Information Available for NTSB Employees During A Government Shutdown

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​This page provides NTSB employees with information about potential or ongoing government shutdowns caused by lapses in appropriations. ​​

Federal Govern​​​ment Operating Status

Check the operating status for the federal government on the OPM Operating Status Page​.​​

General Guidance

​​The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has prepared human resources guidance for agencies and employees in the event of furloughs.

A shutdown furl​ough​ (also called an emergency furlough) occurs when there is a lapse in appropriations, and can occur at the beginning of a fiscal year, if no funds have been appropriated for that year, or upon expiration of a continuing resolution, if a new continuing resolution or appropriations law is not passed. In a shutdown furlough, an affected agency would have to shut down any activities funded by annual appropriations that are not excepted by law. Typically, an agency will have very little to no lead time to plan and implement a shutdown furlough.

Additional OPM guidance can be found here: Furlough Guidance​  

​​

2nd Furlough Notices Issued

31 October 2025

Colleagues,

In accordance with the regulations outlined in 5 CFR 752 and 5 CFR 359, subpart H, when a shutdown furlough goes beyond 30 days, agencies must treat it as a second shutdown furlough and issue another notice to employees.

Therefore, a 2nd furlough notice has been sent to your work email.

No action is required by you… you do NOT need to log in and acknowledge receipt.

If you have any questions, please contact Veronica Marshall, Chief Human Capital Officer at [email protected] or Omar Williams, Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer at [email protected]​.

​​​Orderly Shutdown Guidance

• Contingency Plan for Lapse in Appropriations​ ​

Ethics (Outside Employment, Hatch Act, Gifts)

• ​NTSB Lapse Ethics FAQs​​

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Services​

​​​Through Acentra Health (formerly ESPYR), our EAP provider, you can access 24-7 confidential phone support, free online tools, experienced counselors, face-to-face counseling, childcare and elder care locators, legal and financial consultation, and even pet care.

Our EAP is provided at no cost to you.

Contacting our EAP 

• ​​NTSB: NTSB Employee Assistance Program
• Call: 800-869-0276 (24/7)
  
• Web: NTSB Acentra Health Website​ (Organization ID Login: ntsb)
• Mobile App: Acentra (formerly Espyr) Connect - install on your work or personal mobile using Google Play or the App Store
  

Personnel Documents

• ​ Employee Express
  
• ​​​Electronic Personnel File (eOPF)
  
• Timekeeping Instructions​
  

Unemplo​yment Resources

• ​​SF-8 Unemployment Info Form​
  
• ​Unemployment Benefits b​y State​ (Department of Labor)​​​
  
  

Transit Benefits 

• ​The Department of Transportation (DOT) will continue processing TranServe applications as usual during the shutdown. Transit benefits are expected to be loaded onto cards as scheduled, on the 1st and 10th of each month.

Travel Card​

NTSB's CFO answers questions about managing your travel card during a lapse in appropriations. Here are some key points to keep in mind.The agency will only authorize travel for specifically approved accident launches during a lapse in appropriations.

For approved launches, follow the following usual steps:

1. ​​Make your reserva​tions through the booking tool in e2 or call National ​Travel.
   
2. Create a travel authorization and get it approved in e2 Solutions.
   
3. Complete a travel voucher within five workdays of completing your trip.
4. All expenses normally charged to travelers individually billed travel cards will be charged to their individually billed travel cards.
5. Do NOT attempt to charge your office's or the ROC's centrally billed travel cards.
   
6. IBC will hold approved vouchers in queue until we receive our FY2026 funding.
   

• ​At that time, payments to Citibank using the split-pay feature in e2 will be released to Citibank.
• At the end of the lapse, the traveler must immediately pay Citibank for any charges not paid through the e2 split-pay feature.
• Citibank will not suspend or cancel any account during the lapse but will expect payment in full promptly upon the end of the lapse.
  
• ​​Citib​ank only assesses interest or finance charges on canceled accounts. Since Citib​ank will not cancel accounts during a lapse, you will only receive a finance charge if you fail to pay your account promptly following the lapse in appropriations.
  

​​​Assistance Programs and Resources 

• Assistance programs (Food, Utilities, Services, Finances) for furloughed federal workers in DC region (WTOP News)
• Banking Assistance to affected federal workers (American Banking Association)
• Capital Area Food Bank free food distributions for federal workers
• Restaurant discounts and free food deals​ for federal workers (WTOP News)

Open Season

Federal Benefits Open Season is Nov 10 - Dec 8.

Open season is your annual opportunity to enroll, change, or cancel health, dental, and vision insurance.

OPM has advised that Open Season activities are permitted during the shutdown furlough. You may use your government-issued equipment to make benefits elections or changes during this period.

Visit our Federal Benefits Open Season page on InsideNTSB or the OPM Open Season page at OPM Open Season Info.​​

​Court Issued Preliminary Injunction to Federal Agencies on Reductions in Force

​​On Oct. 28, 2025, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction​ preventing shutdown-related Reductions-in-Force (RIFs) to about 40 federal agencies.

Updated 10 November 2025  ​