Outside Activity While on Furlough - Store & Retrieve Data ...



JSC 2018-2019 Furlough Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 1/23/19)NEW FAQS During Current FurloughOutside Activity While on Furlough – Furloughed employees may seek outside employment activities?so long as such outside activities are consistent with 5 CFR 6901. Even while on furlough, an individual is an employee of the Government and Executive Branch standards of ethical conduct (5 CFR Part 2635) continue to apply to employees on furloughs, including rules on outside employment. Refer to the NASA Shutdown Furlough Guide for Employees, Section 4 and Attachment 2 found at , or to NASA’s outside activities regulations in 5 CFR § 6901, Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.An Outside Activity Approval Form has been posted at for your convenience. Please note that representatives make every effort to be available at the JSC Unites employee support events when sponsored at the Gilruth Center by Starport. These events are announced on the home page of .Paychecks: At this time, members of Congress are working to include provisions for backpay to furloughed employees. This is still pending approval. Therefore, employees will not receive paychecks during a furlough whether furloughed or in a work status as excepted until the government reopens. The agency is preparing in advance to facilitate processing of payroll as quickly as possible after the government reopens. (Please see FAQs #8-13 below for further payroll information.)Unemployment: On the JSCSOS Furlough Information site, please look under Helpful Information for JSC Employees for the Summary of Things to Know About Filing for Unemployment.Loans and Skip Payment Options: JSC Federal Credit Union is offering financial relief to members who will be affected by the Government shutdown. Federal employees who are not members of the JSCFCU are encourage to check with similar financial relief that may be available thru your banking institution.For more information on the JSC Federal Credit Union furlough loan and skip-a-payment, go to .? (Please check directly with the credit union at 281-488-7070 with any specific questions.) Passwords: During the Government shutdown NASA has taken proactive actions to ensure your accounts will stay active and non-impacting until your return to duty. (Please see FAQs #44-51 for additional IT furlough-related facts.)Q1. Will My NDC Password Expire? Answer: NoThese passwords are being extended 60 days beyond their current expiration date on a daily basis for those that are due to expire.? The activity of extending passwords will continue for the duration of the furlough to ensure no users will be disabled when the government re-opens.? Password expiration notices have been turned off.Q2. Will My Launchpad Password Expire? Answer: Yes? No changes are being done to these passwords since users can use their PIV badge for authenticating to most Launchpad applications with no impacts due to the password expiring.? Upon returning to work users can login to with their PIV badge and select “Forgot Launchpad Password” to reset it.? This can be done through VPN should you wish to modify the password sooner.Q3. Will My Mobile Device that uses Launchpad continue to work? Answer: YesUsers of NASA mobile devices that are enrolled in the Maas360 MDM solution may see Launchpad pop up screens.? Mobile devices use a certificate to login into Launchpad and not a password. These devices will continue to function as well with no impact to the end users.O365: In light of the furlough the OCIO is reassessing and will reschedule migrations that were planned to start this month. JSC was planning to migrate to O365 the week of January 14th through January 17th, with CCP and supporting ?orgs (FOD, EA, S&MA, and others) to defer their migration to the evening of January 27th.? FOD was scheduled not to migrate before January 31st due to the FOX application and flight freeze. We’ve reached out to the missions and programs to assess and identify dates we should avoid based on mission and program impacts and implications. We will advocate to avoid those dates on behalf of the missions and programs. As soon as we have the new proposed JSC migration dates we will share those.Travel Card Impacts: Will Personal Credit Scores be impacted due to employees not paying their SmartPay3 cards on time? The GSA Bulletin states that the banks shall not deactivate any account during furlough. Since only cancellations may be reported to the Credit Bureaus, personal credit scores should not be impacted.If employees haven’t been reimbursed for past travel during furlough and can’t pay their travel card bills.? JSC’s APC will not be sending the normal delinquency notices. (Please see FAQs #23-26 for additional travel information.)Benefits and Open Season Elections/Changes: Were recent open season elections/changes impacted or postponed by the shutdown? No. Open season elections were not affected.? They will be in effect as needed by employees. (Please see FAQ #14 for additional benefits information.)TSP Loan Payments: The TSP allows for the suspension of loan payments when you go into nonpay status