Information for Employees Separated from the Agency and Employees Who Opted for a Deferred Resignation

If you left your position due to termination, you may wish to file for unemployment. You will need this Unemployment Compensation Form when you file, and you should review the following information and links from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The U.S. Department of Labor's unemployment insurance programs provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet certain other eligibility requirements. Unemployment insurance is a joint state-federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers. Each state administers a separate unemployment insurance program, but all states follow the same guidelines established by federal law.

How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

Fact sheet: Unemployment compensation for federal employees (UCFE)

Standard Form 50 (SF-50)

A Standard Form 50, or SF-50, documents personnel actions in federal employment. If you plan to apply for another federal position in the future, you will need copies of your SF-50, which is available within the eOPF system. If you have already separated from Rural Development, you will not be able to access this system. You can obtain a copy of your SF-50 by emailing HRFO@usda.gov.

Tax Documents and Earnings and Leave Statements

You can download or print tax documents—such as your W-2, W-4 and 1095-C forms—and your earnings and leave statements through the National Finance Center’s (NFC’s) My Employee Personal Page (MyEPP) system. You should have access to this system now and for 18 months following your separation. Instructions on logging in without your LincPass card are below. If you are unable to access this system to download your items, contact the NFC Contact Center for assistance at 1-855-632-4468 or email HRFO@usda.gov for assistance.

Important details about MyEPP access:

• Separated employees have access to MyEPP for 18 months following separation.
• Separated employees must access MyEPP using Login.gov with multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• If you are unable to access MyEPP due to a password issue, contact the NFC Contact Center for assistance at 1-855-632-4468 or email HRFO@usda.gov for assistance.
• Self-service options will not be available for separated employees, including changing printing options.
• A MyEPP Quick Reference Guide is available.

Important information from the National Finance Center:

• In January 2025, employees’ 2024 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements (W-2 statements) were mailed to their residence address as recorded in the Payroll/Personnel System (PPS).
• If you have not received a W-2, your W-2 may have required an adjustment, and it would have been mailed upon completion. You can use MyEPP to check your W-2 data.
• All current and former employees of agencies serviced by NFC must request W-2 reprints from their respective Servicing Personnel Office, please send a request to HRFO@usda.gov.
   

Performance Appraisal

You might need your most recent performance appraisal when applying for a new job. To obtain a copy of your last performance appraisal, contact your supervisor of record or email HRFO@usda.gov. The Enterprise Performance Management Application (EPMA) system is not accessible after you have separated from the agency. However, HR or your supervisor can retrieve your performance appraisal for you.

If you lose your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program coverage because you leave your federal job, you are eligible for temporary continuation of coverage (TCC) unless your separation is involuntary due to gross misconduct. If it is not due to gross misconduct, the reasons for your separation don't matter.

Your Human Resources Office must notify you, within 61 days after your regular FEHB enrollment terminates, of your opportunity to enroll under TCC. Generally, you have 60 days after getting the notice or 60 days after separation, whichever is later, to enroll under TCC.

It's a good idea to ask your agency to give you your TCC information as soon as possible. TCC enrollments—and premiums—always begin on the 32nd day after your regular coverage ends (which happens on the last day of the pay period in which you separate). The earlier you submit your enrollment form for TCC, the earlier your agency can process it, and the less likely it will be that you will receive a large bill for retroactive TCC coverage.

However, if you retired and you are eligible to continue your regular FEHB coverage as a retiree, you aren't eligible for TCC because your regular FEHB coverage doesn't stop. If you retired, and you aren't sure whether you are eligible to continue regular FEHB coverage as a retiree, contact your assigned HR Benefits Specialist.

If you elect TCC please return your completed SF-2809 Form and send to the HR Benefits and Retirements email box at SM.RD.EmployeeBenefits@usda.gov The subject line should read TCC Enrollment.

Useful links from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

• Termination, Conversion and Temporary Continuation of Coverage
• Temporary Continuation of Coverage
• How to obtain TCC if you are a separating employee
• Healthcare & Benefits
• SF 2809 Health Benefits Election Form

You will need to process your final timesheet prior to departure on your last workday. If you are not able to access your timesheet, your timekeeper can enter your hours. Please contact your supervisor or email HRFO@usda.gov for assistance.

As described in the section “Tax Documents and Earnings and Leave Statements” above, you can access your leave balance information in MyEPP within your earnings and leave statements.

If you transferred to another federal agency, your annual and sick leave hours will be transferred to the gaining agency. If you separated from federal service entirely, you will receive a lump sum for any unused annual leave but not your sick leave or some other types of leave.

