5 USC 5561 – Definitions
For the purpose of this subchapter—
(1) “agency” means an Executive agency and a military department;
(2) “employee” means an employee in or under an agency who is a citizen or national of the United States or an alien admitted to the United States for permanent residence, but does not include a part-time or intermittent employee or native labor casually hired on an hourly or daily basis. However, such an employee who enters a status listed in paragraph (5)(A)-(E) of this section—
(A) inside the continental United States; or
(B) who is a resident at or in the vicinity of his place of employment in a territory or possession of the United States or in a foreign country and who was not living there solely as a result of his employment;
is an employee for the purpose of this subchapter only on a determination by the head of the agency concerned that this status is the proximate result of employment by the agency;
(3) “dependent” means—
(A) a wife;
(B) an unmarried child (including an unmarried dependent stepchild or adopted child) under 21 years of age;
(C) a dependent mother or father;
(D) a dependent designated in official records; and
(E) an individual determined to be dependent by the head of the agency concerned or his designee;
(4) “active service” means active Federal service by an employee;
(5) “missing status” means the status of an employee who is in active service and is officially carried or determined to be absent in a status of—
(A) missing;
(B) missing in action;
(C) interned in a foreign country;
(D) captured, beleaguered, or besieged by a hostile force; or
(E) detained in a foreign country against his will;
but does not include the status of an employee for a period during which he is officially determined to be absent from his post of duty without authority; and
(6) “pay and allowances” means—
(A) basic pay;
(B) special pay;
(C) incentive pay;
(D) basic allowance for housing;
(E) basic allowance for subsistence; and
(F) station per diem allowances for not more than 90 days.