branch the major accomplishments of the Branch will be
^Dip *0
reviewe mployee emergency situation
sE=ILLEGIB
which the Branch has dedicated the greatest amount of time and effort.
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. In 1951 a Personal Relations Branch was established in each of
the two personnel divisions (overt and covert) to bring together a central
office that could deal with the administration of government and Agency
benefits to the employee. These two Branches were given authority for
handling such diverse personal problems as illness, accidents, death
cases, exit processing of separating employees, and in the case of the
Covert Branch, Missing in Action cases. This organizational change
established a central responsibility for these functions which previously
had been diffused through the Agency in the Office of General Counsel,
the Employee Relations Branch, and the Office of Finance under an old
arrangement which went back to the OSS days.
Chief of the Branch in Personnel Division (Overt), and
was Chief of the Branch in Personnel Division (Covert). 1/
These two Branches were established on the basis of charters and
regulations that the other offices had been using as their authority for
action. These regulations were the Federal Employeest Compensation
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Act, (FECA)'~, the Missing Persons Act*:, and the Casualty Program""
Also on the books, but never used, in the CIA Act of 1949 was
Public Law 110 which provided in Section 5(a)(5)(c) for payment of hos-
pitalization expenses for employees who incurred an illness or injury
while overseas on permanent assignment. The program, similar to that
provided for members of the Foreign Service of the State Department,
was explored by
and Plans Staff of the Office of Personnel. It was activated when payment
was recommended and approved by the Deputy Director for Support
(Administration at that time) for a claim submitted in May of 1953.
In two years of experience in the separate Personal Relations Branches
and with expansions and additions to the administering of employee
benefits, it became apparent there must be a focal point to coordinate the
benefit programs available to all government employees and those pro-
vided because of the particularly sensitive nature of the Agency mission.
In response to this need, the Employees Services Division was formed
1 July 1953 and was made up of Insurance and Claims Branch, Counseling
Branch, and Services Branch. Z/
The breakdown of the responsibility allotment for these three Branches
was as follows:
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Statutory Programs
1. Federal Employees Compensation Act
2. Overseas Hospitalization Program for Employees
3. Civil Service Retirement (Authorized under Civil
Service Retirement Act)
4. Missing Persons Act
Service Programs
1. War Agencies Employees Protective Association
(WAEPA Life Insurance)
2. Health Insurance for Agency employees
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Counseling Branch -
, Chief
Service Programs
1. Debt cases
2. Sensitive cases
3. Interviewing for Public Service Aid Society
4. Pre-exit and Exit Processing Program for
separating staff employees
5. Advance sick leave
6. Entrance on duty orientation for clerical and
professional employees
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Service Programs
1. Blood donor program
2. Charity drives
3. Bulletin boards
4. Recreation
5. Notary public service
6. Welfare Assistance Board
The first two years were a period of growing pains to develop policy
and procedures for all of the programs in each Branch. The most signi ILLEGIB
ficant of these policy decisions were in the area sof Overseas Medical
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In August of 1954 low cost group life insurance was provided for
most government employees, and the Insurance and Claims Branch was
given the responsibility for administering the Federal Employees' Group
Life Insurance (FEGLI).
1955 REORGANIZATION
In July of 1955, the Insurance and Claims Branch became the
Insurance and Claims Division under which fell the newly formed Casualty
Affairs Branch (CAB). The CAB had the claims functions of the old
Insurance and Claims Branch with the addition of a responsibility for the
handling of all casualty cases arising among Agency personnel. That
included the performance of the functions of the Office of Personnel as
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written in 1955 by the Branch, entitled Employee
Emergencies, which provided for notification of next of kin, notification
of appropriate Agency components, preparation of official Agency corres-
pondence, and overall responsibility for the administrative settlement of
affairs relating to the illness, injury, or death of Agency employees. A
further discussion of the type of work done by CAB in the casualty
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assistance field will be handled in the following section.
The Casualty Affairs Branch maintained responsibility for Missing
in Action cases and FEGLI along with the claims responsibility. Although
all other 1fnsurance functions were transferred to the Insurance Branch of
the Insurance and Casualty Division, FEGLI was left in CAB because it
is a statutory program and at that time the other plans were not. 4 /
The Chief and Deputy Chief of CAB wer
e spectively.
