October 1, 2025
Please note that, because of a lapse in appropriations, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) is closed. OCWR staff, hearing officers, mediators, and court reporters are not available to respond to inquiries. Any requests for information, training, or other activity requiring an OCWR staff person to respond will not be handled while the OCWR is closed due to a lapse in appropriations.
Parties to a pending claim filed with the OCWR before September 23, 2025, will receive or have received an order or notice from the OCWR hearing officer or mediator handling the claim addressing scheduling, deadlines, or any other matters as they may be impacted by the lapse in funding and closure of the OCWR.
Parties to a claim filed with the OCWR on or after September 23, 2025, should note that no hearing officer has been appointed to handle the claim and, therefore, no OCWR procedural deadlines have been triggered. Upon the restoration of funding for the OCWR, the OCWR will process the claim, and further guidance will be forthcoming after that time. Any statutory deadline unrelated to proceedings before the OCWR, however, cannot be and has not been modified by the OCWR, including any deadline related to filing an action in a United States District Court or appealing an OCWR Board decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
For legislative branch employees who may have a claim or petition to file with the OCWR under the Congressional Accountability Act but have not yet filed their claim or petition, please note that during a lapse in appropriations and resulting closure of the OCWR office, covered employees may continue to file (1) claims through SOCRATES, the OCWR’s online filing system, or via electronic mail, postal mail, or facsimile and (2) petitions via electronic mail, postal mail, or facsimile. Because the OCWR office is closed, it will not be possible for a claimant to hand deliver a claim form or petition during a lapse in appropriations.
