Attorneys for Federal Employees — Nationwide

Nearly 200,000 federal workers and supporters follow our updates across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Each briefing gives you the three stories that actually matter to your job, plain‑English legal guidance, and one short practice to protect your peace of mind. If it helps you, forward it to a colleague—new readers can subscribe at https://fedlegalhelp.com/newsletter. 

Today at a Glance

• HHS Has a 9,000-Case Backlog on Disability Accommodation Requests. CDC Just Restored Interim Telework Access for Disabled Employees — and Said It's Effective Immediately: A CDC deputy director told staff last week that supervisors have regained the authority to grant telework as an interim accommodation while employees wait for HHS leadership to process their final requests. The reversal follows a restrictive policy HHS rolled out last year that generated the backlog. Whether your agency has followed CDC's lead depends on where you work.
• Trump's FY2027 Budget Proposes Cutting 8,400 TSA Positions and Redirecting Most of That Funding to Begin Privatizing Airport Screening: The budget justification shows TSA would shrink from approximately 61,000 to roughly 52,600 employees, with about $477 million of the $529 million in personnel savings redirected to the Screening Partnership Program — the program that contracts with private companies to screen passengers at select airports. The FY2027 budget calls this the beginning of privatization.
• DHS Back Pay Is Landing in Accounts Today. If You Have Not Received It by April 16, You Need to Act — and Here Is What to Check.

Top Stories:

1. HHS Has a 9,000-Case Backlog on Disability Accommodation Requests. CDC Just Quietly Restored Interim Telework — Effective Immediately — for Employees Waiting in That Queue.

Source: Federal News Network — April 8, 2026

TL;DR: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent an email to employees last week from a deputy director confirming that, after consulting with HHS human resources leadership, CDC supervisors have been restored the authority to grant telework as an interim reasonable accommodation while employees wait for HHS to process their final accommodation requests. The change is effective immediately for employees who have a pending accommodation request, have already gone through the interactive process, and have identified a need for interim telework. The reversal follows a December 2025 CDC memo that told employees all telework-related reasonable accommodations would be repealed and that supervisors could no longer approve them. That policy contributed to a department-wide backlog that has now reached approximately 9,000 pending accommodation requests across HHS. HHS's position is that telework remains available as an accommodation option on a case-by-case basis, but that final approvals still require sign-off from HHS leadership — not agency supervisors.

For federal employees, this means:

• If you are a CDC employee with a disability who has a pending reasonable accommodation request and needs interim telework, your supervisor now has the authority to approve that interim arrangement while your case works through the HHS review queue. The CDC guidance is explicit: contact your supervisor to discuss next steps. Get the interim approval in writing.
• If you are at a different HHS component — NIH, FDA, HRSA, SAMHSA, CMS, ACF, or another office — the CDC guidance applies specifically to CDC. It does not automatically extend to other HHS components. Contact your HR office to find out whether your component has received similar delegated authority from HHS leadership.
• The 9,000-case backlog is not a CDC problem — it is an HHS-wide problem generated by a policy that required assistant-secretary-level approval for all accommodation requests and simultaneously stripped CDC supervisors of interim authority. If you submitted a reasonable accommodation request months ago and have not heard anything, you are likely in that queue. Follow up in writing with your EEO or HR office today and document the date of your follow-up.

Legal Insight:
Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 791, federal agencies are required to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with qualifying disabilities unless doing so would cause undue hardship. Telework is a well-established form of reasonable accommodation for employees whose disabilities affect their ability to commute or work in an open office environment. The failure to process a reasonable accommodation request in a timely manner is itself a potential violation — agencies cannot simply leave requests pending indefinitely and use the backlog as a de facto denial. If your accommodation request has been pending for more than 30 days without a response or interim arrangement, document the timeline, the dates you followed up, and the responses you received. If you have been required to report to the office during the pendency of a request that should have been granted, that gap may constitute a denial of accommodation. Because the timeline and documentation of your interactive process will be central to any subsequent EEO complaint, consider talking with a qualified federal employment attorney now — not after a formal denial arrives.

