OPM Cancels Old Back Pay Rule Proposal
Published Date: 7/15/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has officially canceled a plan to change rules about attorney fees and pay fixes under the Back Pay Act. This means no new changes will happen right now, so employees and lawyers can keep things as they are. The withdrawal was confirmed on March 12, 2021, so everyone knows the old rules still apply.
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Proposed Back Pay Act Rule Withdrawn
A proposed rule (published October 7, 2020) that would have revised coverage and attorney fee awards under the Back Pay Act was officially withdrawn on March 12, 2021. That withdrawal means the existing OPM regulations about Back Pay Act coverage and attorney fee awards remain in effect and no new changes take effect now.
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
2026-16687, 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.
2026-15654, Streamlining Probationary and Trial Period Appeals
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final rule to change the circumstances and procedures for adjudicating appeals from employees terminated during their probationary and trial periods and supervisors and managers who fail to complete their probationary periods. Executive order, "Strengthening Probationary Periods in the Federal Service," rendered the prior procedures for appealing such actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) inoperative. This final rule establishes a new, limited appeals process adjudicated by OPM. The final rule also makes conforming amendments.
2026-15665, Reduction in Force
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is revising its reduction in force (RIF) regulations to make the RIF regulations more streamlined, efficient, and merit-based by prioritizing performance over tenure and length of service when determining which employees will be retained in a RIF and by modifying the types of employees who are excluded from RIF competition. OPM is also revising its regulations regarding the reemployment priority list (RPL), career transition assistance program (CTAP), the interagency career transition assistance program (ICTAP), and transfers of function.
2026-15597, FLSA Claims and Compliance
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing this direct final rule to update the provisions concerning Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims submissions to OPM.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-13204, Bar to Appointment of Persons Who Fail To Register Under Selective Service Law
The Office of Personnel Management is canceling a plan to change how they decide if someone purposely skipped signing up for the Selective Service. This means no new rules will affect people who didn’t register, keeping things as they are for now. If you’re a guy who needs to register, nothing’s changing about how this impacts your job chances or benefits.
Next: 2025-11539, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for the Blue Tree Monitor
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is giving everyone another chance to share their thoughts on making the blue tree monitor lizard endangered. This cool lizard from Indonesia needs protection, and the agency wants to hear from the public before finalizing the decision. If you care about wildlife, now’s the time to speak up—no extra cost, just your voice!