Immediate Actions
This page offers you a basic checklist to stay one step ahead of an unexpected separation. These actions will ensure you retain access to critical personal files, accounts and contacts as well as have basic income to sustain you until you find your next opportunity. Consider whether you want to take any post-employment action to have your federal employment reinstated or use your voice in other important.
01
Download essential forms and contacts
​Before you leave, download and send to your personal email copies of the following essential personal documents. Organizations vary in their recommendation on period of coverage, ranging from the previous one to five years of records. We use five here to be conservative as well as consistent.​
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All documents in your eOPF, including all of your SF-50 documents. For a guide on understanding your SF-50, click here.
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Current position description.
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Most recent Earnings & Leave statement as well as your year-end E&L statement for the last five years.
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Performance appraisals for the last five years.
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Award certificates and citations.
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Most current leave summary from your time & attendance system.
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Most recent W-2 statement.
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If you have been involuntarily separated, request a copy of your SF-8 and ensure it includes your agency's Federal Identification Code (FIC). You will need your SF-8 with FIC to file for unemployment.
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Contact information for your agency HR team (email and phone).
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Download your Outlook contacts. If you have time, ask your IT services if they are able to download your contacts for you. They may be able to download all contacts you have communicated with in addition to the ones saved in your address book. If you leave before downloading your contacts, you may submit a FOIA request to receive them.
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If you are a foreign service officer, download your Foreign Service Pension System (FSPS) Benefits Statement.
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02
Update Accounts & Take Additional Measures
Take steps to ensure you will have access to important accounts and personal documents, familiarize yourself with policies that affect you post-employment and take other steps to protect yourself. The excellent list below list was developed by the American Foreign Service Association:​
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Remove personal documents from your work computer, especially those that you may need to access later and/or contain personal information and data.
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Make sure you can access sites protected by login.gov credentials (e.g., FSAFeds) without your PIV/CAC card by adding your personal email and phone numbers to your profile.
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Make sure important accounts and profiles (e.g., Thrift Savings Plan, medical insurance, professional liability insurance, AFSA, etc.) are linked to your personal email account and phone numbers.
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Obtain professional liability insurance (PLI). More information about PLI can be found here. To access a list of providers, please click here.
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Familiarize yourself with the restrictions of the Hatch Act and Anti-Lobbying Act on your communications with Members of Congress.
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Contact your HR service providers to ‘buy back’ creditable service toward your retirement computation date / retirement eligibility (e.g., Peace Corps service, previous service in civil service agencies).
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You may want to consider putting a freeze on your credit, to prevent your PII being used to open accounts in your name.
03
File for Unemployment
Federal employees who are let go through no fault of their own can immediately apply for UCFE (Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees). Download the Department of Labor's factsheet to understand how to access these benefits.
To file for compensation, you will need the following forms:​
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SF-8
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Separation SF-50
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Leave and Earnings Statements (current and last year)
04
Consider Taking Action Against Illegal Termination
If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, you should consider whether to take any action to seek to reinstate your position, to share your story with Congress or reporters, or pursue legal action.
