Feds Revisit 'Employee Accountability' with Doers' Report Input

2026-18828, Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing an interim rule to improve hiring efficiency across federal agencies, modify provisions pertaining to how an appointing authority (i.e., the head of a Federal agency or department) may share a competitive certificate with one or more appointing authorities, implement provisions to allow an appointing authority to share an excepted service certificate with one or more appointing authorities, and implement provisions regarding OPM-led hiring actions which allow federal agencies to utilize competitive and excepted service certificates for occupations common to many agencies.

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.

2026-15654, 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.

2026-15666, 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: 2026-18899, Amendment of Class E Airspace Over Pittsfield, ME

This action proposes to amend E airspace over Pittsfield, ME. This action would modify the dimensions of the Pittsfield, ME Class E5 airspace to appropriately contain Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the Pittsfield Municipal Airport. This action would also update the geographic coordinates of the airport in the Pittsfield, ME Class E5 airspace legal description. This action would also remove the decommissioned Burnham Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) from the airspace legal description. This action would also remove the exclusion for adjacent Class E5 airspace from the airspace legal description.

Next: 2026-18944, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Optimizing FEHB Plan Offerings

This request for information (RFI) seeks public input on how to optimize health benefits plan options offered in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, which includes the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program, to give enrollees high value choices at competitive costs while ensuring the appropriate number and distribution of options are available to enrollees. Currently, health benefits plans in the FEHB Program are limited to offering three options or two options and a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) pursuant to 5 CFR 890.201(b)(3)(i). The information gathered through this RFI will inform the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) as to whether modifications to the current FEHB regulations are needed through future notice and comment rulemaking as OPM explores ways to optimize the FEHB and PSHB portfolio and provide enrollees with high value choices at competitive costs.