Any Time-off Award (TOA) hours to your credit must have been used by your last day of employment. TOA hours cannot be converted to cash.

Any Comp Time (regular and travel) and Credit Hours also should have been used by your last workday. If this was not possible, you will receive a lump sum payment for any regular Comp Time and Credit Hours that remain after your employment ends, but if you did not use up your Travel Comp Time, you will not be paid for it.

If you have any questions, please contact the Rural Development Human Resources Office at HRFO@usda.gov.

Also see the OPM fact sheet Lump-Sum Payments for Annual Leave.

Separated employees must return all government-issued equipment and credentials, including the following: 

• The government laptop you were issued.
• Any government-issued equipment, such as a camera, keyboard, mouse or monitor.
• Your government-issued mobile phone.
• Keys to any government offices.
• The LincPass card you were issued.
• Any government credit cards or purchase cards you may have been issued.
• A Transit Benefit Card if you were issued one.

Contact your supervisor of record to identify all equipment and credentials that you must return and to learn how to return the items to Rural Development. The supervisor will coordinate the shipment of IT equipment and arrange to send a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope for your LincPass card. Before shipping, mobile phones must be cleared, such as contacts, pictures, etc. removed.

If you had an outstanding travel voucher, work with your supervisor of record to ensure that your voucher is processed. If you don’t have the supervisor’s email address or phone number, you may email HRFO@usda.gov and provide your name and your office information for help contacting your supervisor. . Questions about travel vouchers can be directed to rd.travel@usda.gov.

If you have questions about a government purchase card, please send them to the GPC email at RD.GPCPOB@usda.gov 

Questions about travel cards can be directed to rd.travel@usda.gov.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)

If you have left the federal government, you can no longer make employee contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). However, you can still change your investment mix, transfer eligible money into your account, and enjoy the TSP’s low costs—all while your account continues to accrue earnings.

If your account balance is $200 or more, you can keep it in the TSP when you leave the federal government.

Important things you must do:

• Make sure the TSP has your current address at all times.
• Please contact TSP if you have any outstanding TSP loans, they will assist you with your options.
• Read the TSP booklets “Distributions” and “Tax Rules about TSP Payments” to fully understand your options and their consequences.
• Learn more on the TSP page Leaving the Federal Government.
   

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides the following information about FERS contributions and separations from federal service.

If you leave your government job before becoming eligible for retirement:

• You can ask that your retirement contributions be returned to you in a lump sum payment, or
• If you have at least five years of creditable service, you can wait until you are at retirement age to apply for monthly retirement benefit payments. This is called a deferred retirement.

See more information on the OPM page about FERS for former employees.

Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)

If you leave your government job before becoming eligible for retirement:

• You can ask that your retirement contributions be returned to you in a lump sum payment, or
• If you have five or more years of civilian service, you can wait until you are retirement age to apply for monthly retirement benefit payments. This is called a deferred retirement.

See more information on the OPM page about CSRS for former employees.

If you get a refund of your retirement contributions now, you will no longer be eligible to receive monthly payments when you reach retirement age, unless you are later reemployed subject to the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System. Refer to information about retirement eligibility.

Useful links from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

• I’m leaving Federal Service (not retiring) Information and FAQs
• OPM Leaving the Government Retirement FAQ
• OPM Former Employees — FERS
• OPM Former Employees — CSRS

If you have left federal employment and then decide to return to federal employment, you may re-enroll in your Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) coverage. See the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) information “What happens to my FEGLI coverage if I leave Federal employment and then decide to come back?”

If you return to work within the federal government after a break in service of less than 180 days, your human resources office will automatically enroll you in the same coverage that you had before you left your prior position. You will have to qualify to elect other coverage (open season, physical exam or life event).

If you return to work within the federal government after a break in service of 180 days or more, your human resources office will automatically enroll you in Basic and the same optional insurance that you had in your prior position. You will have this coverage the first day you are in pay and duty status. Any previous waiver of insurance is automatically canceled. Unless you file a new waiver, Basic insurance becomes effective your first day in pay and duty status in a position in which you are eligible for coverage.

You may elect more insurance (if you don't already have the maximum) within 31 days of returning to service in an eligible position, regardless of the coverage you had during your previous employment. If you do not make a new election, you will automatically get back whatever optional insurance you had immediately before your separation. Any coverage that you had previously waived will be waived again.

Useful links from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

• Life Insurance Information
• Frequently Asked Questions about Life Insurance

Separating from federal service will not affect your FLTCIP coverage, if elected. You will be required to continue to pay premiums to continue coverage.  If premiums are paid through payroll deduction, you will need to contact Long Term Care Partners at 1-800-LTCFEDS (1-800-582-3337) to make other billing arrangements.  

