Good afternoon,

Thank you for your efforts to get vaccinated to protect yourself and the people around you. We are encouraged by the vaccination rate at USDA and our tremendous progress over the last few months. As you know, we have been working towards bringing USDA employees back to the physical workplace and into new telework and remote work arrangements with a phased approach that began on December 1 for Senior Executives.

First, we understand that this is an uncertain time as we learn more about the Omicron variant and that you have questions about implications for how we work together. As the President shared yesterday, and as public health experts continue to emphasize, if you are fully vaccinated, and especially if you've got your booster shot, you have a high degree of protection against severe illness, with vaccinated people who get COVID-19 likely to have no symptoms or mild symptoms. At USDA, we are taking Omicron seriously, and we are doing the planning we need to do and have in place safety protocols for those of you working onsite, consistent with current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force.

Second, based on various factors, including to address operational considerations at the start of the new year related to preparing for increased presence in our workplaces, we are modifying our phased reentry approach to allow additional time. We do not expect the next wave of employees to begin returning on January 3 as some Agencies and Staff Offices had planned. Instead, early in the new year, we will establish a new date for the next step in our phased return to the physical workplace. We plan to provide more details about a new date by January 14, 2022.

What does this mean for you practically?

• We recognize the thousands of USDA employees that have never left the physical workplace and thank you for continuing to perform mission critical work onsite.
• For the senior leadership cadre (Appointees, Senior Executive Service, Senior Level, Scientific and Professional, Senior Scientific and Technological Service, and Senior Foreign Service Officers), who returned to the physical workplace on December 1, you may now utilize enhanced telework until further notice.
• For employees who are currently in maximum telework status, we do not expect you to begin returning to the physical workplace in updated telework and remote work arrangements until further notice. If you are not clear about your status, please reach out to your supervisor.
• Agencies and Staff Offices should continue without delay labor relations bargaining obligations and negotiations as it pertains to the 1) Reentry Plan and the 2) Departmental Regulation on Telework and Remote Work Programs.
• All employee notifications regarding a timeline for returning to the physical workplace are paused until further information is provided regarding the new date.
• All employee notifications regarding updated telework and remote work arrangements must be provided by January 14, 2022, if they have not already been sent and are not dependent on finalization of labor relations bargaining obligations for bargaining unit employees or the Agencies/Staff Offices Reentry Plan Timeline.
• All Agencies and Staff Offices must continue without delay adjudication of accommodation requests for medical and religious exceptions to the vaccination requirements.
• Vaccination compliance and enforcement processes will continue with January 3 marking the start of issuance of proposed notices of suspensions.

In the new year, we will be sharing a Supervisor Return to the Physical Workplace Toolkit with all supervisors, which will provide more detail about expectations for the coming weeks, as well as helpful resources to ensure we continue to support and provide guidance rooted in our values of respect, equity and inclusion. Also, in the new year, we will be sharing an Employee Return to the Physical Workplace Toolkit that aims to do the same.

As always, we appreciate your patience as we continue to follow the science and prioritize the health and safety of our workforce. As recommended by the CDC, we encourage everyone to get a COVID-19 booster shot if you have not already. For employees in the National Capital Region, please feel free to visit the Health Unit in the South building to receive your booster. The Health Unit is located in Room 1411 (first floor, wing 4). Please call (202) 720-9522 to make an appointment. In accordance with determinations made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC, eligible personnel include those who fall into one of the categories outlined below:

• Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine recipients who completed their second dose at least 6 months ago.
• Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recipients who were vaccinated at least two months ago.

Employees should be granted up to 4 hours of administrative leave to receive a COVID booster shot for themselves or to accompany a family member being vaccinated.

Please continue to refer to the USDA Workplace Safety Plan and USDA’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information.

Thank you for all that you do for USDA and the people we serve. We hope that you and your families have an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate over the holidays and we look forward to reconnecting with you in the new year.

Sincerely,

Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Bronaugh