to prevent your loan from going into default. Normally, TSP requires documentation from your agency or service. However, the TSP does not need documentation of your furlough at this time. If your loan payments were up to date prior to the furlough, missing one or two payments will not cause your loan to be in default. You can check the status of your loan by logging into My Account, selecting “TSP Loans,” and then selecting “Are my payments up to date?” Or you can call the ThriftLine at 1-877-968-3778 and speak to a Participant Service Representative. As long as retroactive pay is approved, all missed loan payments will be submitted and posted to your loan. TSP will provide more information at under Bulletin Board as the furlough continues or as events change.NEBA Insurance and Special Programs: Payroll-deducted NEBA life insurance benefits, GVUL, and some voluntary benefits such as MetLaw, Critical Illness, Group Accident), Metlife will take deductions out of back pay.? If we are not back paid, NEBA will pay the premiums. For other additional voluntary benefits thru NEBA program such as auto and home insurance, please contact your insurance carrier for special assistance or deferments that may be offered to federal furloughed government employees. (Please see FAQ #14 for additional benefits information.)All Other JSC Furlough FAQS Follow: (Ctrl+click on the question to see the answer)What is a furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_Who_will_be_1"Who will be allowed to work during the furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_What_is_the_2" What is the process for identifying exceptions to the furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_In_the_event_2" In the event of a furlough, should employees report to work?How will government status be communicated during the furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_Can_non-excepted_civil" Will the listing of Excepted employees change? HYPERLINK \l "_How_will_employee_1" Can Excepted Employees perform non-excepted work at NASA? Pay, Benefits, Clinic, EAP, and Contractor SupportWill employees get paid on time for the pay period that was completed before the furlough began?Will non-excepted civil servant employees receive back pay?Will JSC civil servant employees in excepted positions be paid?How will employee time be recorded in WebTADS on shutdown day?I’ve heard that I will only be paid for 8 hours on shutdown day. How will it work if I’ve worked more than 8 hours?How will time be recorded during a furlough?What happens to civil servant benefits during the furlough? Will civil servant employees be eligible for unemployment compensation? What will happen to JSC contractor employees? I’ve heard that some contractors are excepted from the furlough while civil servants are not. Is that true? HYPERLINK \l "_Can_civil_servant" Will the JSC clinic be open during a furlough? Who do I contact in case of an emergency? HYPERLINK \l "_What_if_an" What if an excepted employee is injured at work during the furlough?Is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available during a furlough?Can civil servant employees volunteer on a non-pay basis during the furlough? Will non-excepted civil servant employees receive back pay? May civil service employees take other jobs while on furlough?Will JSC civil servant employees in excepted positions be paid? HYPERLINK \l "_If_civil_servant" If civil servant employees are on travel when a furlough starts, do they need to get home? How? HYPERLINK \l "_If_civil_servant_1" If civil servant travel begins during the furlough, is the trip canceled? HYPERLINK \l "_Who_is_responsible_1" Who is responsible for canceling official travel scheduled to begin during a furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_What_if_I" What if I need to travel for an Excepted activity during a furlough?Can civil servant employees charge leave during the furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_Does_my_Annual_1" Does my Annual Leave continue to accrue during a furlough?What if a furloughed employee is on leave without pay (LWOP) which began before a shutdown?Are Civil Servants considered “hourly” employees?Can civil servant employees participate in training while a furlough is in effect? Can civil servant employees still attend external conferences, training events, etc. during a furlough? If an employee is registered for a non-refundable or no cost event, can they still go? If my training class is canceled, when will I know and will it be rescheduled? What if my travel date is during a furlough, but we get funding before/during the training event? As a civil servant, how does a potential furlough impact academic courses? May I still attend? Will I still be reimbursed? If I’m working with a coach that’s been funded through NASA, can I meet with that coach during a furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_In_the_event_3" In the event of a furlough will retreats still occur?I’m on a NASA or JSC Fellowship that occurs during duty hours, what should I do? I’m “excepted” because of my duties; can I do any training during non-peak times? If a class I’m registered for is canceled