Data / Federal rules / 2026-15666
Reduction in Force Appeals
The Personnel Management Office published this final rule in the Federal Register on August 3, 2026. It took effect on September 2, 2026.
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What the agency says
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.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-15666
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Personnel Management Office
- Published
- August 3, 2026
- Takes effect
- September 2, 2026
- Dates
- Effective September 2, 2026. This final rule applies only to a RIF action for which an agency issues the employee a specific RIF notice under 5 CFR 351.802 on or after September 2, 2026.
- Docket
- Docket ID: OPM-2025-0239
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 3206-AO99
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 5 CFR 351
- Topics
- Administrative practice and procedure; Government employees
- Significant
- Yes, under Executive Order 12866
- Pages
- 38
Other documents from the Personnel Management Office
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Leave for Workforce Realignment and Other Purposes 2026-21320 | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Elimination of Time-in-Grade 2026-21319 | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Managing Senior Professional Performance 2026-21316 · significant | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Family and Medical Leave Act 2026-21104 | Final rule | Oct 15 |
| Employment in the Excepted Service 2026-19222 · significant | Proposed rule | Sep 18 |
| Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Optimizing FEHB Plan Offerings 2026-18944 | Proposed rule | Sep 15 |
| Promoting Employee Accountability 2026-18943 | Proposed rule | Sep 15 |
| Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions 2026-18828 · significant | Final rule | Sep 15 |
Everything from the Personnel Management Office · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on government employees · Published in August 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.