'Could not take a chance’: Social Security worker delays surgery amid US shutdown
The operation would have required two weeks off to recover but this absence was necessary.
When a longtime Social Security employee in the US scheduled surgery for early October, she did not think that a routine medical procedure could become a career risk.
The operation would have required two weeks off to recover but this absence was necessary.
But the federal government shutdown changed everything, turning what should have been a simple decision about her health into a stressful matter.
‘I could be laid off’: Employee
During the shutdown, taking sick leave could result into taken off-duty, a policy that applied even to essential employees at the Social Security Administration. This is known as a furlough notice, according to a report by CNN.
Unusually, any furlough notice filed during this period would appear under “disciplinary and adverse actions” in an employee’s record, a categorization seldom used before.
A black mark on her professional file would be a serious consequence.
Coupled with the tension and anxiety in her office, the employee decided to postpone the surgery.
“This is not the time,” she told CNN. “I could not take a chance on having weeks of furlough and being laid off.”
Her story is part of the unusual pressures faced by federal workers during the shutdown in the US
Can work but every decision is high stake
While she is classified as an “essential” employee, allowing her to continue working without pay, even routine decisions about personal health come with personal risk.
The federal policy that required furlough notices to be categorized as disciplinary created a rare and stressful situation for employees who normally take sick leaves.
One employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs told CNN about being surprised when his supervisor questioned whether he truly wanted to take his preapproved time off during the shutdown.
This was unprecedented and unheard of so far. The shutdown has rippled across federal services.
What is the US federal shutdown?
The US government shutdown is in its third week, with Republican and Democratic politicians not reaching a resolution on how to resolve an ongoing budget dispute.
It means that some US government services are temporarily suspended, and around 1.4 million federal employees are either on unpaid leaves or working without payment.
This spending fight has is especially tense because US President Donald Trump has cut the size of the national government and might even make further cuts.
A US federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from firing workers during the government shutdown.
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Experts say leave for health is not dereliction of duty
Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, noted that employees shouldn’t view required time off as dereliction of duty.
Yet, policies that link furloughs to disciplinary records blur that distinction, creating a chilling effect on those who might otherwise prioritize personal health.
The federal government shutdown began on October 1, 2025, after Congress failed to pass appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year.