as a result of a furlough, will I have priority for future offerings? Cafes and Child Care CenterWill the Gilruth Center and the Child Care Center remain open during the furlough? HYPERLINK \l "_Will_the_JSC" Will the JSC onsite Building 3 and Building 11 cafés remain open during the furlough? Information Technology and ResourcesCan non-excepted civil servant employees login to official e-mail during the furlough? May I access my NASA email account, check my office voice mail, and use my government-issued Blackberry, etc., if I am furloughed? Who should I call if I need IT support?What if my badge or password is due to expire during a shutdown? What other IT precautions should I take?Will websites, applications, networks and other IT services be available?Can I continue to use my own device to access NASA e-mail or websites?I’ve heard the NASA web site will be down during a furlough. Is that true? Facilities and ServicesWhat are the plans for custodial & housekeeping services in the event of a furlough? What is the plan for buildings on-site during a furlough?How will I get on site during the furlough? - - -What is a furlough? A furlough places an employee in a temporary non-duty, non-pay status due to lack of funds. Who will be allowed to work during the furlough? Excepted positions are determined by JSC senior management and approved by NASA Headquarters. Civil service employees in “excepted” positions will be allowed to work. The definition of work that is “excepted” from the furlough is: Performing emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property,Involved in the orderly suspension of Agency operations, or Performing other limited activities exempted from the furlough.NASA’s plan recognizes that the excepted activities include the following: Space launch hardware processing activities which are necessary to prevent harm to life or property; Tracking, operation, and support of the International Space Station (ISS) and operating satellites necessary for safety and protection of life and property; Completion or phasedown of research activities in cases where serious damage to property would result from temporary suspension of the activity. What is the process for identifying exceptions to the furlough?Under NASA’s shutdown plan submitted to OMB, Center Directors and Senior Staff are responsible for determining the minimum number of persons who are excepted from a furlough. Civil service employees in “excepted” positions will be notified by their supervisor and will be placed in one of three categories:Full-time – employees performing critical duties which involve the safety of human life or the protection of property; Part-Time - employees whose presence is required only for the duration of specific, named activities; orOn-call – employees who may be required to work at home or on site for emergenciesIn the event of a furlough, should employees report to work?If there is a lapse in appropriations (no Continuing Resolution or NASA funding), check for emails from the agency, the Center, or your supervisor that will instruct you as to when shutdown will occur. Shutdown activities may be performed on site or remotely via telework per the discretion of your supervisor. Should a shutdown occur, you must confirm with your supervisor in writing (or verbally if unable to confirm in writing) that you received your official furlough email notice. Each supervisor will determine the activities needed to shutdown their organization and the amount of time it will take to safely conduct those activities in an orderly manner to eliminate risk to personnel and preserve government property. How will government status be communicated during the furlough? During the furlough, you are directed to regularly monitor public media, call 1-877-677-2123, or check for the latest information regarding Agency operating status. You are expected to report for duty on your next regularly scheduled work day after the new appropriation or a continuing resolution is approved. Every effort will be made to post the Center status on the JSC Emergency Management website at . Will the listing of Excepted employees change?Only minimal changes to the Excepted employees listing will be authorized and carefully reviewed at the Agency level. The list may be revisited by Center senior leaders to support critical positions needed to prevent imminent harm to people or property. At JSC, the Executive Committee composed of Center Director, Deputy Center Director, Associate Center Director, Chief Financial Officer, Procurement Officer, Chief Counsel, and HR Director will monitor and approve any change requests to JSC’s list of Excepted personnel.Can Excepted Employees perform non-excepted work at NASA?Generally, no. If an excepted activity can be performed in less than an entire day, the employee performing it is required to resume furlough status after completing the function. However, if the excepted activity must be performed intermittently throughout the course of the work schedule, and the intervals in between are too short to enable the employee to be furloughed and then recalled in time to perform the function, the employee may remain at work and