Reduction in Force Appeals

What it does

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.

The Personnel Management Office's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

5 CFR 351

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Personnel Management Office has published 29 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 14 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 3206-AO99 since Jan. 1, 2025.

• Feb. 10, 2026 Proposed rule. Reduction in Force Appeals

Since then:

• Aug. 25, 2026 Final rule; correction. Reduction in Force Appeals; Correction

What happens next and when

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.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket OPM-2025-0239 on Regulations.gov
• Title 5 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register