OPM Updates Fair Labor Standards Act Claims Rules
Published Date: 7/31/2026
Rule
Summary
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.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
How Receipt Date Affects Back Pay
The date OPM or the employing agency receives your claim determines the period for possible back pay. If a claim for back pay is established, you may be entitled to up to 2 years of back pay, or 3 years for a willful violation.
Mandatory eFile for FLSA Claims
If you are filing a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claim with OPM on or after September 29, 2026, you must use OPM's eFile system at https://opmefile.opm.gov/hc/en-us unless OPM grants an exemption. OPM will not accept claims, requests to reopen and reconsider, or supporting documents by email or postal mail except where an exemption is approved.
What Claims Must Include
Claims filed with OPM must be in writing and include a verifiable signature (wet or digital), the employing agency name, the claimant's mailing address, email address, and telephone number, and supporting evidence or witnesses. OPM also requires registration with a unique email address for each party and their representative.
Transitional Treatment of Pending Claims
Claims filed before September 29, 2026 will be processed under the rules in effect on the date of submission or postmark. Submissions on or after September 29, 2026 must follow the amended rules.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-15589, Procedures for Settling Claims
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing this direct final rule to update the provisions concerning administrative claims submissions to OPM.
Next: 2026-15598, Upper C-Band (3.98-4.2 GHz); Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopted a Report and Order, Order of Proposed Modification, and Order on Reconsideration (Order), that expands the ecosystem for next-generation wireless services in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band (C-band) by making 160 megahertz of the 3.98-4.2 GHz band (Upper C- band) available for terrestrial wireless flexible use. This action is pursuant to Congress' direction in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to complete a system of competitive bidding by July 4, 2027, for at least 100 megahertz of spectrum in the 3.98-4.2 GHz band. The Order creates a single 3.7 GHz Service that spans 3.7-4.14 GHz and adopts competitive bidding procedures for an auction. The Order largely applies the current Lower C-band licensing and operating rules to the Upper C-band, but it imposes more forward-leaning performance requirements. The Commission also generally adopts the Lower C-band technical rules for the Upper C-band, with certain modifications designed to reinforce a successful coexistence environment with adjacent band radio altimeters. The Order requires new licensees in the Upper C-band, as a condition of their licenses, to reimburse defined incumbent Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) licensees for reasonable and necessary costs associated with migrating FSS operations out of the reconfigured portion of the Upper C-band, consistent with the Commission's Emerging Technologies precedent. The Order also provides incentives to eligible space station operators that meet their clearing obligations by specified transition deadlines. Finally, new Upper C-band licensees must provide rebates for defined classes of eligible aircraft owners and operators to facilitate compliance with the FAA's radio altimeter retrofit requirements, which are designed to promote successful coexistence between Upper C-band licensees and radio altimeters in the 4.2-4.4 GHz band.