One Team, One Purpose: More than 9,600 FSIS personnel work together to accomplish the Agency’s mission of protecting the public’s health by ensuring meat, poultry and processed egg products are safe, wholesome and accurately labeled. 

Questions, Concerns or Comments:
Employees can submit their questions, concerns or comments to FSISFeedback@usda.gov.

Pandemic & Illness Resources

Personal Protective Gear 

• Corrected Item Numbers for Face Shields (6/17/20; PDF)
  • Instructions on the Use of Face Shields with Headband (FSIS-89)
  • Instructions on the Use of Hardhat-Compatible Face Shields (FSIS-89A)
  • Instructions on the Use of Hardhat-Compatible Face Shields (FSIS-90 - Clear Face Shields and FSIS-90A - Carrier/Adapter)
• Face Coverings, Disinfectant Wipes, and Hand Sanitizer for the Reopening of USDA and FSIS Facilities (6/5/20; PDF)
• Information about Face Coverings/Masks and Face Shields (6/16/20)
• Face Shields That Attach to The Helmet (5/22/20; PDF)
• Use of Face Masks (5/22/20; PDF)
• Availability of Cloth Face Coverings, Disposable Masks, and Face Shields (5/11/20; PDF)
• Hand Sanitizer (5/11/20; PDF)

Health and Safety

• Hurricane Checklist (7/17/20)
• Preventing Heat-Stress Illness (6/26/20; PDF)
  • Heat Stress Illness Prevention Items 

COVID-19 Employee Guidance

• Reopening USDA (5/19/20; PDF)
  • Summary of USDA Reopening Playbook (5/19/20; PDF)
  • Self-Certification Return to Work Plan (5/21/20)
  • Summary of National Capital Region (NCR) Reopening Playbook (6/1/20; PDF)
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act Provision (5/7/20; PDF)
• Leave & Time Code Usage (3/19/20; PDF)
• Workers’ Compensation claims due to COVID-19 (4/21/20; PDF)
• COVID-19 Funding Use for Payroll and Travel (4/3/20; PDF)
• CDC/DOL Issues Guidance to Industry (4/27/20)
• Facilities Serviced by USDA (3/20/20; PDF)
• Handwashing (4/1/20)

Public Health Guidance

• Are You at Higher Risk of Severe Illness?
• FAQs About Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• How to Protect Yourself
• Searchable List of all CDC Guidance Documents
• What to Do If You Are Sick

Other Resources

• Employee at a USDA Facility Who Tests Positive for COVID-19 (3/19/20; PDF)
• USDA’s COVID-19 website – Includes FAQs about food safety

The Employee Assistance Program and WorkLife4You is Here to Help

In these unprecedented and unsettling times, feelings of stress, anxiety and uncertainty can intensify. As a reminder, Federal Occupational Health’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and WorkLife4You programs are available to provide free and confidential support to both you and your immediate family members. All services can be accessed 24/7, 365 days a year, by calling 1-800-222-0364 (TTY: 1-888-262-7848) or by visiting www.foh4you.com or www.worklife4you.com (new user registration code: FSIS). For more information about EAP’s other resources, visit EAP’s Resource page at: Employee Assistance Program and WorkLife4You 

Emergency Backup Dependent Care Program

The Emergency Backup Dependent Care (EBDC) program is designed to help employees when their regular child or adult care arrangements are disrupted. This benefit is available to all FSIS employees 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling Federal Occupational Health at 1-800-222-0364 or logging in to www.worklife4you.com (new user registration code: FSIS).

USDA Reasonable Accommodation and Personal Assistance Service. Watch the Video.

The Department has released an updated policy on Reasonable Accommodation and Personal Assistance Services. The new policy is an opportunity to build greater support for members of the OneUSDA family who have or will experience physical or intellectual challenges in their lifetime. The FSIS workforce is encouraged to review the policy, as it implements some important changes in law and now includes additional personal assistance support for employees with targeted disabilities. Click here or on the image below for a video message from Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Devon Westhill.

Centralized FSIS Human Resources Inquiries Hotline and Email Box

Onboarding: Welcome to Our Newest FSIS Team Members

The USDA Onboarding Portal has information specifically for new employees. On it you will find all the information you need to begin your employment. 

• The FSIS Onboarding Manual (PDF) provides agency-specific information for newer employees.(Experienced employees will also find the manual useful!
• The New Hire Survey is a brief, voluntary survey provided to new employees. This survey is part of OPM’s Hiring Reform / Hiring Excellence initiative.
• The Security & Awareness Training (SAT) must be completed by all employees prior to accessing any Agency IT account or equipment. 

i-Impact Food Safety

As an FSIS employee, you impact your work, your program, your Agency, and your world. The i-Impact initiative will help you draw a line of sight from your daily work activities to the mission of FSIS.