CAB provided one central focal point to which employees and their
dependents could turn at the time of greatest need, illness, injury, or
death, and obtain help and guidance in processing benefits both within as
well as outside the Agency. It was in this period the Branch improved
working procedures with the Bureau of Employees Compensation, Depart-
ment of Labor, and the Bureau of Retirement and Insurance of the Civil
Service Commission concerning some of the unique problems of the
Agency as far as security and cove concerned. Efforts along this
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line, as well as the effect of certain changes in the Overseas Medical
Program occurring at this time, will be discussed in Section II.
Affairs Branch. V he Branch had
was designated as Chief of the Casualty
p
rocessing of hundreds of claims and over 35 death cases its relation-
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ships with other Agency offices as well as other government organizations,
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Because of the continued growth of the Agency, and the increased
complexity of cover arrangements, a concerted campaign was started
to make as many Agency components as possible aware of the services
of the Branch. Briefings were given throughout the 9ffice of Security, r)d
Communications and the Area Divisions. Trips were made to
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to acquaint all employees with the emergency
program and assistance available to dependents in the event of serious
illness or death. The Branch prepared a special edition of the Support
Bulletin covering employee benefits, the casualty program, financial
planning, and other related articles of interest. 5 / These briefings and
general efforts to inform the Agency population of the functions of CAB
(lq'i'
have continued to the present with hundreds of briefings given yearly to
A
various Agency training courses, all professional and clerical EOD's,
and any other interested office.
it In 1958 CAB was given additional responsibility as the central control
It Veovesmo r for employees with unexplained absences. All resources of the Agency
were available, but by having one focal point there was more assurance
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by . b, 'y.) that unexplained absences would be investigated and proper notification made.
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6/ This function fit well with CAB's role in Casualty Assistance and is
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or loss of responsibility regarding these employee services it would ILLEGIB
r'Pv iew ILLEGIB
probably keep the Branch's activities in clearest focus to
ILLEGIB ctivities in FY 1961( after the changesin 1959 hal /h7/
and then to do the same for the presen
1959 REORGANIZATION
In 1959 another reorganization within the Office of Personnel trans-
ferred the functions of the Employee Relations Branch of the Personnel
Operations Division to the Benefits and Services Division and included these
functions in the Casualty Affairs Branch. With these additional functions
CAB became the Benefits and Counseling Branch. ERB had been responsible
for essentially the same functions as those performed by the Counseling
Branch and Services Branch of the Employee Services Division from 1953
to 1955. In effect then, the new Benefits and Counseling Branch was
responsible for the same functions as the entire Employee Services Division
during its existence between 1953-55, less the non-statutory insurance plans.
These additions to CAB responsibilities added numerous minor ILLEGIB
activities to the Branch. Rather than detailing each change, addition, ILLEGIB
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until 1963 when
O
e s sary
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(f97')
At the time of this writing, the functions of 'Personal Affairs Branch
A
were as follows 10/:
Statutory Programs:
1. Federal Employees' Compensation Act
2. Overseas Medical Benefits Program
3. FEGLI
(The Branch lost responsibility for retirements in
1965. At the same time it lost one professional and two
clerical slots. )
4. Missing Persons Act
Employee Emergencies:
1. Deaths, serious illnesses, psychiatric cases
(Casualty Assistance)
2. Unforeseen absences
Out Processing:
1. Pre-exit and exit processing
2. Termination clearances
(The Branch lost the exit interviewing function to
SPD in 1971. At the same time it lost one professional. )
Employee Services:
1. EOD orientation
2. Advance sick leave
3. Income tax assistance
4. Vital papers program
5. Problems of former employees
6. Debt complaints
7. Counseling
Employee Activities:
1. Blood Donor Program
2. Bulletin Boards
*In March 1968 in another reorganization of the Office of Personnel the title
of Benefits and Counseling Branch was changed to Personal Affairs Branch.
There were no significant changes in Branch responsibilities at that time.
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Employee Activities (continued):
3.
Support to PSAS
4.
Car Pool Locator
5.
Religious Services
(added in 1963)
6.