If you wish to, you may complete a survey about your experience and perception of the workplace. An exit survey is provided as part of USDA’s requirement to survey a departing employee. Please go to the following website to access a confidential and anonymous employee exit survey if you’d like to participate: USDA Exit Survey.

Also, the agency may contact you for an exit interview to obtain a deeper understanding of your employee experience.

The Office of Ethics recommends employees meet with it to discuss the change in their employment status, to ensure an ethical and successful departure from USDA. Please send an email to the Office of Ethics at SM.OE.Ethics.RD@usda.gov to request a consultation regarding the change in your employment status, and to be removed from their training and tracking database for employees with a financial disclosure clause, such as Office of Government Ethics Form 450.

Standard Form 50 (SF-50)

A Standard Form 50, or SF-50, documents personnel actions in federal employment. If you plan to apply for another federal position in the future, you will need copies of your SF-50, which is available within the eOPF system. After you are placed on administrative leave, you will not be able to access this system, so we recommend you obtain your SF-50 now. If you no longer have access to this system, you can obtain a copy of your SF-50 by emailing HRFO@usda.gov.  

Tax Documents and Earnings and Leave Statements

You can download or print tax documents—such as your W-2, W-4 and 1095-C forms—and your earnings and leave statements through the National Finance Center’s (NFC’s) My Employee Personal Page (MyEPP) system. You should have access to this system now and for 18 months following your separation. Instructions on logging in without your LincPass card are below. If you are unable to access this system to download your items, contact the NFC Contact Center for assistance at 1-855-632-4468 or email HRFO@usda.gov for assistance.

Important details about MyEPP access:

• Separated employees have access to MyEPP for 18 months following separation.
• Separated employees must access MyEPP using Login.gov with multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• If you are unable to access MyEPP due to a password issue, contact the NFC Contact Center for assistance at 1-855-632-4468 or email HRFO@usda.gov for assistance.
• Self-service options will not be available for separated employees, including changing printing options.
• A MyEPP Quick Reference Guide is available.

Important information from the National Finance Center:

• In January 2025, employees’ 2024 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements (W-2 statements) were mailed to their residence address as recorded in the Payroll/Personnel System (PPS).
• If you have not received a W-2, your W-2 may have required an adjustment, and it would have been mailed upon completion. You can use MyEPP to check your W-2 data.
• All current and former employees of agencies serviced by NFC must request W-2 reprints from their respective Servicing Personnel Office.
   

Performance Appraisal

You might need your most recent performance appraisal when applying for a new job. To obtain a copy of your last performance appraisal from the Enterprise Performance Management Application (EPMA), log in at https://ehrapps.usda.gov/performance, scroll to the bottom of the page, select the appropriate year of the appraisal you want to download, and click “View Performance Plan and Appraisal, Form Version.”

Once you have separated, you will not be able to access the EPMA system. If you can’t access the system or need assistance retrieving your performance appraisal, contact your supervisor or email HRFO@usda.gov.

If you lose your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program coverage because you leave your federal job, you are eligible for temporary continuation of coverage (TCC) unless your separation is involuntary due to gross misconduct. If it is not due to gross misconduct, the reasons for your separation don't matter.

Your Human Resources Office must notify you, within 61 days after your regular FEHB enrollment terminates, of your opportunity to enroll under TCC. Generally, you have 60 days after getting the notice or 60 days after separation, whichever is later, to enroll under TCC.

It's a good idea to ask your agency to give you your TCC information as soon as possible. TCC enrollments—and premiums—always begin on the 32nd day after your regular coverage ends (which happens on the last day of the pay period in which you separate). The earlier you submit your enrollment form for TCC, the earlier your agency can process it, and the less likely it will be that you will receive a large bill for retroactive TCC coverage.

However, if you retired and you are eligible to continue your regular FEHB coverage as a retiree, you aren't eligible for TCC because your regular FEHB coverage doesn't stop. If you retired, and you aren't sure whether you are eligible to continue regular FEHB coverage as a retiree, contact your assigned HR Benefits Specialist.

If you elect TCC please return your completed SF-2809 Form and send to the HR Benefits and Retirements email box at SM.RD.EmployeeBenefits@usda.gov The subject line should read TCC Enrollment.

Useful links from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

• Termination, Conversion and Temporary Continuation of Coverage
• Temporary Continuation of Coverage
• How to obtain TCC if you are a separating employee
• Healthcare & Benefits
• SF 2809 Health Benefits Election Form

You will need to process your final timesheet prior to departure on your last workday. If you are not able to access your timesheet, your timekeeper can enter your hours. Please contact your supervisor or email HRFO@usda.gov for assistance.