may perform non-excepted functions during these intervals. Will employees get paid on time for the pay period that was completed before a NASA furlough began? Current OPM guidance indicates that an orderly shutdown includes processing civil servant payroll for pay periods ending prior to a shutdown. Will non-excepted civil servant employees receive back pay? Although this has happened in the past, NASA cannot promise that its employees will be paid for the period during which they are on furlough, since this is subject to Congressional appropriation. It is up to Congress to decide. [At this time, Congressional staffers are working to include provisions for backpay to furloughed employees. This is still pending approval. However, employees will not receive paychecks for scheduled work time that occurred during a furlough whether furloughed or in a work status as excepted until the government reopens. The agency is preparing in advance to facilitate processing of payroll as quickly as possible after the government reopens.]Will JSC civil servant employees in excepted positions be paid? Yes, excepted employees who perform “excepted” work during a shutdown will receive pay only after Congress passes, and the President signs, a new appropriation or continuing resolution.How will employee time be recorded in WebTADS on shutdown day? To ensure NASA is able to process payroll accurately and in a timely manner should a furlough extend beyond the current pay period, employees and supervisors must ensure that WebTADS is completed for time worked prior to the lapse in appropriation. Work with your supervisor regarding required shutdown activities and the time required to perform them. Normally, between 1 and 4 hours are expected for shutdown activities unless otherwise approved by your supervisor. WebTADS may not be accessible after Noon on a shutdown day. Unless otherwise instructed by JSC’s Chief Financial Officer, employees should manually track any shutdown activity hours worked on “shutdown day” or excepted work hours performed after WebTADS becomes unavailable.Further guidance on adjusting hours in WebTADS will be provided by JSC’s Chief Financial Officer after the furlough has ended. I’ve heard that I will only be paid for 8 hours on the Center shutdown day. How will it work if I work more than 8 hours?You will be paid for any hours worked that were approved by your supervisor prior to beginning any period of furlough. If we have a lapse in appropriations, Congress and OPM will provide guidance about how pay during a shutdown and furlough will be handled. How will time be recorded during a furlough? Unless instructed otherwise, please keep track of your Excepted work hours manually EACH DAY worked during the furlough. Excepted employees may receive specific timekeeping instructions before or during the furlough with approved codes and instructions should WebTADS or other systems be open during the furlough for recording purposes.If the furlough goes beyond the next pay period ending date, any time not filled in by employees may automatically be pre-filled for all employees with the Furlough code. Further guidance will be provided upon return from the furlough. Employees should not access WebTADS unless they are Excepted and performing Excepted work and instructed to report to WebTADS. Appropriate adjustments to time and attendance will be made after the shutdown ends per instructions issued by the JSC Chief Financial Officer. What happens to civil servant benefits during the furlough? The employee’s coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) will continue. Since the employee will be in a non-pay status, the enrollee share of the FEHB premium will accumulate and be withheld from pay upon return to pay status. If you are a member of the NASA Employee Benefit Association (NEBA), you should receive an email with information about those benefits. The effect of a furlough on other benefits that are paid for through payroll deductions varies. For additional information, see OPM’s Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs, Section H, Benefits at or OPM's fact sheet on the "Effect of Extended Leave Without Pay (or Other Nonpay Status) on Federal Benefits and Programs” at civil servant employees be eligible for unemployment compensation? Employees may be eligible for unemployment compensation if the requirements have been met according to the state unemployment insurance program where your official duty station is located. Some states require a 1-week waiting period before an individual qualifies for payments. Keep in mind that if Congress approves back pay and you receive unemployment payment for the same period, you will be responsible for repaying any unemployment benefits received. See our “Summary of Things to Know about Filing for Unemployment Due to Shutdown” for JSC employees posted on the JSC Furlough web page prior to a shutdown.For more detailed unemployment compensation information, go to Department of Labor website at DOL CareerOneStop Service Locator Page, ( and OPM Unemployment Insurance Resources Page, applying for unemployment benefits in Texas, you may need:A copy of the formal furlough notice