Pentagon releases furlough time table

Budget

Pentagon releases furlough time table

The Defense Department released an updated time table on civilian employee furloughs, including dates when furlough notices will go out and when furloughs are s...

Federal News Network Staff

March 19, 2013 11:51 am

2 min read

March 21-25: Furlough proposal notices are sent to employees. (Employees have seven days to appeal.)
March 28-April 1: Employee appeal period ends.
March 29-April 24: Furlough decision letters are sent to employees (based on when proposal notice was sent and before the first day of the furlough).
April 25: Furlough period begins and will extend through 11 pay periods between April 21 and Sept. 21, 2013.

(UPDATE: The Defense Department has decided to delay issuing furlough notices to civilian employees for approximately two weeks. DoD officials say they need more time to determine how the 2013 appropriation bill passed by Congress this week will affect DoD’s resources. Federal News Radio will update the time table when we have more information).

The table at the right shows the Department of Defense’s updated timeline for its furlough process, from first furlough notices being sent out to the beginning of the first furlough period. These dates are subject to change, according to the Defense Department.

This information was provided by Pentagon Spokesman Cmdr. Bill Speaks.

DoD plans to furlough nearly all of its 780,000-member civilian workforce on a one-day-per-week basis — most for a total of 22 days.

In addition, the military services and defense agencies have instituted civilian hiring freezes and cut spending on travel, training and supplies. However, employees paid by non-appropriated funds are not expected to be furloughed.

Other employees exempt from furloughs include: civilians deployed in combat zones, foreign nationals, Senate-confirmed political employees and civilians who are required to maintain safety of life or property. While military pay will be unaffected by sequestration, DoD says readiness and training will suffer.

Find the latest DoD furlough news on Federal News Radio’s Sequestration Page.

Sequestration Tracker: Agency-by-agency furlough guide

Sequestration forcing DoD into damage control mode

Military ‘quality of life’ to suffer under sequestration