Tag Archives: closure

OPM Declares DC Area Fed Offices Closed Monday, January 25

January 24, 2016 By in Federal Agencies, Social Media, State Department Tags: , , ,

Posted: 7:11 pm EDT
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Non-emergency employees will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the number of hours they were scheduled to work unless they are:

  • required to telework,
  • on official travel outside of the Washington, DC area,
  • on pre-approved leave (including leave without pay), or
  • on an alternative work schedule (AWS) day off.

Telework-Ready Employees who are scheduled to perform telework on the effective day of the announcement or who are required to perform telework on a day when Federal offices are closed must telework the entire workday or request leave, or a combination of both, in accordance with their agency’s policies and procedures, subject to any applicable collective bargaining requirements (as consistent with law).

Emergency Employees are expected to report to their worksite unless otherwise directed by their agencies.

(Posted on January 24, 2016 at 5:40 PM)

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U.S. Embassy France: U.S. Consular Agency Nice to Close Permanently on Sept 1, 2015

August 25, 2015 By in Foreign Service, Locally Employed Staff, Staffing the FS, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , ,

Posted: 1:36 am EDT
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Via U.S. Embassy Paris, August 21, 2015:

The U.S. Embassy to France and Monaco and the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille announce a consolidation of consular services in southern France in order to better serve the public and enhance security for customers and staff.  Effective September 1, 2015, the U.S. Consular Agency in Nice will close.  All routine and emergency consular services in the Marseille consular district* will be provided by the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille.  The closure reflects the U.S. government’s policy of providing the highest quality consular service to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals in a location that offers a secure environment for all concerned.

As of September 1, 2015, all U.S. passport applications, reports of birth abroad applications, and notarial services must be scheduled at either the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille or the U.S. Embassy in Paris. For emergency services in the Marseille consular district, U.S. citizens are advised to contact the consular section at the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille.  For emergency services in other regions of France, U.S. citizens are advised to contact the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

The OIG report of US Mission France from 2012 notes that  the Nice consular agency accepts passport applications and provides notarial services. It also says that a senior local employee with more than 40 years of consular experience essentially runs the office, making appointments for the part-time consular agent, who sees applicants on Wednesdays. Back in 2012, the Consulate General Marseille also referred all Federal benefits applicants to Nice. State/OIG notes that  the Social Security Administration funds a five-person Federal benefits unit at Embassy Paris that has responsibility for providing information and processing claims in France and regionally. The assistant in Nice, although knowledgeable about Federal benefits, is providing unreimbursed and duplicative services for customers living in the south of France. A long time to be working for Uncle Sam.

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