The 2025 "Fork in the Road" email

[Scarfinger]

New Email: From the Dept of Veteran Affairs? US.VA@va.gov

Fellow VA employees,

On January 28, 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent a government-wide email presenting a deferred resignation offer to federal employees. The email can be viewed at https://www.opm.gov/fork. On behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs, I am informing you that the offer is valid, lawful, and will be honored by VA.
/quote]

In order to ensure and support a healthy transition and operations, if you select resignation, you are to continue to work until your supervisor confirms to you that you are in leave status.

If you accept the deferred resignation offer, you will receive pay and benefits through September 30, 2025, and will not be subject to a reduction-in-force or other premature separation. However, please note that the ability to accept the offer is subject to exceptions agencies may enact to keep onboard those who work in health care, law enforcement, public safety, or other limited categories of essential services.

Todd B. Hunter
Acting Secretary

[maui21ice]

I work in a Law Enforcement agency and this was the talk of the town obviously last week. I got phone calls out the wazoo, but since we are LEO and considered public safety, we were given an exemption to the hiring freeze AND deemed ineligible for the offered resignation packages.

I'm kind of happy in a way since a lot of retirees would have jumped ship now and we are critically manned, but if I was in their shoes and close to the door, I would have loved that option and still be retirement eligible.

[Aitrus]

I work in a Law Enforcement agency and this was the talk of the town obviously last week. I got phone calls out the wazoo, but since we are LEO and considered public safety, we were given an exemption to the hiring freeze AND deemed ineligible for the offered resignation packages.

I'm kind of happy in a way since a lot of retirees would have jumped ship now and we are critically manned, but if I was in their shoes and close to the door, I would have loved that option and still be retirement eligible.

Well, well, well...look who's back! Welcome back to the forum, Maui! Haven't seen you in a while.

[jimcasada]

Law enforcement already gets a special deal with the Federal retirement. If I remember right, just 20 total years of service (including military buyback) gets you full retirement regardless of age, and you receive back at a higher rate. I was too old to qualify when I started civilian Federal service. At BEP we were loaded with law enforcement types, so much so that most didn't have much to do all day, except play games & such on their computers.

[jdoma]

Law Enforcement is considered Special Category, aka 6c or a covered position, which also includes firefighters and air traffic controllers to name a few. You need a minimum of 20 years 6c to get a full retirement at 50 years of age or any age with 25 years. Years worked in a non 6c or time bought back, such as military, do not count as 6c years only the standard retirement rate paid at the 1% rate for retirement. Under 6c you also cannot get hired for a covered law enforcement position once you are 37 and over, unless you fall under one of the exceptions, and you are mandated to retire on the last day of the month you turn 57 unless you got a waiver, which some agencies seemed to be approving like there was no tomorrow. Me, I punched out 1 month before I was mandatory with no looking back or trying to extend since I knew the day I got hired when I had to leave, and planned accordingly

[PhilJohn]

I work for one of the Law Enforcement Agencies. I have 26 months left. I think it will go by pretty fast but I wish the last couple were not so stressful. They could still close our work site and we would be riffed or something. Never know.

[Bubba]

I work for one of the Law Enforcement Agencies. I have 26 months left. I think it will go by pretty fast but I wish the last couple were not so stressful. They could still close our work site and we would be riffed or something. Never know.

I'm reading horror stories that people are being fired without any reason (and not probationary). I hope for you and all the others that this wouldn't happen. I can't imagine having 2 years left and being stuck in this "shiftstorm." Having said that, I have something like 18 (12 if I were to retire early), so I'm screwed no matter what.

I would suggest everyone to make a plan A, B, C and so on in case things go wrong. All of us have food to put on the table and when they come knocking, it doesn't matter how well you perform, you're out.

Good luck to all!

[Aitrus]

I'm reading horror stories that people are being fired without any reason (and not probationary). I hope for you and all the others that this wouldn't happen. I can't imagine having 2 years left and being stuck in this "shiftstorm." Having said that, I have something like 18 (12 if I were to retire early), so I'm screwed no matter what.

I would suggest everyone to make a plan A, B, C and so on in case things go wrong. All of us have food to put on the table and when they come knocking, it doesn't matter how well you perform, you're out.

Good luck to all!

Well, if they're being let go because the agency the work for is being shut down, they're hardly being "fired without any reason." There's a reason, it just doesn't have to do with the individual, rather, the entity they work for is being shut down.

If they were given the choice of transferring to a similar job in accordance with the rules, but if they choose not to accept it, then they're not being "fired" per se. Their old position was eliminated and they chose not to accept the offer to transfer to another position of equal pay and responsibility. If they failed to mention that they refused the offer, than that's bad faith on their part when telling the story.

However, if they were simply let go without any offer or recourse without going through the full RIF process or receiving severance of some kind, that's not good in my mind. I haven't seen any verified stories of this happening, although I've seen plenty of unverified / suspicious stories along these lines.

[Bubba]

I'm reading horror stories that people are being fired without any reason (and not probationary). I hope for you and all the others that this wouldn't happen. I can't imagine having 2 years left and being stuck in this "shiftstorm." Having said that, I have something like 18 (12 if I were to retire early), so I'm screwed no matter what.

I would suggest everyone to make a plan A, B, C and so on in case things go wrong. All of us have food to put on the table and when they come knocking, it doesn't matter how well you perform, you're out.

Good luck to all!

Well, if they're being let go because the agency the work for is being shut down, they're hardly being "fired without any reason." There's a reason, it just doesn't have to do with the individual, rather, the entity they work for is being shut down.

If they were given the choice of transferring to a similar job in accordance with the rules, but if they choose not to accept it, then they're not being "fired" per se. Their old position was eliminated and they chose not to accept the offer to transfer to another position of equal pay and responsibility. If they failed to mention that they refused the offer, than that's bad faith on their part when telling the story.

However, if they were simply let go without any offer or recourse without going through the full RIF process or receiving severance of some kind, that's not good in my mind. I haven't seen any verified stories of this happening, although I've seen plenty of unverified / suspicious stories along these lines.

The ones I've read (and heard from friends) are as crazy as being promoted and being a probationary period due to the promotion. Then, they're fired because they're probationary.

As I said, it seems like everything is being done haphazardly.

We'll see in the future what'll come of it. Either way, I'm expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

[twinkc]

Remember the FAIR ACT studies we had to do a number of years ago?--i.e., categorizing job functions that were inherently governmental v. commercial. While the process may have been tainted and manipulated, at least there was a calculus for determining them. There's been no such attempt by the current administration to apply any standardized method for identification. Hence their dash to slash and cut entire jobs (and lay off the people in those jobs) only to realize their mistakes and then have to re-hire the very same folks [like those who used to hold national vital functions]. It's an idiotic mess for sure.

[jimcasada]

Just curious... Is anyone here planning to respond to Musk's email demand, reportedly due at midnight tonight? Glad I'm fully retired now!

Lawsuit challenges Musk 'resignation' threat to federal workers

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/24/elon-mu ... idappshare

[wmfullen]

so far my agency has reported to us not to reply to it

[TopNotch]

We were told not to reply to the HR address in that email, but instead to reply to our first line supervisor.

[IRQVET]

We got word from the department late this afternoon, stating we do not need to respond unless "we want to." Seems like Cashe might have started a trend, by instructing the FBI not to respond. Its possible other agency heads (non FBI) might be getting a little fed up with theatrics and deciding to follow his lead?

[Scarfinger]

Visn 10 VA leadership told us to go ahead and respond.