Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Pentagon program gouging taxpayers, panel says
A poorly run Pentagon program for providing workman's compensation for civilian employees in Iraq and Afghanistan has allowed defense contractors and insurance companies to gouge American taxpayers, a House committee said yesterday.
Friday, May 16, 2008

Working Overseas : Work Conditions
Ban on sex for soldiers/civilians in Afghanistan is lifted ... sort of
Single soldiers and civilians working for the U.S. military in Afghanistan can now have sex legally. Sort of.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Insurance? What insurance?
U.S. employers are required to provide limited insurance to all employees in war zones under the Defense Base Act. And in reality getting benefits out of insurers is as hard, if not harder, than it is for former servicemen and women to get what they are entitled to from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Saturday, May 3, 2008

Working Overseas : Work Conditions
Guard at US base ‘stranded’ in Qatar after being sacked
An American security guard recruited by DynCorp International to serve at the As Sayliyah base has been “stranded” in Qatar for over a year after he was sacked by his employers in April 2007.
Friday, May 2, 2008

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Zurich Now Offers Defense Base Act Workers’ Compensation for Federal Contractors Working Outside U.S.
Zurich, one of the world’s largest property-casualty insurance companies, today announced that it now offers Defense Base Act (DBA) workers’ compensation coverage for employees of federal contractors who are working outside the country on military bases, overseas public works projects or similar contracts funded by the U.S. federal government.
Monday, April 21, 2008

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
No gravy train for PMC grunts
The popular belief that there is a huge disparity between what U.S. private security contractors and military personnel are paid has been exposed as a myth yet again.
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
The Myth of the Pay Gap Between Soldiers and Contractors
The pay gap concerns the belief that private contractors are being paid vastly more than regular military forces. This supposedly creates low morale and jealousy in the ranks of the regular armed forces and causes friction between them.
Sunday, February 17, 2008

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
How To Call Home From Outside The U.S.
Excellent advice about the options available for calling the United States from overseas. The best way to phone home depends on several factors: your current phone and carrier, your destination, your budget, and the amount of effort you're willing to invest.
Thursday, January 24, 2008

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
New Web Site Designed for Those Needing Medical, Life, Disability and Other Special Risk Insurance Needs Worldwide
“We cater to a large demographic of clients up to and including independent contractors that are helping in the Iraq & Afghanistan reconstruction,” states Derek Patterson, CEO & Founder.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Working Overseas : Work Conditions
Contractors face big risks in Iraq
The number of private contractors in Iraq rivals the number of U.S. troops. Many are not Americans, but the total number of contractors injured there has surpassed 10,000, raising the question of how to care for them once they return to the United States.
Sunday, December 16, 2007

Working Overseas : Personal Experiences
Contractor kicks off soccer diplomacy
An American information technology contractor working in Iraq has launched a program using soccer balls to generate goodwill in the country.
Saturday, December 15, 2007

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Dollar a downer for American expatriates
Americans visiting Europe for a short vacation may be feeling pinched by the weak dollar, but U.S. citizens relocating or retiring overseas are feeling something more akin to a shark bite.
Friday, December 14, 2007

Working Overseas : Personal Experiences
A conversation with IT contractor Justin Porto in Iraq
As an information technology contractor in Iraq, Justin Porto endures ambushes and mortar attacks as he works with the country’s government to rebuild its communications and IT infrastructure. An employee of MPRI, a division of L-3 Communications Inc., the retired lieutenant colonel is about six months into a one-year stint under a State Department contract.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Working Overseas : Work Conditions
Injured contractors sometimes caught in legal wrangle for disability compensation
For some injured workers returning from Iraq, seeking disability compensation through insurance companies is a battle they did not anticipate. Claims filed under the federal law providing that injured workers be compensated have risen from 804 in 2003 to 5,749 last year.
Thursday, November 29, 2007

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
How to get your free credit report while overseas
If you’re an American serving outside the United States, don’t plan on going online to get your congressionally mandated free annual credit report.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Blackwater provides information on employment status of contractors
Chairman Waxman has released a new thirteen page letter alleging that Blackwater cannot treat its personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan as "independent contractors," and contends that they must be treated as employees for IRS purposes. The Chairman's contention is incorrect.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Extension of Deadlines - Combat Zone Service
These items offer guidance on the tax relief provided for U.S. military and support personnel involved in military operations in a combat zone.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Non-Filers of US Tax Returns: How to Remedy the Situation (And Get Back on Good Terms with the IRS)
Most Americans working overseas are aware that $85,700 (in 2007) of foreign earned income can be excluded from US tax if certain residency requirements are met. It may not be so obvious, however, that every year a federal tax return should be filed reporting that income.
Monday, October 15, 2007

Working Overseas : Money & Taxes
Overseas Exemption Should Increase For 2008
Americans working abroad may be able to shield more of their pay from US taxes next year.
Friday, September 28, 2007

Working Overseas : Personal Experiences
In Afghanistan, trainer sees a different war
In early 2006, Andrew Schmidt, who grew up in southwestern Minnesota, found his police career wanting and his domestic life in turmoil. The divorced father of one desperately needed to get away and take a break somewhere. Some folks might have thought Cancun. Schmidt chose Kabul and a dusty, one-room mud-brick home routinely invaded by camel spiders.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007