2. Trump's FY2027 Budget Proposes Cutting 8,400 TSA Jobs — and Redirecting the Savings to Begin Privatizing Airport Screening

Source: Federal News Network — April 1, 2026

TL;DR: TSA's fiscal 2027 budget justification, filed as part of the White House's budget request released last week, proposes reducing TSA's workforce by roughly 8,400 positions — from approximately 61,000 to about 52,600 — a reduction of about 14%. The budget would cut approximately $529 million from TSA's personnel costs. But rather than returning that money to the Treasury, the budget would redirect approximately $477 million of it into the Screening Partnership Program, the federal program under which private contractors rather than government employees perform passenger screening at select airports. The Office of Management and Budget's budget overview explicitly describes this as the beginning of the privatization of TSA airport screeners. The cuts come immediately following the DHS shutdown during which TSA workforce shortages caused significant airport delays — shortages that itself prompted thousands of TSA employees to call out or resign. TSA's FY2027 budget would also cut the agency's inspector general office despite broader increases in DHS spending overall.

For federal employees, this means:

• If you are a Transportation Security Officer or a TSA civilian employee, this budget is a direct signal about the administration's intended direction for your agency. It is not enacted law — Congress appropriates TSA's actual funding — but it is the clearest statement yet that the White House intends to shrink TSA's federal headcount and convert a substantial portion of screening operations to private contractors.
• The Screening Partnership Program is not new. Airports including San Francisco International have operated under private screening contracts for years. What is new is the explicit plan to use it as a primary vehicle for reducing the federal TSA workforce — and the scale of the proposed conversion.
• If TSOs at your airport are eventually transitioned to private contractor screening under the SPP, your employment status, pay, benefits, and collective bargaining rights change significantly. Federal civil service protections — including MSPB appeal rights — do not extend to employees of private contractors. This development warrants attention now, before any specific transition is proposed.

Legal Insight:
A presidential budget proposal does not change your employment status, and TSA is not in a position to implement privatization without congressional authorization and appropriations. If your airport is designated for SPP conversion, TSA would be required to follow specific procedures under the Screening Partnership Program statute and applicable federal contracting requirements. Federal employees who are displaced by a SPP conversion may be entitled to priority consideration for other federal positions under reemployment priority list procedures under 5 C.F.R. Part 330. As always, a budget proposal is an opening bid — Congress has repeatedly modified or rejected TSA privatization proposals in prior years. But given that the shutdown already strained TSA's workforce, and this budget signals a clear direction, TSA employees with questions about their appeal rights, employment protections, or union contract rights should consider consulting a qualified federal employment attorney sooner rather than later.

3. DHS Back Pay Is Landing Today. Here Is What Every DHS Employee Should Check Before April 16.

Source: Government Executive — April 8, 2026

TL;DR: DHS confirmed this week that all employees — furloughed and excepted — will receive back pay covering February 14 through April 4 between today, April 10, and April 16. The payments are funded through a provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that gives the president flexibility to redirect DHS funding. One DHS employee described a "mad dash" to complete time cards in time. DHS told employees not to submit hours for their next pay period yet, pending further guidance. Critically, the payment covers only through April 4 — the last full pay period before the shutdown continued. Any pay owed for the period beginning April 5 will require Congress to end the shutdown legislatively. DHS leadership also noted that roughly 8% of the department's employees remain on furlough and will not receive pay until the shutdown ends.

For federal employees, this means:

• Check your account no later than April 16. If you have not received a deposit by April 16, do not assume it is coming — contact your payroll office in writing that same day.
• When the payment arrives, verify: the number of pay periods covered matches the period from February 14 through April 4; the base pay rate is correct; any overtime, premium pay, or hazardous duty pay you earned during the lapse is included; and the net amount after taxes and deductions is consistent with your normal pay statements.
• If you are among the approximately 8% of DHS employees still on furlough, you will not receive payment until the shutdown is legislatively resolved. Congress returns April 13. A vote is possible that week, but not guaranteed. Do not incur financial obligations in anticipation of a payment that has not yet been authorized.

Legal Insight:
The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 guarantees back pay for all work performed or furloughs endured during a lapse in appropriations, once funding is restored. That statutory guarantee is separate from and independent of the executive order funding mechanism being used to pay through April 4. If the executive order payment is incomplete or inaccurate for the period it covers, you have a right to correct back pay under the GFETA and the Back Pay Act, 5 U.S.C. § 5596. Document any discrepancy in writing immediately upon receipt and submit a written inquiry to your payroll office the same day. Because payroll dispute timelines and correction mechanisms vary by DHS component, consider talking with your union and a qualified federal employment attorney if a discrepancy is not resolved within your agency's standard correction window.

Legal Tip of the Day

If You’re Facing a Security Clearance Issue 

Clearance concerns can arise unexpectedly and may impact your ability to work. These matters often move quickly and require careful responses. Review any notices closely and gather relevant information early. Avoid making assumptions about what matters—details can be important. Respond thoughtfully and within deadlines.

In Case You Missed It