OPM Looking to Make Changes for Non-Permanent Federal Workers

OPM (Office of Personnel Management) is aiming to make modifications for federal workers that are under the non-permanent category so that they can design pathways for them to continue working longer.

OPM is planning to roll out a regulation in 2020 that would enable agencies to assign workers in specific engineering and science posts for up to 10 years.

The legislation should be put into place in January to allow agencies to have more flexibility to hire and employ for projects that can take many years but are not continual once completed. These types of projects typically have budget restrictions and depend on workers that are not permanent.

A spokesman for the OPM, Anthony Marucci, said that they were striving to give agencies what they need to be successful in their ongoing projects.

According to Marucci, the scientists that are employed the new regulation will be permitted to have due process protection after their initial probation period. However, they will not be considered permanent employees.

This month, another regulation is anticipated, which would allow agencies to maintain seasonal workers for much longer than what is permitted at this time.

Right now, seasonal workers are not able to be rehired if they have reached their work limits for the year. However, agencies have given feedback to OPM that this has been preventing them from handling matter much more smoothly with seasonal problems that may last longer than the employees’ limit. OPM has remarked that wildfire season is much longer than in the past, which is why workers must continue their jobs longer to battle the wildfire disasters

The OPM wrote that the current regulations are causing issues with rehiring trained employees that are needed for critical situations such as wildfires.

There is another undertaking that would so allow seasonal and temporary workers to receive vision and dental benefits. Non-permanent workers just began receiving health benefits in 2015 under the FEHB (Federal Employees Health Benefits Program). And now, OPM is working on adding them to the Dental and Vision Insurance Program.

The OPM proposed legislation this year that would allow temporary workers to be employed permanently much more easily than before.

Other regulations the OPM expects to add in the future is giving direct-hire permission in emergencies and also eliminating judges of administrative law.