OPM Proposes Taking Over Appeals for Federal Job Cuts and Furloughs
Published Date: 2/10/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
If you’re a federal employee facing a furlough over 30 days, demotion, or job loss due to a Reduction in Force (RIF), your appeal rights are about to change. Instead of going to the Merit Systems Protection Board, you’ll appeal directly to the Office of Personnel Management, making the process faster and cheaper for agencies. Comments on this change are open until March 12, 2026, so now’s the time to speak up!
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
RIF Appeals Move from MSPB to OPM
If you are a federal employee furloughed for more than 30 days, separated, or demoted by a reduction in force (RIF), your right to appeal those RIF actions would move from the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM says OPM's Merit System Accountability and Compliance (MSAC) will adjudicate these appeals, with a greater focus on the administrative record and discretion for the presiding official to investigate or audit the RIF action.
Agencies Face Lower RIF Appeal Costs
OPM says moving RIF appeals from MSPB to OPM will promote greater efficiency and reduce costs to agencies that use RIFs. OPM expects a single, streamlined process at OPM (via MSAC) will shorten timelines and reduce administrative burdens for agencies carrying out RIFs.
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: 2026-02575, Hazardous Materials: Harmonization With International Standards
The Department of Transportation wants to update hazardous materials rules to match international standards. This means changes in how dangerous goods are named, packed, and shipped, making things safer and cheaper for businesses and travelers in the U.S. You’ve got until April 13, 2026, to share your thoughts before the new rules take shape.
Next: 2026-02589, Onions Grown in Certain Designated Counties in Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon; Decreased Assessment Rate
Onion growers and handlers in certain Idaho counties and Malheur County, Oregon, will see their assessment fee drop from 7 cents to 5 cents per hundredweight starting in the 2025-2026 season. This lower fee helps reduce costs for those growing and selling onions in these areas. The new rate will stay in place until further changes are made, and comments on this proposal are open until March 12, 2026.