As described in the section “Tax Documents and Earnings and Leave Statements” above, you can access your leave balance information in your earnings and leave statements in MyEPP.

Once you have separated from federal service, you will receive a lump sum for any unused annual leave but not your sick leave or some other types of leave.

Any Time-off Award (TOA) hours to your credit must be used by your last day of employment. TOA hours cannot be converted to cash.

Any Comp Time (regular and travel) and Credit Hours also should be used by your last workday. If this is not possible, you will receive a lump sum payment for any regular Comp Time and Credit Hours that remain after your employment ends, but if you did not use up your Travel Comp Time, you will not be paid for it.

If you have any questions, please contact the Rural Development Human Resources Front Office at HRFO@usda.gov.

Also see the OPM fact sheet Lump-Sum Payments for Annual Leave.

On or before your last workday, you must return all government-issued equipment and credentials, including the following:  

• The government laptop you were issued.
• Any government-issued equipment, such as a camera, keyboard, mouse or monitor.
• Your government-issued mobile phone.
• Keys to any government offices.
• The LincPass card you were issued.
• Any government credit cards or purchase cards you may have been issued.
• A Transit Benefit Card if you were issued one.

Contact your supervisor of record to identify all equipment and credentials that you must return and to learn how to return the items to Rural Development. The supervisor will coordinate the shipment of IT equipment and arrange to send a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope for your LincPass card. Before shipping, mobile phones must be cleared, such as contacts, pictures, etc., should be removed. 

If you have an outstanding travel voucher, work with your supervisor before your last workday to ensure that your voucher is processed. If it has not been processed before your last workday, and you don’t have your supervisor’s email address or phone number, you may email HRFO@usda.gov and provide your name and your office information for help in contacting your supervisor. Questions about travel vouchers can be directed to rd.travel@usda.gov.

If you have questions about a government purchase card, please send them to the GPC email at RD.GPCPOB@usda.gov 

Questions about travel cards can be directed to rd.travel@usda.gov.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)

If you have left the federal government, you can no longer make employee contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). However, you can still change your investment mix, transfer eligible money into your account, and enjoy the TSP’s low costs—all while your account continues to accrue earnings.

If your account balance is $200 or more, you can keep it in the TSP when you leave the federal government.

Important things you must do:

• Make sure the TSP has your current address at all times.
• If you have any TSP loans, decide if you want to pay them off, keep them open and set up monthly payments, or allow them to be foreclosed and accept the outstanding balance and accrued interest as taxable income.
• Read the TSP booklets “Distributions” and “Tax Rules about TSP Payments” to fully understand your options and their consequences.
• Learn more on the TSP page Leaving the Federal Government.
   

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides the following information about FERS contributions and separations from federal service.

If you leave your government job before becoming eligible for retirement:

• You can ask that your retirement contributions be returned to you in a lump sum payment, or
• If you have at least five years of creditable service, you can wait until you are at retirement age to apply for monthly retirement benefit payments. This is called a deferred retirement.

See more information on the OPM page about FERS for former employees.

Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)

If you leave your government job before becoming eligible for retirement:

• You can ask that your retirement contributions be returned to you in a lump sum payment, or
• If you have five or more years of civilian service, you can wait until you are retirement age to apply for monthly retirement benefit payments. This is called a deferred retirement.

See more information on the OPM page about CSRS for former employees.

If you get a refund of your retirement contributions now, you will no longer be eligible to receive monthly payments when you reach retirement age, unless you are later reemployed subject to the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System. Refer to information about retirement eligibility.

Useful links from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

• I’m leaving Federal Service (not retiring) Information and FAQs
• OPM Leaving the Government Retirement FAQ
• OPM Former Employees — FERS
• OPM Former Employees — CSRS

The following information will apply once your administrative leave period ends and you have separated from federal service.

If you leave federal employment and then decide to return to federal employment, you may re-enroll in your Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) coverage. See the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) information “What happens to my FEGLI coverage if I leave Federal employment and then decide to come back?”

If you return to work within the federal government after a break in service of less than 180 days, your human resources office will automatically enroll you in the same coverage that you had before you left your prior position. You will have to qualify to elect other coverage (open season, physical exam or life event).

If you return to work within the federal government after a break in service of 180 days or more, your human resources office will automatically enroll you in Basic and the same optional insurance that you had in your prior position. You will have this coverage the first day you are in pay and duty status. Any previous waiver of insurance is automatically canceled. Unless you file a new waiver, Basic insurance becomes effective your first day in pay and duty status in a position in which you are eligible for coverage.

