# 2026-19222: Fed jobs get hiring rule refresh: Veterans safe 2026-19222, Employment in the Excepted Service, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Personnel Management Office published 2026-09-18, effective Comments must be received on or before November 17, 2026.; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-25). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19222 - As of: 2026-09-25 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-19222 - Title: Employment in the Excepted Service - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: Personnel Management Office - Citation: 91 FR 59076 - Published: 2026-09-18 - Effective: Comments must be received on or before November 17, 2026. - Comments close: 2026-11-17 - Significant: yes (FR_METADATA) - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: 3206-AO92 - Last updated: 2026-09-25 ## In one line Fed jobs get hiring rule refresh: Veterans safe ## Summary The Office of Personnel Management is updating rules for excepted service jobs, including special hiring paths and administrative law judge appointments. These changes make hiring clearer and fairer, keep veterans’ rights safe, and modernize how some jobs convert to career positions. If you work in or apply for these jobs, check out the new rules and share your thoughts by November 17, 2026! ## Abstract The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to amend its regulations governing the excepted service, Pathways Programs, and administrative law judge (ALJ) appointments. The proposed rule would conform OPM regulations to current excepted-service schedules, including Schedules E, Policy/Career, and G; modernize part 302 procedures while preserving veterans' preference, compensable-injury restoration rights, and other priority placement rights; authorize and clarify Pathways conversions to Schedule Policy/Career; and make related conforming amendments. ## Effects PRIA read - Veterans' Preference Preserved; New Consideration Process: benefit, medium. OPM will keep veterans' preference and priority-placement rights but will replace old priority reemployment lists and Orders A/B/C with a simpler rule that requires agencies to identify and consider qualified and available priority candidates before selecting non-priority candidates, unless a lawfu… - Pathways Can Convert to Policy/Career Jobs: benefit, medium. Eligible Pathways Participants may be converted noncompetitively to permanent positions in Schedule Policy/Career where authorized, but conversion to Schedule Policy/Career does not itself give competitive status or career tenure. Individuals appointed to Schedule Policy/Career can acquire competit… - Recent Graduates Ceiling Raised to GS-11: benefit, medium. The default Recent Graduates appointment ceiling would be raised to GS-11 or equivalent, while preserving a GS-12 exception for certain scientific and professional research positions requiring a directly related Ph.D. or equivalent degree. - New ALJ Appointments Moved to Schedule E: benefit, low. New administrative law judge (ALJ) appointments made on or after July 10, 2018 must be made under Schedule E and are exempt from part 302 examination and rating procedures; agencies must follow veterans' preference as far as administratively feasible, and Schedule E ALJs are not subject to a trial… - Law Clerk Trainees Exempted From Part 302 Rules: benefit, low. Law clerk trainee positions filled under 5 CFR 213.3102(e) (time-limited appointments for law graduates or equivalent pending bar admission) would be expressly exempt from the appointment procedures of part 302 to provide additional hiring flexibility consistent with attorney hiring. - Priority Consideration Goes From Lists to Case-by-Case System: benefit, medium. OPM would eliminate the required priority reemployment, reemployment, and regular employment lists and instead require agencies to maintain documented procedures and records to identify, notify, evaluate, and consider priority candidates for each vacancy, while preserving the ordering and pass-over… - Faster Reappointments for Some Preference Eligibles: benefit, low. Agencies may reappoint a current or former nontemporary executive-branch employee who is a preference eligible to a covered position without applying the full examination, rating, ranking, and referral procedures of part 302, but such reappointments still must respect priority-consideration obligat… ## Related documents - [2026-18800](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18800): Reduction in Force; Correction, 2026-09-15 - [2026-18828](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18828): Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions, 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 - [2026-15654](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15654): Streamlining Probationary and Trial Period Appeals, 2026-08-03 ## Sources - [2026-19222 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/18/2026-19222/employment-in-the-excepted-service) - [2026-19222 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-18/pdf/2026-19222.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-19182, Coral, Coral Reefs, and Live/Hardbottom Habitats of the South Atlantic and the…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19182) - [Next: 2026-19228, Special Conditions: Skyryse, Robinson Helicopter Company Model R66 Helicopter;…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19228) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19222 (as of 2026-09-25).