During the recent government shutdown, thousands of employees, many of whom sought to file unemployment compensation claims, were unable to retrieve furlough letters that were sent to state.gov email addresses only. The Department has taken steps to prevent similar situations in the future, but employee action is needed. The Bureau of Human Resources requests that all American direct-hire employees add or update their personal email addresses in the Global Employment Management System (GEMS). Including this information will provide the Department with an additional means to communicate urgent notices and alerts when employees are away from work or do not have access to OpenNet.