Absentee Voter Assistance
(The Branch lost the Recreation Program to the
Employee Activity Program in 1964. All fund drives,
including the Savings Bond Drive, were detailed to a
Fund Drive Coordinator in 1969. The Welfare Assistance
Board was dissolved in 1969. )
The following is a discussion)by program9of each minor responsibility
of the Branch. It will include when the Branch gained the function, when
it lost it (if that is applicable), and how the Branch has dealt with it. The
first programs discussed are those CAB had before the merger with ERB
in 1959. The second group are programs that were handled by ERB
previous to 1959yand then taken on by Benefits and Counseling Branch
after the merger.
BRANCH PROGRAMS BEFORE 1959
Retirement
At the point that Benefits and Counseling Branch lost the Civil Service
Retirement function in November of 1965, the program had become a
major BCB effort. When Employee Services Division was formed in
1953 the Retirement program was split into two branches. Insurance and
Claims Branch handled such things as Applications for Service Credit,
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Applications for Refund Deductions, and the actual Applications for
Retirement. Counseling Branch handled the Pre-Retirement Inter-
viewing function. When CAB was formed in 1955 it took over the inter-
view function as well as the more administrative functions. 11 / From
1955 to 1965 CAB and BCB steadily responded to the increased load the
Retirement Program presented each year. For instance, in FY 1956
167 Retirement Interviews were held. In FY 1961 1, 306 were held, and
in FY 1965 2, 600 were held. The number of retirements themselves
increased from 17 in FY 1955 to 103 in FY 1961 and 168 in FY 1965. 12/
Numerous significant contributions were made to ironing out the
problems of Retirement for Agency Employees while the Branch was
responsible for the program. Initially, the Branch took on the responsi-
bility of informing Agency employees of the Civil Service Retirement
program and explaining the various regulations and requirements
involved as well as keeping current on the Civil Service Codes. When the
Retirement Bill, Public Law 854, came out in July of 1956, the Branch
disseminated through the Agency the new effects of this law. In the early
1960's the difficult problem of properly handling
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CIA Retirement Policy and made recommendations concerning the problems
of practical application of the policy. 13 /
Further information on Retirement, both the Civil Service program
and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System
(CIARDS) EGIB
C rA//-JS %SSNP - j .
Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI)
The Branch has had responsibility for FEGLI since the statutory
program went into effect throughout the entire government on 24 August
1954. Legislation in 1958 established a minimum of $10, 000 regular
insurance and offered employees an opportunity to obtain additional
$10, 000 optional insurance. Automatic participation upon EOD is a part
of the program. PAB's responsibilities in this program include advising
employees of entitlements and conversion privileges and, most importantly,
being the office within the Agency designated to arrange for payment of
life insurance benefits on behalf of the dependents of Agency employees
who have died.
25X9 At the end of FY 1971, Agency employees were covered under
the regular FEGLI program. The total amount of FEGLI insurance in
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As a result of 31 death cases in FY 1971, a
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Briefings
The Branch has conducted various orientation briefings to training
classes, professional and clerical EOD classes, and other interested
offices as the need arises on what the Branch could do for the employee.
The program became significant between 1956 and 1959, by which time
the Branch was giving briefings on a formal basis at Headquarters,
Deputy Chief presented lectures at 38 official Agency training courses
conducted by the Office of Training, Office of Security, and the Office
of Communications. A total of 1, 104 persons were in attendance at these
lectures. Briefings were also given to all professional and clerical
EOD's during their initial Agency orientation sessions. 18 / In 1959,
the Branch Chief participated in a series of meetings that led to the
formation of a Risk-of-Capture briefing.
Vital Papers Program
In conjunction with the Casualty Assistance Program, in FY 1958 the
Branch started a program in which it would hold a personal file in which
would be retained for use as needed, copies of the employee's vital papers
of a record nature. The program makes it possible for the Branch, in
perfApprauezFof Mete lWsi IA @PAMOOBd4RO0G6d02.0$00S.e, to
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immediately locate important information in a death case making it
much easier to assemble the administrative papers and carry out
whatever action is required. As a side effect, the program also serves
to alert the employee to the importance of having his or her vital papers
together and accessible in case of a catastrophe. In 1959, personal 25X1A
files were establishes. In 1971 there were
personal files in PAB.
