The court found undisputed evidence that HR staff in many agencies were themselves furloughed or received RIF notices, leaving affected employees without assistance during the required 60-day pre-termination period.

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True. Court filings included agency declarations confirming that HR staff were furloughed or received RIF notices, creating a situation where employees receiving termination notices had no one to advise them about reassignment rights, appeal deadlines, or retirement options. RIF regulations require agencies to help affected employees understand their rights and seek alternative positions—a process that requires functioning HR offices. Judge Illston found this breakdown demonstrated that agencies couldn't lawfully conduct RIFs during the shutdown. The chaos also showed that shutdown RIFs served policy goals rather than legitimate budget management, since agencies undermined their own ability to comply with RIF procedures by furloughing the staff needed to implement those procedures properly.

The court found undisputed evidence that HR staff in many agencies were themselves furloughed or received RIF notices, leaving affected employees without assistance during the required 60-day pre-termination period.

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