email containing your formal furlough status (non-excepted, part-time/intermittent, or on call);The form SF-8, Notice of Federal Employee about Unemployment Insurance, that you received attached to your official furlough notice; andOne of the following containing your name, SSN, agency, & indicating your employmentYour 2016 W-2 form, orA copy of your Leave and Earning Statement from Employee Express (), orA copy of your most recent SF50 (if able to print it from your eOPF prior to a furlough - using your eOPF credentials).What will happen to JSC contractor employees? It depends on several factors including the contract itself. Contractor employees must always check for direction with their management, and their management in turn must check with the responsible Contracting Officer. Whether a contractor employee working on a specific activity under a contract may continue to work depends on: 1) whether the activity is determined to be excepted or non-excepted, 2) on whether and the extent to which that specific activity under the contract is funded (e.g. within funding allocation under the limitation of funds clause) or not, 3) and if the assignment does not require Government oversight, acceptance, or work performed in a Government facility that would be funded by a lapsed appropriation.? The Procurement community is planning for how to address this issue with the contractors. Contractors may work thru their Contracting Officer unless informed otherwise by Center Operations.For additional information, please go to NASA’s Shutdown FAQs which will be posted at ’ve heard that some contractors are excepted from the furlough while civil servants are not. Is that true?Contracting Officer Representatives should check with the Contracting Officers for their respective contracts.?Guidance relative to specific contracts will be provided through those official channels as time permits.? You should note that for our contractor teammates, an assessment is made about whether their work meets the definition for “exception” from the furlough.? Like civil servants, to be Excepted, a contractor must perform tasks that prevent imminent harm to people or property.? Excepted work must be performed either on-site or off-site, as it would normally be performed.? Non-excepted work can only be performed by contractors off-site, if funding is available and if the tasks do not require government personnel for acceptance or oversight. Contractors may work this matter thru their Contracting Officer.Will the JSC clinic be open during a furlough? Who do I contact in case of an emergency?The JSC Flight Medicine Clinic will be open with limited staff. The Occupational Medicine Clinic will be minimally staffed. Paramedics and ambulance response will be available per the normal emergency response process.? Please note that the emergency dispatch center will remain open, but with reduced staff.? All personnel should continue to use the five 3’s (x33333) for any emergency on site. What if an excepted employee is injured at work during the furlough?If an excepted employee is injured on the job, he/she should obtain medical attention, report the injury to his/her supervisor (or the supervisor to whom he/she is reporting to during the furlough), and file his/her claim through the DOL Employees’ Compensation Operations & Management Portal (ECOMP) Page.? If the employee has any additional questions, he/she should contact the NSSC Customer Contact Center who will have representatives available during a shutdown.Is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available during a furlough?The Employee Assistance Program will remain open and available to employees. Their office number is 281.483.6130.Can civil servant employees volunteer on a non-pay basis during the furlough? No. Unless otherwise authorized by law, an agency may not accept the voluntary services of an individual (31 U.S.C. 1342).May civil service employees take other jobs while on furlough? Yes.? So long as such outside activities are consistent with 5 CFR 6901. Even while on furlough, an individual is an employee of the Government and Executive Branch standards of ethical conduct (5 CFR Part 2635) continue to apply to employees on furloughs, including rules on outside employment. Refer to the NASA Shutdown Furlough Guide for Employees, Section 4 and Attachment 2 found at , or to NASA’s outside activities regulations in 5 CFR § 6901, Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.If civil servant employees are on travel when a furlough starts, do they need to get home? How?If you plan to begin travel before a possible furlough, discuss with your supervisor whether or not to proceed with travel. If a furlough occurs while you are on Temporary Duty (TDY), different rules apply given your TDY type, your designated status, and the nature of work being supported, during a furlough:Regular Domestic TDY: Non-Excepted employees (i.e., you are being furloughed) should make reasonable arrangements to return to their home duty station as expeditiously as possible and in a manner consistent with an orderly shutdown (during work hours and at approved, not premium, fares). CI Travel will be available