Federal government offices closed Tuesday

Originally posted by Julia Ziegler and Jolie Lee on Federal News Radio

D.C.-area federal offices are again closed to the public Tuesday after Hurricane Sandy made landfall Monday on the East Coast, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

As with Monday, non-emergency federal employees, including those on pre-approved paid leave, will be granted an excused absence for the number of hours they were scheduled to work unless they are:

• required to telework,
• on official travel outside of the D.C. area,
• on leave without pay, or
• on an alternative work schedule (AWS) day off.

Employees who are scheduled to telework or who are required to perform unscheduled telework on a day when federal offices are closed to the public must telework the entire workday or request leave, or a combination of both, in accordance with their agencies' policies and procedures, subject to any applicable collective bargaining requirements.

Emergency employees are expected to report to their worksites unless otherwise directed by their agencies.

The government technically is not shut down Tuesday since emergency personnel and teleworkers are still on duty. OPM uses the term "closed to the public" to make that distinction.

See the list of federal facilities closed Monday and Tuesday. This story will be continually updated.

While non-emergency feds stayed home Monday, postal employees were still working around-the-clock to ensure mail delivery throughout the day. In the D.C. region, public transportation was shut down Monday.

On Monday, New York City's Federal Executive Board decided to close federal buildings in that area. Also, FEBs in Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore recommended closures for Monday. Federal News Radio has not yet received word from East Coast FEBs on their Tuesday operating status.