Better to Prepare

If the Pentagon furloughs its civilian workforce later this year due to the budget sequester, Air Force civilians would be furloughed for no more than 16 hours per pay period, announced the Air Force Personnel Center on Tuesday. Air Force civilians would also see an impact to their leave accrual, benefits, and Thrift Savings Plan contributions, said Robert Corsi, assistant deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel, and services, in AFPC’s March 5 release. “I ask every airman to actively prepare for the days ahead and review the information already available. I cannot overemphasize the importance of planning for a potential reduction of income,” said Corsi. If an employee is furloughed for 22 days during the remainder of the fiscal year, the employee will lose two pay periods worth of annual leave and sick leave accruals, states the release. Employees in the Federal Employee Retirement System will also see a reduction in agency automatic contributions and may see a reduction in employer-matching contributions, explained Corsi. (Randolph report by Debbie Gildea) (See also This is Going to Hurt.)