Federal Retiree Expertise Needed for Hurricane Recovery and Relief Efforts

Alexandria, VA – Federal retirees are once again being asked to step up and serve their country in a time of need. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the level and degree of federal government recovery and relief efforts will be extraordinary and will often require additional staff for the federal government agencies involved.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking qualified individuals, particularly those with federal government experience or federal retirees who would not require extensive training. At the request of SBA, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) is distributing its call for help to its members and networks.    

SBA issued the following statement on the recruitment effort:  

“As recovery efforts begin in Texas and Louisiana, it is clear the damage and devastation from Hurricane Harvey will certainly reach historic levels. Homes, businesses, and lives have been uprooted by the sheer force of nature, affecting millions of people. Right behind Harvey, we will be facing the aftermath related to Irma. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is one of the key Federal government agency sources of money to help homeowners, renters, businesses, and non-profit organizations recover from disasters. 

“While help has poured in from across the country, the road to recovery is going to be long. SBA is preparing to process an extraordinary number of disaster loan applications, and we have already hired hundreds of additional staff to help process these loans. However, demand for SBA assistance is expected to escalate quickly. 

“To augment our reserves, SBA is reaching out to individuals and businesses who can support our staff if needed, including the following roles – lawyers, paralegals and legal assistants, damage verifiers, loan specialists, program support assistants and call center specialists, public information officers, customer service representatives, IT specialists, construction analysts, and administrative support assistants. The Position Descriptions for these roles and links to apply are available on our website at https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/hurricane-response-jobs-sba.”  

SBA is expected to use its waiver authority to allow for dual receipt of federal pay and annuities for federal retirees who go back to work. Federal retirees should note that they may request such a waiver in their applications. 

NARFE encourages federal retirees and employees to seriously consider responding to this call for help.

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The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), one of America’s oldest and largest associations, was founded in 1921 with the mission of protecting the earned rights and benefits of America’s active and retired federal workers. The largest federal employee/retiree organization, NARFE represents the interests of 5 million current and future federal annuitants, spouses and survivors.