Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 1522)
February 24, 2025
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The Frame
Federal employees who held temporary positions after 1988 may become eligible to increase their retirement service credit by making a , potentially increasing their future pension benefits.
Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.
Federal employees
Employees who held temporary positions after 1988 may now be eligible to purchase retirement service credit.
United States Postal Service employees
Temporary USPS employees are explicitly included in the eligibility criteria for this retirement credit.
Office of Personnel Management
The agency is tasked with notifying departments and creating the regulatory framework for the new retirement credit process.
Last recorded activity February 24, 2025.
Introduced.
Summary
Key Facts
- The bill amends Title 5 of the U.S. Code to allow civilian service in temporary positions after December 31, 1988, to count as creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).
- The change applies to individuals who are federal employees or Members of Congress on or after the date the Act is signed into law.
- Temporary employees of the United States Postal Service are explicitly included as eligible individuals.
- The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is required to notify agency Chief Human Capital Officers about the change.
- Agencies must provide notice to employees and Members who are eligible to make a deposit for this service.
- The OPM Director is mandated to create and issue regulations to implement these changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to all federal employees?
Do I automatically get retirement credit for my past temporary work?
How will I know if I am eligible?
Why It Matters
Federal employees who held temporary positions after 1988 may become eligible to increase their retirement service credit by making a , potentially increasing their future pension benefits.
News Coverage
Lobbying Activity
AARP
2026
“P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology”
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Closing the 1988 Gap
The bill specifically targets a cutoff date of December 31, 1988, effectively removing a historical barrier for temporary employees who transitioned into permanent roles.
Connected Entities
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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