The Office of Personnel Management put forward a proposed rulemaking on July 22, 2026, aimed at carrying out the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act, according to the Federal Register.
The core protection in the Act ensures that covered federal first responders who suffer a qualifying duty-related illness or injury keep receiving retirement benefits at the same level they would have received had no disability occurred.
The Federal Register said the proposed rules address changes the Act made to two federal retirement frameworks. One set of amendments applies to the Civil Service Retirement System. A separate set covers the Federal Employees' Retirement System.
OPM published the proposal to give the Act's protections formal regulatory footing across both systems.