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The employee has access to this file at any time, and is encouraged to
constantly keep it up to date. 20 /
BCB FUNCTIONS ASSUMED AFTER 1959
Out Processing
From 1959 until 1971 BCB and later PAB were responsible for the
exit interviews of all individuals separating from the Agency, including
special GS-12 and above interviews, as well as the more clerical pro-
cessing responsibilities. In 1971 the interview function was assigned to
Staff Personnel Division. 21 / PAB now has only the more clerical
functions of exit processing. These activities necessitate obtaining
clearances from Agency components on separating employees, discussions
with the employees on such matters as FEGLI, pay procedures, leave,
unemployment compensation, and authenticating all personnel actions
on separations. 22 / In June of 1971, the Branch assumed the responsi-
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Recreation Program
The Recreation Program became part of the Branch's responsibilities
in the merger of 1959. At that time, however, it was noted that there
would be some de-emphasis of the program. Even so, employees
participated in the various recreational activities and the Branch made
significant achievements in consolidations in the administration of the
Program. 24 /
With the move to Langley, a full time recreation officer was appointed
to develop a sports program and club activities at the new location. A new
employee recreation association was proposed in FY 1963. Also in 1963
the recreation officer began a religious program which organized services
during the Lenten and Christmas Seasons. In the later part of FY 1963
the Branch lost responsibility for the recreation program to the Employee
Activity Association formed in that year. 25 / The Branch did maintain
responsibility for the Religious Services, although in recent years services
have been held only in the Lenten season.
Blood Donor Program
Since 1959 PAS has administered the arrangements for soliciting
donors, keymen, facilities, and the scheduling of visits to Headquarters
by a Red Cross Bloodmobile. In the first year the Branch had the activity
1, 637 donations were made by Agency employees. In FY 1971, 2, 094
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donations were made. 26 / This program has a great value to the
Agency, as by participating in the program as an organization, all
Agency employees and their dependents are entitled to all the blood
that is needed in an emergency free of charge.
Income Tax Assistance
Since 1959 the Branch has advised employees on income tax problems
25X1A under regulatio as did ERB. The Branch has given all
types of help, but has especially keyed in on problems caused by the
unique situations of Agency employees regarding security and cover
arrangements.
In 1963 the Branch decentralized the program to make it more con-
venient for personnel to obtain the same service in their own divisions. 27/
The Branch obtained the services of an IRS instructor for lectures for
tax advisors from the divisions. The lectures are given annually to keep
the area representatives up to date on tax problems. These area represen-
tatives then return to the divisions and give the individual conseling the
Branch had been shouldering for the whole Agency. Presently, the course
lasts two days, is held in early January, and has two IRS instructors
and one expert on State and local area taxes from the Office of Finance.
PAB also has the responsibility of appropriating and disseminating
the various pertinent tax forms and instructions for Agency employees.
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Annually, many thousands of these documents are distributed throughout
Headquarters and overseas installations. In FY 1971 tax forms
were distributed. 28 /
Employee Counseling
The employee situations in which the Branch becomes involved in
this service are varied, but most often involve financial problems,
leases, contracts, roommate disagreements and sensitive personal cases.
In 1959, when the Branch first assumed the responsibility 114 employees
availed themselves of counseling assistance. In FY 1970 there were 178
cases handled by PAB.
As well as the situations mentioned above the Branch handles debt
complaints with the counseling function and the necessary correspondence
involved with these cases. The main responsibility is to oversee the
action taken on any complaint to be sure that the individual involved is
aware of his responsibilities. In extreme cases, especially where PSAS
loans are given to an employee the Branch must prepare a summary of the
case for the PSAS Board and then monitor the individual's financial status
on a regular basis. In difficult cases the Branch has devised and enforced
budgets for an individual until his finances were in order. 29 / The
number of debt complaints (acknowledged as such only if a letter is sent
making the complaint) has varied widely from year to year, however,
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there k's rarely been fewer than 100 or more than 200. In 1965 the
Branch formalized a paper handling debt complaints against employees
for the area divisions which has regularized a method for handling the
program for management. 30 /
Fund Drives
Educational Aid Fund
Public Service Aid Society (PSAS)
Welfare Fund
Combined Federal Campaign (and its predecessors)
Savings Bond Drive
PAB has served as assistant to the Executive Secretary for the
Educational Aid Fund as well as assisting in the money collection for
the fund. From 1959 to 1969 money collection for the Combined Federal
Campaign, PSAS, the Welfare Fund, and the Savings Bond Drive had been
the responsibility of PAB. In 1969 the responsibility for manning the
money collections was transferred to the Fund Drive Coordinator/BSD.
