Officials have said that some 75,000 employees accepted the earlier government-wide offer, about 21,000 of those at DoD. Image: Terry Sze/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffSeveral departments and large agencies have reopened a “deferred resignation” window, with more possibly to come as agencies move to cut employment under Trump administration orders.
As in the earlier government-wide program, agencies are promising to put employees on paid administrative leave with continued benefits for submitting resignations now with a delayed effective date as late as September 30. Also like the earlier program, the offers are opening with little to no advance notice and are leaving employees with little time to decide.
The largest agency, DoD, had said last week that it would again offer deferred resignation as part of a civilian workforce realignment in which it plans to cut some 50,000-60,000 positions out of a workforce of about 900,000 (including about 100,000 non-appropriated fund employees). While that announcement did not set dates, the DoD has now said the offer will run April 7-14.
Several other agencies have announced a window within the last several days without previewing that it was coming—and also giving employees little time to decide. They include SBA and Transportation, closing April 7; Energy and Agriculture, closing April 8; U.S. Agency for Global Media, closing April 9; HUD, closing April 11; and GSA, closing April 18.
Some of the notices mirror language in the original email, including that “we thank you for your service” regardless of whether the employee accepts. However, some also contain language such as the SBA’s email to employees saying “at this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position” if rejecting the offer.
Officials have said that some 75,000 employees accepted the earlier government-wide offer, about 21,000 of those at DoD.
This time, the offers are being made and operated by individual agencies, rather than by OPM, and agency-specific restrictions may apply. Some agencies are coupling them with early retirement offers, as well.
However, there is no central accounting of which agencies are making offers or their terms. The OPM resource page on the earlier “fork in the road” offer, has not been updated since that window closed February 12 after a court order that had temporarily kept it open for an additional several days was allowed to lapse.
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See also,
Top 10 Provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill of Interest to Federal Employees
A Pre-RIF Checklist for Every Federal Employee, From a Federal Employment Attorney
Work Longer or Take the FERS Supplement Now: Which is Better?
Doubling Your TSP (C Fund vs G Fund)
