Message for non-excepted employees
All non-excepted employees should check their SBA email for an October 31, 2025 message related to furlough status.

(This message does not apply to exempt employees who are not impacted by the shutdown or excepted employees who continue working during the shutdown.)

If you do not have access to your SBA computer, contact your supervisor or email OHRS.FurloughGuidance@sba.gov for more information. 

SBA employee information for shutdown and furlough

This page is for SBA employees and contractors only

Content

General information

Resources for SBA furloughed employees

SBA guidance

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

OPM and White House guidance

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

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

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 voluntary and confidential consultation and schedule appointments with licensed clinicians by contacting the National Care Center, 24/7, at 1-800-222-0364.

Employees can 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.

Personal Financial Services are available by appointment, Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET. Certified experts can provide unbiased guidance on issues such as debt, credit, and other financial worries. Call 1-800-222-0364 to schedule a session.

Federal Benefits Open Season

The 2025 Federal Benefits Open Season runs from November 10th through December 8th, 2025. This is your annual opportunity to review and make changes to your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees Dental and Vision (FEDVIP), and Flexible Spending Account (FSAFEDS) enrollments, and Flexible Spending Account (FSAFEDS) enrollments. Employees are encouraged to take time to review their current benefit options and explore available plan options to ensure they continue to meet their needs for the 2026 benefit plan year.

Watch the recording of SBA's HR Cafe on Federal Benefits Open Season.

Where to find 2026 premium rates

To enroll, change, or cancel

  • Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
    online at your MyEPP Employee Personal Page
  • Federal Employees Dental and Vision (FEDVIP) Program
    online at BENEFEDS.gov or call 1-877-888-3337
  • Federal Flexible Spending Account (FSAFEDS) Program
    online at FSAFEDS.gov or call 1-877-372-3337

Virtual webinars

Register for the upcoming virtual sessions to hear the latest updates from participating vendors and benefits carriers. Click the links below to register:

For additional information, please visit Open Season and see OPM's Open Season reference materials.

If you have any additional questions, please contact your designated HR office:

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.
Short URL: sba.gov/shutdown
Last updated October 22, 2025