In 1970 and 1971 the Fund Drive Coordinator has been a PAB officer
detailed out of PAB for a portion of the year to deal with the drives. 31 /
Welfare Assistance Board
BCB and PAB administered the Welfare Assistance Program from 1959
until 1969 when it was discontinued. In doing so the Branch worked closely
with the WAB acting as the executive secretary to the Board, writing a
summary of the cases for the Board, and then implementing its decisions.
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The WAB was used as a device by which Agency employees could obtain
relatively small amounts of cash. The Fund was made up of monies from
donations from Agency employees. Generally, twenty to thirty loans
were made per year and amounts totaling less than from $2, 000 to $4, 000
were loaned out. The WAB was dissolved in February of 1970. When the
functions of the Board were transferred to the PSAS, its assets of
$12, 695. 72 were contributed to the Educational Aid Fund. 32/
Bulletin Boards
When BCB took over ERB responsibilities in 1959, the maintenance
of the Agency's bulletin boards was to be shared by Personnel Operations
Division and Benefits and Services Division with BSD providing staff
guidance only. 33/ Presently Branch responsibility regarding the
Bulletin Boards includes the total operation, with questionable situations
referred to Security.
Along this line, with the move to Headquarters it became necessary
to intensify efforts at establishing car pools. The Branch initiated a system
by which it served as the central point to refer questionnaires regarding
car pool requests and information. In FY 1962 a Branch representative
assisted in the review of Agency policy on a new self-servicing Car Pool
Locator System made available by the General Services Administration.
After installation of the system in FY 1964 the Branch was responsible
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for overseeing its operation, but was relieved of the manual referral
system utilized earlier. 34/
Advance Sick Leave
The granting of advance sick leave to employees has been handled by
PAB since 1959. PAB's role in this function has been to review the
requests for advance sick leave, and,Iwith the coordination of the Office
of Medical Services (OMS),to determine whether or not the request is
in order. If, through this process, the request is approved on the authority
of C/PAB and C/OMS, PAB then handles notification of proper Agency
components regarding the individual's status. 35 / Since records have
been maintained on the Branch's efforts in administering this service
(F'Y 1968) between 218 and 261 requests have been made annually with from
22, 614 to 28, 614 hours approved. 36 /
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ILLEGIB
THE MAJOR PLANS
, Vft'w
Erection I "an organizational lof the response the Agencv1LLEGIB
has made to creating a functional, line Branch in the Personnel Career
Service to deal with both the exceptional problems of personnel and the
miscellaneous ones that really did not fit into any other branch. Three
functions of the Branch have not been extensively dealt with as they have
been the most important functions of the Branch since the early days and
should be emphasized separately. These functions are the Casualty
Assistance Program, the Agency's involvement with the Federal
Employees Compensation Act, and the Agency's Overseas Medical Pro- ILLEGIB
,Orerar. 0-r4 ,S'bohiv VII 1 4 toe
ILLEGIB
gram. All of these programs have
situations that the Agency has tailored to fit into
the special problems of cover and security in order to protect both the
Agency and the employee.
OVERSEAS MEDICAL PROGRAM
As mentioned in the previous section the authority for the Overseas
Medical Program was written into the CIA Act. of 1949 as Public Law 110,
Section 5 (a)(5)(c), authorizing payment of hospitalization expenses for
employees who incurred an illness or injury while overseas on permanent
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assignment. The program was first activated in May 1953 for a claim
November of 1952. From the settling of that claim through the 1953-55
period (ICB day
I harried the main responsibility for the implementing and
regularizing of this program for Agency employees overseas. A claims
group was formed from the Offices of the General Counsel, Security, and
Medical Services to review each overseas claim in order to lay a firm
foundation for this new program. As a result of the decisions of this
group, policies and standards were developed so that regulations and
handbooks for Headquarters
25X1A
25X1A
and HHB 2X1
Thirty-four claims were processed under this authority
in 1953. 37 /
On 21 September 1956, the Acting Director of CIA adopted the pro-
visions of the overseas dependent medical care program of the Department
of State. This was in response to the hardship caused by serious illnesses
of dependents of Agency employees which became a major financial and
morale problem. 38/ The authority for the Department's program is
contained in Public Law 828, 84th Congress (S econd Session).