during the furlough to assist employees requiring adjustments to official travel plans. For assistance,?please call 1-855-896-7941.Regular Foreign TDY: Non-Excepted employees -- If employees are on foreign travel, they should report to work or check in by e-mail with their supervisor for further directions. As of today, we are asking all foreign travelers to keep their current plans. If employees are furloughed, they will be in an on-call status while overseas (i.e., regularly checking e-mails for updates and changed directions). If the shutdown is not resolved after a few days, your Center may be recalling you home, but that determination will be made based on a variety of factors, including the anticipated length of the shutdown. CI Travel will be available during the furlough to assist employees requiring adjustments to official travel plans. For assistance,?please call 1-855-896-7941.Regular Domestic & Foreign TDY: Excepted employees on TDY to support an Excepted activity may remain on travel to perform Excepted functions. Planned travel for excepted functions will continue, but at the minimum level needed to support the excepted function. Please contact CI please refer to NASA’s Shutdown FAQs at Temporary Duty (ETDY): All employees on ETDY should refer to NASA’s Shutdown FAQs at for detail guidance associated with ETDY travel.If civil servant travel begins during the furlough, is the trip canceled?Most civil service travel will be canceled during a furlough. Please see employee responsibilities for cancelling travel in question 25. Only travel by Excepted employees that is required to successfully execute Excepted functions will be authorized and should be limited to critical travel needs. You may contact the JSC Travel Office at JSC-DL-Domestic-Travel-Office@mail. for questions about excepted travel that aren’t addressed in NASA’s Shutdown FAQs at or are not clear.Who is responsible for canceling official travel scheduled to begin during a furlough?Employees are responsible for cancelling travel (air fare, hotel, rental car, etc.) in the event a travel cancellation is required due to a furlough.If travel arrangements were made through CI Travel please contact CI travel to cancel at 1-855-896-7941.If travel arrangements were not made through CI Travel and were made directly with providers (air, hotel, and car rental locations), please contact the providers to cancel the travel. Please obtain a cancellation number and keep it for your records.? This is critical to ensure appropriate credit is received. Once the furlough is suspended, upon return to work, please ensure the respective authorization is cancelled in CGE.What if I need to travel for an Excepted activity during a furlough? If you are an Excepted employee and are required to travel during a furlough for Excepted activities, make travel arrangements by contacting CI Travel directly at 1-855-896-7941. After the furlough, upon return to work, ensure the respective authorization is completed and submitted in CGE. You are responsible for payment of your travel card on the due date. The following linkcontains information regarding government travel cards through GSA Reports will NOT be processed during a furlough. Employees are still required to pay their travel charge card bill on time, so use of centralized billing accounts for air fare charges (not individual billing accounts or travel cards) where available during a shutdown.You may contact the JSC Travel Office at JSC-DL-Domestic-Travel-Office@mail. for questions about excepted travel that aren’t addressed in NASA’s Shutdown FAQs at . Can civil servant employees charge leave during the furlough? No. Employees will not be allowed to charge their time away from work to leave. If an excepted employee is unavailable to be at work and perform the duties determined as allowable activities, the employee must be furloughed during any absence. Shutdown activities are considered excepted activities, therefore if an employee is absent and unavailable to perform shutdown activities on site or via Work from Anywhere/telework, the employee will be considered furloughed verses on leave.Does my Annual Leave continue to accrue during a furlough?Generally, employees do not accrue annual leave once they reach 80 hours in a non-pay status. Therefore, if you are on furlough for 80 hours or more, you will not earn leave for the pay period in which you reach 80 hours of non-pay time, unless Congress passes provisions for back pay. For additional information, see OPM's fact sheet at if a furloughed employee is on leave without pay (LWOP) which began before a shutdown? If an employee received approval to be on LWOP prior to the start of the furlough, he/she may continue to be carried in a LWOP status during the furlough period. An employee in a LWOP non-pay status will not receive back pay if approved by Congress. Are Civil Servants considered “hourly” employees?All employees (other than political appointees) are paid for hours worked (or hours of leave prior to a furlough). Can civil servant employees participate in training while a furlough is in effect? No. Employees may not participate in any work-related training. Can civil