From veterans benefits to mail: How a federal government shutdown affect Gardner services
With the possibility of a government shutdown just days away, many residents are wondering how they might be affected at the local level if Congressional lawmakers fail to pass a federal budget before the Sept. 30 deadline.
Not much, according to officials.
Patrons of the U.S Post Office in Gardner will notice no changes in the event of a shutdown of federal government.
“Postal service operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual,” said Steve Doherty, strategic communications specialist for the Northeast Region of the United States Postal Service. “Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown.”
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What about Social Security?
The Social Security Administration, which has an office on Main Street in Gardner, has an updated contingency plan to continue activities during a “potential lapse in federal appropriations and resulting partial shutdown of agency operations.”
According to the plan, which was updated on Aug. 14, the agency would continue activities critical to its direct-service operations and those needed to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits. Activities not directly related to the accurate and timely payment of benefits or not critical to direct-service operations would be ceased during any shutdown, according to the report.
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Among the services that would continue: applications for benefits; issuance of original and replacement Social Security cards; and post-entitlement actions, including changes of address, direct deposit, and processing of remittances for overpayments and administrative fees.
Services that would be discontinued during the government shutdown include benefit verifications, Freedom of Information Act requests, replacement Medicare cards, and overpayments processing.
What about the military and veterans' benefits?
The potential government shutdown would have a minimal affect on local veterans, according to Lynette Gabrila, veterans’ services director for the Wachusett District, which includes Gardner, Westminster, Ashburnham, Ashby, and Princeton.
“Veterans Affairs healthcare, disability compensation, pensions, education benefits, burials and housing assistance will continue even with the shutdown,” Gabrila explained, adding that some VA employees would be furloughed during the shutdown and that regional VA offices would be closed. “(This) could subsequently cause the backlog of VA claims to continue to increase and cause longer wait times for pending benefits.”
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Gabrila added that pending legislation, the “Pay Our Military Act 2023,” would allow for active-duty service members to have military pay protections, including continuing appropriations in the event of a government shutdown.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Government shutdown effect on Social Security, USPS, veterans benefits
