The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Community Level for Washington, DC has changed from LOW to MEDIUM. This change results in the following safety protocols for VA Central Office (VACO) effective Monday, May 23, 2022, and until further notice:
Mask-Wearing
Mask-wearing in VACO facilities is not required, regardless of vaccination status. People may choose to wear a mask at any time and N95 non-surgical respirators will continue to be offered to employees, contractors, and visitors in VACO facilities.
Testing
Employees who are not fully vaccinated and work onsite at a building in VACO or who interact in-person with members of the public as part of their job duties are required to undergo testing on a weekly basis in accordance with Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (Task Force) guidance and VA Notice 22-06.
Organizations with VACO employees may implement their own internal procedures for testing, but they must align with the VACO Testing Guidance and OCHCO Bulletin, COVID-19 and Safety Protocol Testing Requirements:
· Supervisors must identify employees that meet the criteria for testing. When a supervisor does not know their employee’s vaccination status, or when an employee chooses not to disclose their vaccination status, supervisors should follow all safety protocols for unvaccinated employees for these individuals.
· Supervisors, or their designees, must either, at minimum, observe the employee self-administer the test or look at the test results. This can be done in person or via Microsoft TEAMS when self-test kits are used. Self-test kits are available in the VACO Mailroom (see VACO Testing Guidance).
· Supervisors must document compliance, non-compliance or pause in testing, and should use the LEAF system as a tracking mechanism (see Job Aids):
o National Cemetery Administration Testing Portal
o Office of Information and Technology Testing Portal
o VACO and Veterans Benefits Administration Testing Portal
Reasonable Accommodations
Employees and supervisors with questions regarding reasonable accommodations should review the accommodation information in VA Notice 22-06 and contact their Reasonable Accommodations Coordinators (RACs). The list of RACs can be found on the Reasonable Accommodations site.
If you have questions about this updated guidance, please contact your supervisor or leadership within your Administration or Staff Office.
Please share this information widely and stay safe.