You may elect more insurance (if you don't already have the maximum) within 31 days of returning to service in an eligible position, regardless of the coverage you had during previous employment. If you do not make a new election, you will automatically get back whatever optional insurance you had immediately before your separation. Any coverage that you had previously waived will be waived again.

Useful links from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

• Life Insurance Information
• Frequently Asked Questions about Life Insurance

Separating from federal service will not affect your FLTCIP coverage, if elected. You will be required to continue to pay premiums to continue coverage.  If premiums are paid through payroll deduction, you will need to contact Long Term Care Partners at 1-800-LTCFEDS (1-800-582-3337) to make other billing arrangements.  

If you wish to, you may complete a survey about your experience and perception of the workplace. An exit survey is provided as part of USDA’s requirement to survey a departing employee and learn about their reasons for leaving the agency. Please go to the following website to access a confidential and anonymous employee exit survey if you’d like to participate: USDA Exit Survey.

Also, the agency may contact you for an exit interview to obtain a deeper understanding of your employee experience.

The Office of Ethics recommends employees meet with them to discuss the change in their employment status to ensure an ethical and successful departure from USDA. Please send an email to the Office of Ethics at SM.OE.Ethics.RD@usda.gov to request a consultation regarding the change in your employment status, and to be removed from their training and tracking database for employees with a financial disclosure clause, such as Office of Government Ethics Form 450. 

Rural Development (RD) employees who are participating in the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) 2.0 will be put on paid administrative leave. During the time that a federal employee is on administrative leave status, the employee continues to be a federal employee and therefore is generally subject to all Federal Ethics rules. USDA’s Office of Ethics has shared Federal Ethics resources and frequently asked questions below.

USDA Office of Ethics Resources

• USDA Webpage on Ethics and the DRP
• DRP Ethics Chart
• Ethics in Brief: Ethics Laws and Administrative Leave Under the DRP
• Guidance for OGE-278 and OGE-450 filers taking DRP

Frequently Asked Questions – Provided by USDA’s Office of Ethics

1. Will post-government employment rules still apply for employees opting into DRP?

Post-government employment rules, which will apply after you officially depart USDA, do not prohibit your ability to obtain a job in the private sector, they only govern your ability to interact with the federal government once you have departed. For example, you may not work on any specific matter for your new employer that you worked on when you were employed with USDA. This is a permanent, or lifetime ban. If you were a supervisor, you may not work on anything that your subordinates worked on during the last year that you were with USDA, for two years. This is known as the Two-Year Supervisory ban. These rules are extremely fact-specific and resources pertaining to the post employment restrictions can be found on the USDA Office of Ethics Post Employment and Seeking Employment Webpage.

2. What are the changes in the requirement to submit the form OE-101 for outside employment?

The Office of Ethics is waiving the OE-101 form requirement for individuals who have decided to take the DRP. Once an employee obtains outside employment, they no longer have to worry about providing the form OE-101. It is no longer required. It has been determined that the risk of a financial conflict of interest is slim, so the requirement has been waived. The rules are still in place, but the form OE-101 is primarily designed to prevent violations of criminal statute, 18 U.S.C. 208, conflicts of financial interest. Since employees who are on administrative leave will not be in the office dealing with clients or potential stakeholders, the ability for them to benefit from any interaction is nearly eliminated because they are no longer in the workplace with access to nonpublic government information or with the ability to make decisions that will benefit the financial interest of themselves or their beneficiaries. Now, there are other criminal statutes still in play, such as the aforementioned 18 U.S.C. 203 and 205, which prohibit employees from representing a third party back to the Executive and Judicial branches of government. These two statutes are known as the Representation statutes. The guidance given to employees who accepted the DRP expressly states the prohibition to represent outside entities before the Executive and Judicial branches. If you have any questions as you enter the private sector, you may always contact the Office of Ethics. USDA’s Office of Ethics provides post-employment guidance even after employees have departed USDA.

3. Can an employee on DRP go to work for another executive branch agency, or the legislative or judicial branches of the Federal government?

The answer is no. Generally, doing so would be prohibited by The Dual Compensation Act (5 USC 5533), which prohibits federal employees from receiving basic pay from more than one federal position for more than an aggregate of 40 hours of work in one calendar week. Since employees on DRP would be receiving pay for 40 hours of admin leave per calendar week, they would be prohibited from receiving pay from any other federal position unless it fit into one of the limited exceptions.

If you have questions regarding Federal Ethics rules, contact the USDA Office of Ethics at: DAEO.Ethics@uda.gov.