SBA employee information for shutdown and furlough

General information

• Review SBA’s Lapse in Appropriations Plan

Resources for SBA furloughed employees

SBA guidance

For questions, SBA employees may contact OHRS.furloughguidance@sba.gov.

• Shutdown Furlough FAQ for SBA Employees
• Requirements, Flexibilities, and Resources for Weather and Safety Emergencies

OPM guidance

Get updates on government operating status and resumption of normal operations at OPM.gov

• OPM Furlough Guidance for Federal Employees
• Addendum to OPM Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs (PDF)
• Special Instructions for Agencies Affected by a Possible Lapse in Appropriations (PDF)
• OPM Workplace Flexibilities Memorandum: Excepted Employees
• Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019

Employees who plan to file for unemployment compensation should download and print a copy of Standard Form 8 and take this, along with the furlough notice and other documents described on the form, to their local public employment service office. Learn more about unemployment insurance at OPM.gov.

Standards of Conduct Regarding Outside Employment

• Standards of Ethical Conduct for SBA Employees
• Standards of Ethical Conduct for SBA Employees: FAQs
• Government Ethics: Quick Reference Guide

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

The uncertainty of a government furlough may leave some federal employees feeling stressed and anxious.  Fortunately, you can still access your Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provided by Federal Occupational Health (FOH), during a furlough. 

Employees may seek consultation or additional information by contacting the National Care Center, 24/7, at 1-800-222-0364. 

Employees may also access the EAP website www.FOH4You.com to explore a variety of resources and information or engage in a live chat with an EAP Consultant Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET.

Resources for SBA contractors

During a lapse in appropriations, SBA contractors should direct questions to Nauman Ansari.

Contract decision tree

Is the contract fully funded using available appropriations or are other funds available to fund it (no year or multi-year)?

• If YES, will contract require government supervision?
  • If NO, contract can continue if contract is a sensible use of taxpayer funds.
  • If YES, and an excepted individual will be available to oversee it in between excepted activities (and overseeing the contract does not interrupt, interfere with, or delay the individual’s performance of an excepted function), the contract may continue during the furlough, provided the furlough is brief.
• If NO, is the contract necessary to support one of the following excepted functions?
  • A statute or other legal requirement expressly authorizes an agency to obligate funds in advance of appropriations; or
  • The function addresses emergency circumstances, such that the suspension of the function would imminently threaten the safety of human life or the protection of property; or 
  • The function is necessary to the discharge of the President’s constitutional duties and powers (e.g., Commander-in-Chief or conducting foreign relations); or
  • The agency must continue the function, in the absence of appropriations, because its continuation is “necessarily implied” from the continuation of other authorized activities. 
    • If NO, contract cannot continue. 
    • If YES, will contract require government oversight?
      • If NO, contract can continue.
      • If YES, there must be excepted individuals available to oversee it, so the contract may continue during the furlough.