# 2026-02375: Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service 2026-02375, Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service, is a Federal Register rule from Personnel Management Office published 2026-02-06, effective 2026-03-09; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866 (as of 2026-06-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-02375 - As of: 2026-06-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-02375 - Title: Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service - Type: Rule - Agencies: Personnel Management Office - Citation: 91 FR 5580 - Published: 2026-02-06 - Effective: 2026-03-09 - Comments close: not stated - Significant: yes (FR_METADATA) - Touches household money: no - Regulation identifier numbers: 3206-AO80 - Last updated: 2026-06-11 ## Summary Starting March 9, 2026, federal agencies can quickly remove career employees in important policy jobs if they perform poorly or break rules. These jobs stay nonpartisan but become at-will, meaning employees don’t have the usual appeal rights. This change helps keep the government honest and responsive without wasting time, while still protecting workers from unfair treatment. ## Abstract The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a rule to increase career employee accountability. Agency supervisors report great difficulty removing employees for poor performance or misconduct. The final rule authorizes agencies to move policy-influencing positions into Schedule Policy/Career. These positions will remain career jobs filled on a nonpartisan basis. Yet they will be at-will positions excepted from adverse action procedures or appeals. This will allow agencies to quickly remove employees from critical positions who engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by intentionally subverting Presidential directives. The rule requires agencies to establish internal policies protecting employees from prohibited personnel practices. ## Effects PRIA read - At‑Will Removals for Policy Jobs: cost, high. If you are a career federal employee in a policy‑influencing job, agencies can move your position into “Schedule Policy/Career” starting March 9, 2026. Those positions remain career jobs but become at‑will and are excepted from chapter 75 and chapter 43 procedural protections and Merit Systems Prot… - Statutory Whistleblower Protections Changed: mixed, medium. Employees in Schedule Policy/Career will be exempt from statutory prohibited personnel practice (PPP) coverage under 5 U.S.C. 2302(b) as of March 9, 2026. The rule also requires agencies to adopt internal policies barring PPPs, including whistleblower reprisal, but the statutory PPP protections wil… - Keep Student Loan Repayment Benefits: benefit, medium. If you are reassigned to a Schedule Policy/Career position, you may continue to receive student loan repayment benefits under the terms of your existing service agreement and 5 CFR part 537, unless you lose eligibility as described in 5 CFR 537.108. This continuation applies to employees reassigned… - Recruit/Relocation/Retention Pay Preserved: benefit, medium. When positions are moved into Schedule Policy/Career, agencies may continue paying outstanding recruitment, relocation, or retention incentives under existing agreements. Agencies may also continue paying a retention incentive to an employee who is not under a service agreement when their position… - Competitive Hiring and Status Rules: mixed, low. Positions moved from the competitive service into Schedule Policy/Career will continue to be filled using competitive hiring procedures, and employees appointed to those positions may acquire competitive status. However, employees who retain competitive status and move into an excepted Schedule Pol… ## Related documents - [2026-19222](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19222): Employment in the Excepted Service, 2026-09-18 - [2026-18828](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18828): Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions, 2026-09-15 - [2026-18800](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18800): Reduction in Force; Correction, 2026-09-15 - [2026-16687](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16687): Differential Pay for Prescribed Wildland Fire Activities, 2026-08-14 - [2026-15650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15650): Suitability Action Appeals, 2026-08-03 - [2026-15666](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15666): Reduction in Force Appeals, 2026-08-03 ## Sources - [2026-02375 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/06/2026-02375/improving-performance-accountability-and-responsiveness-in-the-civil-service) - [2026-02375 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-06/pdf/2026-02375.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-02373, Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Old Brazos River, Brazoria County, Texas](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-02373) - [Next: 2026-02415, Airworthiness Directives; Textron Aviation, Inc. (Type Certificate Previously H…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-02415) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-02375 (as of 2026-06-11).