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under the statutory program was enforced. As a result of this change,
the claims activity in the Branch increased considerably. 39/
In 1958 the regulatory issuances and distribution of the handbooks,
covering the statutory Hospitalization Programs
25X1 C
were published.
In FY 1961, as a result of the enactment of Public Law 86-707,
Overseas Differentials and Allowances Act, the Overseas Hospitalization
Programs were extended to cover Alaska, Hawaii, Trust Territories and
possessions and to reimburse employees for expenses incurred under the
program while on temporary duty. The Branch assisted in a preparation
of a revision of pertinent regulatory issuances. At approximately the
same time, by a decision of the Deputy General Counsel, medical travel
was extended to include travel expenses to the nearest facility whether or
not medical care was at government expense. 40 /
In FY 1964 a number of significant changes occurred which brought
the program to the point it is at today. First, there was a marked increase
in the number of Overseas Hospitalization claims as well as a dramatic
increase in cost. This was accounted for by the increase from five to
during the last six months
of FY 1964. The cost of the program increased from
25X1A
for FY 1963
for Fiscal Year 1964. In the same fiscal year, a decision by
OGC extended benefits of the program to otherwise eligible employees
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after reporting PCS to duty. This rectified a situation which caused
confusion and financial hardship for employees who, through no fault of
their own, returned to duty prior to determination that they required
hospitalization for a condition incurred while located abroad. Finally, a
25X1A review of the 195 Iwas prepared and
put into coordination. 41 /
From 1953 to date dependent cases
have been processed through PAB. Since 1963 when coverage was extended
and hospital costs in military facilities dramatically increased, the program
has had claims accounting for slightly over $2, 200, 000. 42/ PAB has
taken on the responsibility of fully administering the program, informing
the employee of his benefits, and bringing to light the problems with the
program since its inception.
BEC CLAIMS
The relationship between CIA and the Bureau of Employees Compensa-
tion, Department of Labor, has been handled by PAB since its first fore-
runner was established in 1951. Here, PAB has made a significant con-
tribution to the benefits of Agency employees by pursuing their cases for
the m, the only government Agency to do so. Because of this activity,
taken on behalf of the employee, PAB has built up an extensive background
and expertise in dealing with BEC claims which they can bring to the pro-
cessing of any employee's case.
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One of the most notable achievements over this period of time are
the security problems that have been overcome between PAB and BEC
resulting in an excellent understanding of the situation by BEC officials
with even the most sensitive cases handled in a secure manner. In
meeting the problem of security and cover, conferences were held
between 1955 and 1957 with Central Cover Branch, Security, the Office of
General Counsel, and the Office of Medical Services as required to deter-
mine a method of referral of employees injured in performance of duty to
the Public Health Dispensary or to cleared public doctors in covert cases.
Key officials at BEC were understanding of the need to protect classified
information and agreed to eliminate the need for notarization of certain
documents, requiring only witnessing by an Agency employee. In particu-
larly sensitive death cases, regular GAO review could be done by the cleared
GAO auditor assigned to the Agency. Permission was granted for the
Branch to retain BEC papers such as CA-1 for record purposes normally
filed in the official personnel folder. 43/
Psychiatric cases were a continuing problem with SEC in the 1955-57
period. As a result of a meeting with key representatives of BEC and
high level Agency officials, it was agreed that when it was felt that an
employee's mental condition was caused or aggravated by performance of
duty, treatment could be obtained through the Bureau at Public Health
facilities. At this time, BEC did not generally regard mental illness as
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attributable to working conditions. Of the eighteen psychiatric cases
submitted to the Bureau during this period, three were eventually approved
after a lengthy period of adjudication. 44 /
For several years before 1965 PAB had been holding discussions with
key officials in the Bureau of Employees' Compensation concerning the
maximum of $525 monthly compensation paid under the act. This maximum,
established in 1949, worked a hardship on the higher grade employees
injured in the performance of duty. The incident of the bombing of the
in which many Agency
employees were injured and one died, dramatically illustrated the inequity
of the 1949 decision. The Agency, through its Legislative Counsel, brought
to the attention of key Congressional figures the importance of improving
the FECA benefits, and the Agency effort contributed significantly to
amendments to the FECA. These amendments were enacted in July of
1966 liberalizing the benefits and raising maximum dollar compensation
to the top step of a GS-15 rather than a fixed dollar amount. 46/
Since 1953 PAB has processed 2, 517 cases with the Bureau. 47/
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25X1A
Of those, the following case history gives an example of the service
done for Agency employees in processing a BEC claim.
