But some of their parents are federal employees who now can’t take paid leave. They can substitute paid annual leave during that time to take care of the new baby or recover from labor. New parents who stay home furloughed may be paid retroactively, like other federal employees, if Congress acts. It has forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees deemed essential—like those protecting public safety—to work without pay, while others have been furloughed. Her paid leave was due to start on Wednesday, but because of the shutdown and her being furloughed, she now won’t be receiving her paycheck, she said.

Source: Huffington Post January 10, 2019 10:41 UTC