October 31, 2025
From the Ohio Department of Administrative Services

As state government prepares for possible impacts of the ongoing shutdown of the federal government, per the agreement in the current union contract, six agencies today notified staff of the potential for the interruption of funding which could lead to future furloughs.

Those agencies include the Ohio Adjutant General’s Department, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The announcements are informational only. State bargaining contracts require agencies to make a general announcement 14 days before funding interruptions could occur at their agencies. At this time, all State of Ohio employees continue to report to work, and no employees have been notified that they will not receive pay.

While nearly 9,000 state employees received the announcement this afternoon, the projected number of state employees who may actually be subject to furlough would be less than half. The potential impact to employees is still being evaluated by these agencies. Additionally, the U.S. Senate’s approval of a clean continuing resolution within the next two weeks will render today’s notices moot as the positions would be funded again.

“While we hope for a resolution from Washington soon, we must prepare for the potential impact on our workforce in the coming weeks should the shutdown continue,” said Kathleen C. Madden, Director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. “We will continue to evaluate the situation daily and will have more specific information should further action become necessary.”

If the federal government shutdown continues and necessitates the furlough of any state employees whose positions are funded fully or in part by the federal government, those employees will be notified individually in advance in accordance with contract requirements.