Editor’s note: This story originally published claiming that the federal employees at the Marion VA will miss their first paycheck this week, however that is not the case. While the Marion VA is a federal agency that may experience furloughs, the Marion VA is funded via advance appropriations and they have a contingency plan in place to allocate funds to their essential employees during a government shutdown. 

Marion VA employees are still being paid during the shutdown because their salaries were already funded in advance by Congress in the previous year’s budget. The VA’s medical care accounts operate on a two-year funding cycle, insulating them from most shutdown disruptions. 

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The story below has been updated to correct this error. 

Federal employees across the state are expected to miss their first paycheck or to be furloughed due to the government shutdown in the coming weeks. 

Thousands of federal workers and active-duty military personnel in southern Illinois will be required to work without guaranteed payment until the government is re-opened. 

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By Oct. 17, the government shutdown had entered its third week, disrupting federal services and creating uncertainty for workers, students and families across the region.

In press release statements, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said the shutdown resulted from a failure in negotiating a solution for expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who represents Illinois’ 12th District, said in a statement that the funding extension was blocked by the Democrats.

Federal workers and residents across southern Illinois are affected by the impasse.

Southern Illinois University students receiving federal financial aid have experienced the first disruptions from the shutdown.

Kim Rendfeld, the university director of communications, emailed a statement about how the shutdown is impacting students on Oct. 17.

“We have received a few queries about FAFSA and Pell (grants), and a few students have reported disruptions because the GI Hotline is unavailable,” the statement said.

According to the statement, most financial aid for the fall semester was awarded before the shutdown began. The closure of the GI Bill Hotline means student veterans cannot call to resolve delayed payments or verify enrollment status.

“Regardless of what is going on in Washington, D.C., we are committed to providing our students with access to a college education,” the statement said. “We understand students have concerns, and we appreciate their patience as we all await a resolution to this issue.”

The officials directed students with concerns to contact the Financial Aid or Veterans Services offices.

Federal workers in the region include employees of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Forest Service.

According to federal guidelines, the first missed paychecks were scheduled for Oct. 15 for military personnel and Oct. 24 for civilian employees.

The Illinois Department of Human Services said October benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children are not affected by the shutdown.

However, funding beyond October remains uncertain.

“As we head into a partial federal government shutdown, NWA anticipates that WIC has enough funding on hand to remain open for the short term — likely one to two weeks… Even temporary disruptions to the program could have long-term negative consequences for the health and development of our nation’s families,” Georgia Machell, president of the National WIC Association, said in a National WIC Association press release on Oct. 6.

At Shawnee National Forest and Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, visitor centers are closed and most staff have been furloughed. Trails may be accessible but are unmaintained and unstaffed.

Former park superintendents have said in national statements that unmaintained parks create danger to the public and put natural resources at risk from accidents, vandalism or poaching.

The closure of local U.S. Department of Agriculture offices affects farmers seeking assistance with crop insurance, conservation programs or disaster loans. Calls and a voice message left for the Jackson County Farm Bureau were not returned by press time.

Government shutdown: What’s open, what’s closed in Illinois

• Social Security and VA benefits: Payments will continue. Customer service functions, including card replacement, career counselling and processing new applications, are stopped or delayed.
• Mail service: The U.S. Postal Service is not affected. Mail will be delivered.
• Food assistance: SNAP and WIC benefits are funded through October, according to state officials.
• National parks and refuges: Visitor centers and offices at Crab Orchard and Shawnee National Forest are closed. Trails and boat ramps may be accessible, but no staff are on duty.
• Air travel and Amtrak: Both are expected to operate on normal schedules. Staffing shortages at the TSA could cause delays at larger airports.

News editor Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram @jacksondothtml.

Staff reporter Trevor John can be reached at [email protected].

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