OPM Tweaks Retirement Form—Send Comments Before May or Yawn!
Published Date: 4/8/2025
Notice
Summary
The Office of Personnel Management is bringing back a form called the Request for Change to Unreduced Annuity with a few small updates. This affects federal retirees who want to adjust their annuity benefits without reductions. You have until May 8, 2025, to share your thoughts, and this process helps keep things clear and fair for everyone’s retirement money.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Form to Remove Spousal Reduction
The Office of Personnel Management is reinstating form RI 20-120 so retired Federal employees whose marriage has ended can request a change to an unreduced annuity (i.e., remove the spousal reduction). This form provides an organized way to supply the information OPM needs to make that change.
Time Burden to Complete Form
OPM estimates up to 5,000 respondents will use the form, with each response taking about 30 minutes and a total estimated burden of 2,500 hours. You may need to spend roughly half an hour filling out the form if you choose to request the change.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-19222, Employment in the Excepted Service
The Office of Personnel Management is updating rules for excepted service jobs, including special hiring paths and administrative law judge appointments. These changes make hiring clearer and fairer, keep veterans’ rights safe, and modernize how some jobs convert to career positions. If you work in or apply for these jobs, check out the new rules and share your thoughts by November 17, 2026!
2026-18828, Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions
Starting October 15, 2026, federal agencies can team up better when hiring by sharing job candidate lists, making the process faster and smoother. This change helps agency leaders work together using shared certificates for both competitive and excepted service jobs. If you’re involved in federal hiring, get ready for easier collaboration and send your feedback by November 16, 2026!
2026-18800, Reduction in Force; Correction
The Office of Personnel Management fixed a mistake in a recent rule about job cuts and career help for federal workers. They accidentally removed important details about who counts as 'displaced' when facing job loss. This correction, effective September 15, 2026, puts those details back so employees know when they qualify for special support during layoffs.
2026-16687, Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities
Starting September 14, 2026, federal employees who work on planned wildland fires will get a 25% pay boost for their risky fireline duties. This new rule affects General Schedule and Federal Wage System workers who help control these fires, making their tough jobs a bit more rewarding. It’s a win for firefighters who keep our forests safe with planned burns!
2026-15650, Suitability Action Appeals
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations to revise how an applicant, appointee, or employee may appeal a suitability action taken under 5 CFR part 731. OPM will replace the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) as the adjudicative agency for such appeals. The change will streamline suitability action appeals procedures, thereby improving the efficiency, rigor, and timeliness by which OPM and agencies resolve challenges to suitability actions and ensure the integrity and efficiency of the service.
2026-15666, Reduction in Force Appeals
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations to revise how an employee may appeal a furlough of more than 30 days, separation, or demotion by a reduction-in-force (RIF) action. OPM will replace the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) as the adjudicative agency for such appeals. The rule establishes a uniform, record-based OPM appeal process; clarifies the appellant's burden; requires production of the complete agency record; preserves collateral statutory remedies; and applies prospectively to improve timeliness, consistency, and cost-effectiveness while maintaining administrative review.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-05990, Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension: Form F-80-Canadian Securities
The SEC wants to keep using Form F-80, which helps big Canadian companies share important info with U.S. investors during big business deals. It takes about 2 hours and costs around $600 per hour for outside experts to prepare, with about 4 companies filing it each year. The SEC is asking for comments on this process before extending the form’s approval, so everyone’s voice can be heard!
Next: 2025-05992, Determination Pursuant to Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, as Amended
Starting April 8, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security is speeding up the building of barriers and roads along California’s border by skipping some usual rules and red tape. This move helps stop illegal crossings and keeps the country safer, focusing on quick action without delays. It affects border construction projects and aims to boost security without extra costs mentioned yet.