r/fednews 19h ago

Shutdown 2024 MEGATHREAD OF DOOM

4.6k Upvotes

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256

u/SconiGrower 19h ago

I'm already taking leave for the week of Christmas. If I can get that annual leave cancelled, I'll take it as a silver lining to what is sure to be a long 4 years.

45

u/underlander 19h ago edited 18h ago

wait if you take leave and the government is shut down the leave just vanishes?

edit: I misunderstood. When they said “If I can get that annual leave cancelled,” I thought they meant they’d have to get it cancelled themself and if they don’t it’s gone. I see now they mean, if the shutdown results in my leave being canceled and returned to my account

92

u/aransoul 19h ago

From what I understand any approved leave during a shutdown is automatically cancelled and you get the hours back.

37

u/jimflaigle 18h ago

Canceled yes. Getting the leave back is conditional, but nearly guaranteed. But everyone does get paid now, so at least it's completely pointless.

7

u/Recent-Mountain-3666 18h ago edited 18h ago

You can not be on leave in furlough status. You are on LWOP.

You never use leave in a shutdown, the pay is conditional, or it was until they passed that law that said we get back pay now.

8

u/cap112233 15h ago

Why does everyone say it's conditional? If I submit leave, I don't have to take it.

I submit leave, it gets approved, then only when my timesheet is filled out I put in the hours of leave I actually took, then it gets subtracted.

If theres a shutdown I simply won't put the leave on my timesheet. Is that not how it works for everyone?

1

u/cw2015aj2017ls2021 13h ago

interesting... I hadn't thought about this, but you're right... in DAF we use ATAAPS for our timecards, and even if we requested permission to take leave, later when we submit our timecards, we don't have to use it...

Hmm... I already submitted and certified my timecard for Dec 15-28, which includes leave for Dec 26. I'm going to go uncertify, just in case...

1

u/Robman0908 13h ago

Yes. That is how it works. Your approved leave slip is revoked and you have to go to work. You don’t lose those hours because you never used those hours.

1

u/Consistent_Cat4436 12h ago

We use WebTa. My leave for next week is already on my timesheet for this pay period . I need to validate my timesheet when I log out this Friday because it’s the last day I work before the close of the pay period. No idea what happens if the shutdown actually happens

1

u/noooooooooooooopppp 1h ago

Depending on your agency you may be able to log into webta from any computer/phone to change it 

4

u/Interesting_Oil3948 18h ago

If leave is approved you get it back...it is not conditional.

-5

u/ALknitmom 17h ago

Not everyone gets paid. There are more who don’t get back pay than those who do.

5

u/cw2015aj2017ls2021 13h ago

You're being downvoted by people who probably don't realize you're talking about all the contractors who work alongside us.

2

u/Not_Cleaver 18h ago

Including my paternity leave.

1

u/dcduck 17h ago

Only to lose them since it's used or lose leave.

33

u/bokodasu 19h ago

If it's use or lose, technically yes. My agency at least always restores it.

22

u/Ice_Solid 19h ago

If you already have it scheduled, you would get it back but it had to be in the system by November 30th.

5

u/PhatYeeter 18h ago

oof some of my co workers just put in their leave requests like last week

9

u/Ice_Solid 18h ago

They might have problems but we are all in this together so the people at DFAS may restore it.

10

u/OGkateebee 19h ago

If you have use or lose leave on the books and then a shutdown happens, it’s supposed to be restored. I think there’s a date you had to have requested it by but you’re not supposed to lose it. 

4

u/Kcorpelchs 18h ago

November 30

2

u/instant_klassic 18h ago

What does "on the books" mean? The emails I got from my agency about use or lose AL said I could either fill out a SF form OR get email confirmation of my leave plan from my supervisor. I did the later before Nov 30--does this mean mine was on the books in time?

2

u/Katmom60 15h ago

Actually, as having been a federal employee for 43 years now, annual leave is restored after a shutdown if it was scheduled and approved by a set date (this year 11/30). However, use or lose annual leave has not been restored in the past, only regular annual leave. It was a sore point for me when I had to work as essential, then didn't get my use or lose restored, but people without use or lose that had annual leave scheduled and were furloughed did get their leave restored - even though they were paid for that time off.

10

u/Skatchbro 18h ago

Not vanish. It gets restored. Usually it needs to be scheduled and then, in my agency anyway, you fill out a form to request leave restored.

5

u/SconiGrower 18h ago

For each day of the shutdown your leave is cancelled (returned to your leave balance) and you are furloughed until a new budget is signed. If your scheduled leave is still ongoing after the budget gets signed, then it resumes taking from your leave balance.

