<p>I think that automatic (computerized) verification systems are still online. Covered California was apparently able to successfully verify my income against whatever IRS database they plug into. The Social Security Number verification web site does not have any notices posted indicating it is offline. The Social Security business services web site has this notice:
</p>
<p>It makes sense to me. A computer system that can run on its own will continue to run… until it doesn’t. If and when any of these systems do crash, it’ll be a very big problem.</p>
<p>Bay, they do pick up the phones, but can’t provide all services. No new SSN being issued, no income verification, etc. as listed on the website: [Federal</a> Government Shutdown](<a href=“http://www.ssa.gov/shutdown/]Federal”>http://www.ssa.gov/shutdown/)</p>
<p>Someone asked about the immigration office - it looks like it is business as usual at the USCIS: [url=<a href=“http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis]USCIS”>Home | USCIS]USCIS</a> Home Page<a href=“makes%20sense,%20just%20like%20the%20Patent%20Office%20and%20passport%20agencies,%20it%20generates%20$$%20through%20fees”>/url</a>.</p>
<p>I wanted to find out about National Parks, National Seashores and so forth in Southern California, to see if the other cyclists I met during my Pacific Coast tour would have troubles. (I stopped just south of San Francisco on Wednesday, but many cyclists continue on to San Diego.) I couldn’t even look at the park websites; they’re all down.</p>
<p>Sorry to make you less comfortable, hayden, I don’t like it either. But I suspect that some of the ground inspectors will still be called to work, and they will just defer inspections that don’t need to be done immediately, recalling people as needed. It’s not like a random inspection here or there makes all the difference anyways, the airlines will still operate as normal. Nobody wants their airplanes to crash, absolutely nobody.</p>
<p>Good for them. But this does not help many people who are not government workers but whose business or incomes have been indirectly impacted by the shutdown, including some who have posted on this thread.</p>
<p>Yes, the only National Seashore I know of in California is Point Reyes up in Marin County. The only federal beaches I know of in southern CA are military ones such as Camp Pendleton. Camp Pendleton is not closed.</p>
<p>HIMom, we usually pay the gov’t MC bill even if we haven’t been reimbursed yet. He travels a great deal and the reimbursement cycle is sometimes off. Generally, not a big deal to front the $$ pending the funds hitting our checking account. </p>
<p>However, this time, DH paid for his plane tickets for 10/20 (to Seoul) on his gov’t MC rather than through the travel office (he is better at working the cheapest gov’t rates). Since we aren’t sure he’ll be going, we don’t want to pay out-of-pocket up front for the tickets, have the trip cancelled and then have a large credit (representing our personal funds) on the gov’t card – esp when those are funds we would have to pull from savings since we don’t know when he’s going to get paid.</p>
<p>We have many friends who are civilian contractors. Am very concerned for them.</p>
<p>Yes, I can see your problem. I was always irked when H would NOT be reimbursed for some of his govt travel, even though he was on travel just for them and we had to pay the bill because they were so slow at processing. He didn’t want his boss to be notified, as he thought would happen if it wasn’t promptly paid. </p>
<p>I really feel for all the employees and contractors who are being very directly affected by this shutdown. We had lunch with some of them the other day. They’re pretty anxious, especially since none of us or they know when it will end and they can get back to the work that is piling up on their desks and computers. </p>
<p>On the plus side, they likely couldn’t have joined us for lunch if they were working, since it was a workday. The older workers, who have mostly set aside a rainy day fund didn’t seem quite as stressed as the younger ones. They all still have bills, including mortgages and often college tuitions for their grown kids to pay.</p>
<p>My DH is a retired federal employee, senior executive so would not have been furloughed but he would have been in the terrible position of determining who is considered “essential” or not. Some would be easily determined, positions that directly affect public safety and so on… but it is terrible to have to inform someone that they are not considered “essential” especially hard for lower-level people who perhaps live paycheck to paycheck without savings to fall back on.
We just came back from trip to Canada and I can tell you that although it was smooth sailing at the border crossing the border agent was extremely grumpy and apparently not to happy about having to report to work without getting paid. So many people that I saw on the news had long-standing plans to get married in various national parks and either had to make alternate arrangements or cancel their plans. What a hardship for those who had travelled long distances and for the local area businesses affected.</p>
<p>I had plans to camp in a national park. Then I decided to cancel. I can do neither… The lines are down and I cannot cancel. If the shutdown lasts through next weekend I will get a full refund.</p>
<p>At my work, at a distillery, I have to deal daily with the TTB (Tax and Trade Bureau which was spun off from the ATF after 9/11) which is responsible for federal alcohol control - I need to get labels approved which are scheduled to print next week for new products to be released at the end of the month. Now they’re completely closed except for accepting excise tax payments (and they were already under-staffed to begin with.) We’re going to print the labels with our fingers crossed that they’ll eventually be approved. Otherwise, we’ll be reprinting everything and unable to sell to states other than California! But we need to get our product to market before the holidays. We are a small business manufacturer - so this is harming small business. But it also harms the large manufacturers, as well.</p>
<p>As for getting answers to regulatory questions or other assistance in running our business lawfully. Forget it.</p>
<p>Marian,
I meant no disrespect to others who are impacted by this. My intent was to provide an update that was relevant to this discussion with no editorial comment (or as little as possible).</p>
<p>I wasn’t criticizing you or your post. I just wanted to remind everyone that there are other people impacted by the shutdown in addition to government employees.</p>