Church of the Holy Comforter | Vienna, VA

Friday, May 2, 2025

In March, Holy Comforter launched the EconTransitions Ministry to assist federal employees and others in the community in preparing for and navigating the rapid downsizing of the federal work force, its personal impacts, and impacts on our congregation and community.

EconTransitions created a page on Holy Comforter’s website which has a wealth of information and resources for federal employees. We encourage federal employees and interested others to review the full range of resources on the page, but highlight below the covered topics:

• Big Picture: Documents to Gather and Things to Do Now
• Communications in a Time of Trial
• Filing for Unemployment Benefits - What You Will Need and Where to File
• Potential Financial Resources 
• Mortgage Assistance (added May 2025)
• Federal Employees Health Insurance – Continued Coverage Option
• Alternative Health Insurance Options (added May 2025)
• Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program
• When Time Was Short (obtaining records the Government should have, but failed, to provide employees before they were separated)
• Reduction-in-Force
• Involuntary Separation: Complaints and Appeals
• Probationary and Trial Period Employees
• Legal Resources for Federal Employees (added May 2025)
• Other Resources

Some information may also be useful to contractors or others impacted by the ongoing downsizing (e.g., state links to unemployment insurance; mortgage assistance; alternative health insurance options).

The Ministry also highlights the following opportunities:

1. Job Fairs and Other Employment-Related Resources:

• The City of Alexandria is holding a job fair for feds on Saturday, May 3, 2023. 
• Georgetown University is providing a range of programs and tuition assistance options to help federal employees update skills or grow new ones 
• Virginia Has Jobs – a listing of state government openings
• Pennsylvania State Government Jobs – Pennsylvania is seeking federal employees
• Maryland Jobs for Feds – Maryland is seeking specific skills and has created a streamlined process for federal workers

2. Please contact econtransitions@holycomforter.com if you have been impacted by the federal downsizing and would like to take advantage of any of the following opportunities.  

• Career Coaching. Being fired or laid off can be traumatic, especially for those who never imagined a career other than one in service to country or whose jobs and skillsets were unique to the government and have no direct corollary in the private sector. Several certified coaches have volunteered to assist federal employees in re-purposing that mission-driven mindset and exploring new opportunities as they transition to new careers.  
• Assistance Preparing Resumes and Practice Interviews. Experienced recruiters have offered to review resumes and role play interviewers for laid off federal employees needing brush ups for private sector use.  
• Financial Planning. A seasoned financial planner has offered to provide planning insights to federal employees worried about losing their jobs or who have lost them.

We welcome questions and feedback at econtransitions@holycomforter.com.

In Christ,

EconTransitions Ministry

The information in this communication is provided for informational purposes only and is meant only to give a general overview of the matters discussed. It should not be interpreted as legal advice on any subject matter. For legal advice, speak with an attorney or, if you are a federal employee in a bargaining unit, refer to your union.