The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has exempted spouses of active-duty military service members and overseas foreign officers from a recent directive mandating federal employees to return to the office. This exemption includes those married to disabled veterans and widows of military personnel. The memo aims to address economic challenges faced by military families, especially amid the pandemic's shift toward teleworking. Advocates highlight that military spouses often face unique employment hurdles due to frequent relocations, resulting in high unemployment and underemployment rates.
Spouses of active-duty service members and overseas foreign service officers are exempt from recent rules requiring nearly all federal government employees to return to the workplace.
Agencies are also allowed to continue hiring spouses to remote work positions, according to the memo sent by Charles Ezell.
The decision to exempt spouses comes amid concerns about the economic ripple effect on military families in connection with the presidential order.
One in five military spouses is unemployed - nearly four times the national unemployment rate - according to military data.
Collection
[
|
...
]