The case involves both a death case handled by the Branch, and a
subsequent BEG claim fo a GS-13 Operations
25X1A Officer who
(died
of a cerebral hemorrhage after a period of several days of illness with
a severe nose bleed started while Subject was fishing.
Benefits and Counseling Branch became immediately involved after
Subject's death. The normal casualty procedure was followed, i. e. ,
return of the body, return of the family, and the settlement of benefits,
all handled by BCB in conjunction with Security, the field, and the
operating division at Headquarters. Subject's benefits, to leave to his
wife and five children (ages 2 - 14), were:
a. UBLIC
$30,000
b. FEGLI
$14,000
c. Unpaid Compensa
tion $1, 172. 00
d. Retirement Annui
ty/yr
Widow
$2, 112. 00
Five children
$1,800.00
The benefits were administered by BCB, and by June of 1966 most items
reciting in extensive detail the full course of events from the first
moment of illness, the treatment, conversations with doctors by the
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25X1A
was so notified. From April to August the necessary
elections were worked out between SEC benefits, retirement, and the
Veterans Administration along with the submission of birth and marriage
certificates.
The significance of a BEG claim being approved can be demonstrated
25X1A
by the following benefits paid to
a. $14, 578. 78 retroactive payments by BEC from date of death
to the present (tax free)
b. $4, 656. 41 full payment of retirement holdings left in the
retirement fund
c. $12, 984 per year (tax free) - an improvement in her survivor-
ship benefits of more than $9, 000 per year. 48/
Although many cases are initiated by the employee, rather than the
Branch, this case illustrates the efforts necessary to process a BEC case.
Many cases last over numerous years involving a great deal of corres-
pondence between the Branch, the Subject of the case, and the Bureau.
All of these communications, as well as file transfers, the use of the
cleared doctors, and other security and cover problems are handled for
the employee by the Branch. In addition to providing a valuable benefit to
the employee, these efforts have helped the Agency by establishing reliable
procedures and lines of communication that can expedite the handling of
employee medical problems fairly and securely.
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CASUALTY ASSISTANCE
Since 1955 when the Casualty Affairs Branch was formed, the Casualty
Assistance Program has been the heart of either CAB's or its successor's
programs. More than any other program that the Branch had had under
its auspices the procedures and guidelines for handling casualty cases
have been developed under the Branch's leadership. Furthermore, the
acceptance by the Agency of the Branch's role in Casualty Assistance has
been due to the energies expended by the Branch in implementing the
program successfully and sponsoring its services to the various divisions.
When the Branch took over the Casualty Assistance Program in 1955
numerous changes were made in the program that are still in effect. An
emergency report was formalized and made into a form and disseminated
to interested offices. A checklist was made up and put into use to make
sure a case is constantly reviewed until the case is closed. The checklist
includes a breakdown of the various financial entitlements due the survivors,
and is circulated to the Agency components concerned with the financial
status of deceased employees. 49 / It was also in this first year that
25X1A
was published. Entitled "Employee Emergencies", it resulted
in an improvement of relationships between CAB and the operating offices,
and a more widespread knowledge of the service rendered by CAB.
In this same 1955-1956 period, two very significant procedures were
formalized and made a regular part of the Casualty Assistance Program.