servant employees still attend external conferences, training events, etc. during a furlough? In the event of a furlough, an employee may not attend a conference or training since he/she is not on duty. If an employee is registered for a non-refundable or no cost event, can they still go? No. Even if the event is non-refundable or no cost the employee may not attend since he/she is not on duty.If my training class is canceled, when will I know and will it be rescheduled? We are not planning on cancelling any JSC classes ahead of time. In the event of a furlough, employees should assume all classes are automatically postponed until after a furlough ends. Reschedule or cancellation notices will be issued after the furlough is over.What if my travel date is during a furlough, but we get funding before/during the training event? You cannot travel to an event during a furlough, but if the furlough ends, it may be possible for you to attend the remaining part of the eventAs a civil servant, how does a potential furlough impact academic courses? May I still attend? Will I still be reimbursed? If the academic course is outside of normal work hours (and you are not compensated for the time spent in class), you may continue to attend the course(s) during the furlough. Employees who are in a pay status and attend academic programs on a full-time basis or during normal work hours, are NOT allowed to continue with your scheduled courses during the furlough.If I’m working with a coach that’s been funded through NASA, can I meet with that coach during a furlough? No.In the event of a furlough will retreats still occur? No. I’m on a NASA or JSC Fellowship that occurs during duty hours, what should I do? Prior to the furlough period, contact your HR Development Representative (), each of these situations is unique and the answers may vary. After a shutdown begins, your directorate may contact the HR Director for guidance.I’m “excepted” because of my duties; can I attend training during non-peak times? No. If a class I’m registered for is canceled as a result of a furlough, will I have priority for future offerings? For most JSC internal classes, we will automatically assign you to the next available offering. For external courses, or NASA-wide courses, we will work with you on a case-by-case basis to try to ensure you receive priority. Each course may have a different situation depending on the process to reschedule. It will be our desire to give you priority and ensure the opportunity for you to participate will be available to you once normal operations resume. Please pay attention to the communications for the specific course once you return to work. Will the Gilruth Center and the Child Care Center remain open during the furlough? Yes, the Gilruth Center will continue to operate during a shutdown – including Fitness and Wellness related activities.?Check with the Gilruth for any special hours on the actual holiday or eve of the holiday. This is because Starport is a non-appropriated funded program and is financially self-sustaining with minimal outside support. All money earned through Starport operations is used to support JSC employee services and activities.? If you have any questions about services or events, please check the website:? or call:? Gilruth information desk -? 281-483-0304.The Child Care Center will remain open to serve all members during the furlough, observing government holidays. The child care center is managed by Space Family Education Inc. (SFEI). SFEI plans to move forward with the same plan as previous furloughs and remain open barring any direction to the contrary from JSC. Please contact the CCC or read your email updates for information on how SFEI will accommodate the financial hardship of those families affected by the government furlough.Will the JSC onsite Building 3 and Building 11 cafés remain open during the furlough?No. In the event of a furlough the Building 3 and Building 11 cafés will be closed. However, it is possible that online gift shops may be supported by nonappropriated funding. Vending machines in Building 1 and Building 30 will be restocked.Can non-excepted civil servant employees login to official e-mail? During the orderly shutdown period, employees both non-excepted and excepted are allowed to login to their official e-mail accounts and other work related systems such as WebTADS, etc. After an orderly shutdown is complete, only excepted employees are authorized to access email or NOMAD and other NASA information systems in the support of approved excepted functions. Supervisors will contact on-call excepted employees when it is necessary to come in to work or to authorize telework. All employees should check for Center status and updated information via the JSC SOS website at . May I access my NASA email account, check my office voice mail, and use my government-issued Blackberry, etc., if I am furloughed? No, unless you are designated as an Excepted On-Call employee. If you are designated as furloughed, but on call, you must regularly check your email, or if you cannot remotely access email, check other contact means that you indicated should be used for any recall notice. This