Washington, D.C.-- The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing interim regulations to significantly enhance the federal government's recruitment, relocation, and retention payment authorities. The regulations provide agencies with the flexibility to use these authorities strategically to improve the federal government's ability to recruit and retain a high quality workforce.

"These regulations implement the important legislation Congress enacted to provide federal agencies and departments with the flexibilities they need to maintain and upgrade their workforces," said OPM Acting Director Dan G. Blair. "Recruitment, relocation, and retention payments provide a needed monetary incentive that may be used to ensure that the government has the ‘right people in the right jobs.'"

The interim regulations implementing the new authorities are effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register and replace the regulations governing recruitment and relocation bonuses and retention allowances that were in effect prior to the effective date of the new regulations. (The interim regulations are scheduled to be published on May 13.)

The law and regulations allow agencies to pay larger recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives than the former recruitment and relocation bonus and retention allowance authorities. In addition, agencies may make such payments in installments, in a single lump-sum payment, or in a combination of these methods.

To assist agencies in administering the new authorities, OPM is issuing revised fact sheets and examples of calculating payments. The fact sheets and pay examples are available at http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/HTML/factindx.asp.

OPM also has invited agency human resources specialists to an OPM forum, where we will provide detailed information and practical examples on the application of the new recruitment, relocation, and retention incentive authorities.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.