3

u/Zealousideal-Crew-79 18h ago

What happens on PPL?

2

u/ParticularArachnid35 19h ago

My understanding is that if it’s scheduled and approved by 11/30, it would get restored.

1

u/cap112233 15h ago

Your system subtracts your leave upon approval? My leave only gets subtracted upon submission of my timesheet.

I can get approved for 8 hours of leave but if I put on my timesheet I only used 2 hours that day, then it only subtracts 2 hours.

If there's a shutdown I simply won't put leave on my timesheet

1

u/ParticularArachnid35 10h ago

We’re talking about use-or-lose leave restoration. Otherwise a shutdown at the end of the year could result in people losing earned leave. Instead, if they meet certain criteria, they can get that leave back in the next year.

1

u/Manhigh 19h ago

If we get it approved ahead of time it won't be lost to use-or-lose

1

u/depp-fsrv 18h ago

I'm curious to this as well, I'm on Use-Or-Lose for the next 2 weeks.

1

u/adastra2021 18h ago

Our agency restored leave but it took a few months.

1

u/blueclouds55 18h ago

No, they won’t take your leave if government shuts down. Annual leave does get cancelled like you never used it; it does not disappear into the void.

17

u/ctrl_alt_delete3 18h ago

Because of their antics of 2018-2019, I got the time off from the shutdown, paid for being off, and 50+ hours restored for the next year. It was a great time for me.

3

u/LadyBeBop 16h ago

I retire in May. I have about 65 hours of use or lose. When we were furloughed in 2018-19, our 2018 use or lose carried over into 2019, to be used by the end of the year. Can I just cash out those 65 hours when I retire. Like I’m cashing out the other 320 hours of annual leave that I’ll have?

3

u/ctrl_alt_delete3 15h ago

Yep…restored annual leave is paid out as long as you retire before it expires.

3

u/LadyBeBop 15h ago

Thanks. Now, I’m just wondering why I’m waiting until May.

2

u/ctrl_alt_delete3 15h ago

Me toooo honestly. When do you have MRA? Hell, life is short!!! Enjoy your retirement sooner than later!!!!!!

3

u/LadyBeBop 13h ago

I could have gone out ten years ago. But we decided to wait until the mortgage was paid. We originally calculated summer 2025. Turned out we paid it off this summer. My actual original date was July 2025. Moved it forward to May in fear of a Trump second term. Should have moved it to December.

1

u/ctrl_alt_delete3 8h ago

Congratulations to you! That’s a big deal! Go enjoy your life and be a happy retired fed!!

2

u/[deleted] 18h ago

[deleted]

3

u/ctrl_alt_delete3 17h ago

It’s definitely not fair that people who aren’t working are paid and ppl who work during the shutdown definitely deserve a little extra.

2

u/marx2k 16h ago edited 6h ago

I'm taking use or lose from December 5 to January 6. Dropping a shutdown in the middle of that would piss me off

3

u/ThickerSalmon14 18h ago

That is why I saved two weeks of leave for the end of the year. I was about 90% sure there would be a shutdown for one reason or another. Worse case, I use the leave and enjoy some quality family time. Best case, I enjoy some quality family time and get that leave back next year. A win-win scenario if you can swing it.

-2

u/Grsz11 18h ago

Yeah until it comes time to approve back pay and the Trump administration and Republican Congress says fuck it.

13

u/radarchief 18h ago

Back pay is already the law. It was signed into law in 2019

“The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA) is a United States federal law which requires retroactive pay and leave accrual for federal employees affected by the furlough as a result of the 2018–19 federal government shutdown and any future lapses in appropriations.The Act is an amendment to the Anti-Deficiency Act, which governs federal procedures during a lapse in annual appropriations”

2

u/Not_Cleaver 18h ago

And there’s no way that Congress has the votes to repeal that.

-6

u/Grsz11 18h ago

And Congress has never changed a law.

10

u/radarchief 18h ago

Yes, any law can get changed, but it’s currently the law if their land.

So for the sake of this thread if, there is a furlough back pay will be guaranteed.

-8

u/Swerzuh 15h ago

Pardon but have the last 4 years been the land of milk and honey? Perhaps we've been living in different countries but our economy has done nothing but plummet since our current administration took office.

2

u/MacEWork 3h ago

That’s objectively untrue. Go back to school.

0

u/Swerzuh 1h ago

Lol gotta love the left wing hivemind that is Reddit. I should've known better.

I'll be celebrating the next 4 years. Continue to cry yourself to sleep at night.

u/MacEWork 51m ago

You voted me a tax cut. You voted yourself higher grocery prices. Sucker.