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Although in theory an Office of Personnel officer had been a designated
twenty-four hour duty officer in case of an employee emergency, he had
never been required to check in and be constantly within reach of Security
or Cable Secretariat. In the early years of CAB operations it was felt that
the Duty Officer should be immediately contacted. At that time C/PAB
assumed the responsibility and maintained it until 1968. Today seven
individuals share the responsibility on a rotating basis. Since 1955 there
have been numerous emergency cases in which the immediate response of
the Duty Officer has been valuable to the employee (or his survivors) as
well as has saved the Agency cover and security problems that might have
gotten out of hand if an officer had not dealt with the situation in a matter
of hours. Also, in that early period when CAB was establishing its
procedures, the policy of having an Agency employee personally contact
the survivors in a death was instituted. Before that time an official
representative of the Agency would make a personal contact if it was
convenient or if the case was particularly complicated. However, with the
development of CAB and the corresponding emphasis on responsibility
to the employee, it became policy to always personally contact the next
of kin in a death case. At present, there are usually at least two visits,
one initially (usually Security, DCS, or an operating division) if it is
the Agency that informs the next of kin of the death, and another visit (PAB)
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25X1A
to brief them on the legal aspects of the case and the financial arrangements.
Often, if there are complications that the employee's survivors cannot
deal with, PAB has acted as an advisor until all items are resolved. Many
times PAS has been in contact with a widow or even the legal guardian of
the children for a number of years while handling the administration of the
deceased employee's case. 50 /
An early case in which five employees were killed in a plane crash
helped establish guidelines and the need for greater flexibility in handling
death cases. 51 / This and other cases, along with progress in relations
between the Branch and other interested offices resulted in the formation
of a group of named officials in Central Cover, the Office of Security, the
Office of General Counsel, and the Medical Staff. These officials were
notified by PAB in the case of a death and were the individuals responsible
for coordination of action as it developed in these cases. 52 / One case,
Agency. 53 / This type of action and organizing capability by the Branch,
in addition to the fine record being compiled regarding the delicate
handling of very sensitive cases, led to a general acceptance of CAB's
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As a result of some of the difficulties involved with the above case,
it was apparent that more careful casualty planning for special projects
must be done in the early stages of future projects. During Fiscal Year
1961 DPD-DD/P demonstrated confidence in PAB and an acceptance of
Personnel's role in casualty cases by an invitation to C/BCB and C/BSD
to participate in the early planning of future projects. Through this close
working relationship BCB completed a study which was accepted by the
DDS and DDP which recommended the establishment of a Casualty Group.
This body was charged with responsibility for assisting in the planning for
the contingency of casualties and for the handling of casualty cases when
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rte
they occur. The Office of Personnel, C/BSD, was designated to head the
i`
Group, with representation by the Office of Security, CI Staff, and the
Office of General Counsel in an advisory capacity. Nominations were
obtained from each of the components where casualties might be antici-
pated for representation to assist the group in its review of the problems
associated in their respective offices. 56 /
With the above efforts, ranging from 1955 through 1962, the basic
structure for handling casualty cases was achieved. Although there have
been modifications with each new or unusual problem, the approach formu-
lated over those years has proved adequate to deal with all the cases that
have occurred. To date, PAB has handled 522 employees' death cases
and 117 dependent death cases (overseas), many of which were very sensitive
and required extensive contact with survivors at their places of residence
throughout the United States. 57 /
25X1
A very demanding test of the emergency resources and procedures of
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CONCLUSION
At one time, personnel officers within the Federal Government were
involved in only a minor way with the administration of the various benefit
programs of Civil Service employees. The growth of Civil Service, and
the development of new benefit programs for this large government employee
population has caused personnel managers to direct a greater part of their
attention to the proper administration of these benefit programs within
their respective agencies. 60 / The history of PAB shows the kind of
efforts the Agency has put forth in this field over the years. Because of
the unique problems of a classified organization, administering employee
benefits has been a sensitive and complicated job. However, it is without
question that CIA has taken the lead in the Federal Government in many
programs and offers numerous services that no other government agencies
presently provide their employees. Beginning with a few regulations, and
a revolutionary concept of providing above and beyond service to the
employee, PAB has established an office that handles employee problems
quickly and securely. The services that the Branch performs for the
Agency have become an expected part of the other Agency and government
benefits due the employee. That is, through the efforts of the Branch,
what was originally a revolutionary concept in personnel administration,
has become accepted as Agency policy and Agency responsibility for the
welfare of the employee.
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