applies whether you are initially designated as On Call, or are subsequently recalled to On-Call status. No other use is permitted by any furloughed employee. Employees who use NASA IT resources, such as their email account, for personal use under the acceptable use policy should make other arrangements prior to shutdown if they may want to receive such email or personal information during the shutdown (e.g., change the destination for personal email).Who should I call if I need IT support?If an IT problem arises that impacts JSC-excepted activities, please take the following steps for Excepted employees and Excepted activities:Call the Enterprise Service Desk at 281-483-4800, or go to You may be directed to other areas depending on your issue.Call IRD's Customer Support Center at 281-244-6367 for all other issues.Response times may take longer due to scaled-down resources, including on-site technicians.For furloughed employees, you should not conduct any government business on any device, including personal devices, unless in an On-call Excepted status. What if my badge or password is due to expire during a shutdown? You are advised to update your passwords during an orderly shutdown if possible. NASA has a team monitoring expired passwords. Expiring passwords will be extended by 60 days and again as needed if a shutdown extends beyond that period. You will not have to reset the password until the agency automatic reset expires. Employees with PIV badges due to expire will receive a notice from the agency about a special PIV exemption to enable access of IT systems through their user name and password. This process will continue as needed during the duration of a shutdown. Employees with expiring badges who are excepted and need assistance during the shutdown may call 877-677-2123. Users with an expired badge will need to follow the visitor process to gain physical access to NASA facilities during a shutdown and then go to the badging office to get a new badge after the agency reopens.What other IT precautions should I take?If your password to access your computer and email (your domain password) is about to expire, JSC’s Information Resources Directorate (IRD) advises that you go ahead and change it ahead of the furlough. Also, update your voicemail message and Outlook out-of-office message to include where excepted employees should go to if they need support.Will websites, applications, networks and other IT services be available?JSC's IRD will support Center excepted activities, but response times may vary due to limited resources. For authorized employees, IRD will leave all websites, applications, networks, IT security and IT equipment operational. (Please note that if there is a failure of any IT-related services, and it does not impact Center-excepted activities, then IRD will not be able to address it until the furlough is over). Public websites that do not support essential mission systems may be redirected. Specifically, the following services will remain available:Agencywide (i.e. Enterprise) services that will remain operational:NOMAD (email), Active Directory, Large File Transfers, Back-ups (Autonomy), Data Protector, Print ServicesConnectivity and WebsitesNASA and JSC Institutional Networks Local Center IRD services that will remain operational:ISS Mission Support (Bldg 8 services such as mission video and imagery, crew support LAN, mission printing support)IT security systemsMail support for key personnelCan I continue to use my own device to access NASA e-mail or websites?During a furlough, e-mail will not be blocked. However, NASA employees should only access their government websites and e-mail for excepted work or as instructed by their supervisor.I’ve heard the NASA web site will be down during a furlough. Is that true? Most NASA public web sites will not be available during a furlough. All internal web sites will remain available and maintained. What are the plans for custodial & housekeeping services in the event of a furlough? Custodial services will be provided for Mission Control, as they normally are in support of 24/7 operations. There will be a skeletal staff available to support other buildings where excepted work is being performed for trash pick-up.What is the plan for buildings on-site during a furlough?All buildings will be in normal weekday mode except on Flex Fridays when much of the Center operates in weekend mode. If the furlough is extended, Center Operations will re-evaluate building usage by excepted personnel to determine if any buildings can move to weekend mode for energy savings. Facility updates will be posted on as usual.How will I get on site during the furlough? Unless announced otherwise by JSC Center Operations, JSC will open only Gate 1 after shutdown activities are complete. Access on site will be allowed to badged employees. Any other changes in gate status will be communicated to employees via . Note: Ellington Field, Sonny Carter Training Facility, and White Sands Test Facility will remain open throughout a furlough. Check with the JSC Child Care Center for child care facility access instructions. ................
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