8 Ways the government shutdown will affect you
October 1, 2013 9:38 AM
1. Social Security
Among the essential services which remained operative during previous government shutdowns most notably the 1995 event the Social Security Administration will, for the most part, continue to issue checks to seniors and the disabled, as well as continuing to offer basic services. Only 29% of the agencys 62,000-plus employees are scheduled to be furloughed, though this will affect claims processing and behind-the-scenes activity.
2. National parks and landmarks
If your employees had picked this as a nice time for a fall vacation to a favorite national park or a historic spot like the Smithsonian Institutes Air and Space Museum, theyll be out of luck. All 401 national parks are offline while budget fighting continues, and school tour groups will have to find alternatives to the Statue of Liberty and the National Zoo. Some 700,000-plus tourists and campers use national parks or visit landmarks on a typical day.
3. The Affordable Care Act rollout keeps rolling
While it can be argued that Tuesdays shutdown goes directly to the heart of a battle to prevent the provisions of the Affordable Care Act from coming into play Oct. 1 being the long-awaited launch date for public health exchanges the pause in federal spending will do nothing to delay the further implementation of the ACA, which has been funded and approved by government allocations unaffected by Tuesdays pause. Expect the paperwork to continue and the questions and calls to flow as we move forward to 2014.
4. Sliding markets and your 401(k) plans
The optics related to a nation which cant quite get its financial ship in order have been impacting the financial markets for more than a week, with the S&P index, the Dow and the N.Y. Stock Exchange all taking massive hits as Americas financial credibility is once again questioned. In an interview Sept. 18, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the shutdown will have very serious consequences for the financial markets, and the country. The long-term effects? Slipping investor and trading confidence could damage the recent gains made in 401(k)s and other retirement investments.
5. Air and international travel
Thankfully, essential services such as the Federal Aviation Administration have provisional funding which allows them to continue to operate, though Americas thousands of daily flights may see some delays as a result of the shock of the slowdown. The TSA, air traffic controllers and border guards and immigration officials will all be working, though more routine FAA inspections and investigations will be put on hold. Homeland Securitys E-Verify system may also be offline, impacting international travelers.
6. Armed forces and national security
Although a bit more abstract to our daily lives, the US military continues to operate with some 1.4 million full-time soldiers and officers on duty across the globe. Civilian military employees and contractors, however, will feel the full effect of the furloughs, putting many military related projects on hold.
7. The Postal Service
Another essential service, mail and packages will continue to be delivered during the brunt of the shutdown, though potential systemic slowdowns might have HR managers and professionals considering other options especially considering the ACA target dates ahead.
8. Health and Human Services
Critical to the rollout of new health care rules, some impacts will be felt as about half of Health and Human Services 78,000 employees are expected to be furloughed. Dont consider it a vacation from your obligations to working with the agency to meet ACA provisions.