• FSIS Employees Impact Food Safety: VIDEO. Watch to see how the work performed by FSIS employees impacts the safety of the food every family eats.

Mentoring Opportunities

A mentoring relationship is a partnership between an employee (protégé) who has voluntarily expressed a need in a developmental area or wants professional developmental opportunities, and an employee (mentor) who is an experienced volunteer with expert knowledge or prior experience to mentor the employee. Visit the USDA Mentoring Portal to learn more.

Continuing Education (Tuition Reimbursement) Program for Inspectors

Full-time Food Inspectors and non-supervisory Consumer Safety Inspectors, with a minimum of 1 year of FSIS service and in good standing, interested in taking undergraduate college-level courses related to food safety, food science, and animal or meat sciences may qualify for tuition reimbursement through the Continuing Education Program (CEP). All courses must be approved by the CEP at the time of registration and upon course completion. A grade of a C or better is required for tuition reimbursement. Classes must be taken on an employee’s personal time from an accredited college or university. For more information, contact Tara Smith at ContinuingEducationProgram@fsis.usda.gov or by calling 301-344-0734. Supervisors, please print and post for employees without email access.

Fiscal Year 2021- Continuing Education Program For Public Health Veterinarians

FSIS Notice 50-20 announces the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) FSIS Continuing Education Program (CEP) for Public Health Veterinarians (PHV) and Veterinary Medical Officers in the Office of Field Operations. Veterinarians assigned to an establishment in the field, veterinarians in Frontline Supervisor positions, and District Veterinary Medical Specialists are eligible to participate in the FY21 PHV CEP. Reimbursement is offered for training in Veterinary Medicine and food safety-related fields of study. The training requirements are detailed in Section III B. The FY21 PHV CEP is effective Oct. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021, and eligible employees may qualify for training reimbursement completed during this time. The deadline for submitting FY21 applications is Oct. 15, 2021. Refer questions to the CEP Manager at PHVCEP@usda.gov or at 301-344-0734. Questions may also be referred to the OEED/TTDL at 1-800-336-3747. PHV CEP Applications, Optional Form 1164, Claim for Reimbursement for Expenditures on Official Business, and other program information can be found at https://fsishelp.fsis.usda.gov/ipphelp/cep/phvcep/phvcep.htm.

More Career Information: Find much more career information in the Careers area of the public site and Jobs & Career Development section of InsideFSIS.

Environmental, Safety and Health Topics

Information about employee safety is available on this page and also on InsideFSIS (the employee intranet site). For background, see FSIS Directive 4791.1, Basic Occupational Safety and Health Program. This directive provides instructions for the basic components of the Agency’s Occupational Safety and Health Program and describes how the program fulfills the responsibilities required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

FSIS Employee News

Agency events and information of interest to FSIS employees.

• Payroll Tax Withholding Deferral for USDA Employees (9/15/20; PDF)
• Employee Town Hall Calls to be Held Every Other Week  (7/2/20; PDF)
• Employee Performance and Awards/Mandatory Training (6/24/20; PDF)

Centralized FSIS Human Resources Inquiries Hotline and Email Box 

FSIS employees can direct all human resources (HR) inquiries to a new centralized hotline at 1-877-FSIS-HR1 (1-877-374-7471) or email box at FSISHR1@usda.gov. HR representatives will be available to address employees’ questions, concerns and suggestions from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Voicemails or emails received outside of this window will be returned by the next business day. 

The Beacon Newsletter

Selected articles from the most recent issue of FSIS' employee newsletter, The Beacon. (All issues are available on InsideFSIS, the employee intranet. Level 2 eAuthentication required.)

FSIS Employee Connections Newsletter

The Agency’s employee-centric newsletter. (All issues are available on InsideFSIS, the employee intranet. Level 2 eAuthentication required.)

Faces of Food Safety

The Faces of Food Safety series introduces you to the men and women who carry out the mission of FSIS. Learn what a typical workday is like for personnel in various job series and occupations.

E-mail Subscription Service

Want the latest news and food safety information from FSIS? Use our subscription service to get notification of changes to the public website. Choose the topics you want; add or delete subscription items at any time.

InsideFSIS

The FSIS employee intranet, created for and built by FSIS employees, is accessible to all employees with Level 2 eAuthentication credentials.