President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14410 on June 3, 2026, creating a new excepted-service category—“Schedule Policy/Career”—and directing agencies to move thousands of federal positions into it, according to Serving Those Who Serve. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) followed on June 8 with implementation guidance to agencies, signaling rapid, near-term changes to federal hiring and job protections.
- Order: Executive Order 14410, signed June 3, 2026
- New category: “Schedule Policy/Career” in the excepted service
- Scope: Thousands of federal roles directed to shift into the new schedule (exact government-wide totals were not provided in the reporting)
- Implementation memo: OPM memorandum dated June 8, 2026, providing agency direction on how to carry out the order
- Agencies affected: Federal agencies with positions identified as falling under the new schedule, per OPM’s guidance
- Core change: Positions moved into an excepted-service category rather than remaining in the competitive service, as described by Serving Those Who Serve
The June 3 executive order establishes “Schedule Policy/Career” as a distinct personnel classification and instructs agencies to begin designating covered roles for conversion. OPM’s June 8 memorandum, as reported by Serving Those Who Serve, provides operational guidance to agencies on implementation steps and timelines, indicating agencies should begin acting quickly to identify positions and process conversions.
What it means for you
For federal employees and applicants, the immediate impact depends on whether your position is designated for “Schedule Policy/Career” conversion under agency implementation:
- Hiring and appointment rules may change. Excepted-service schedules typically operate under different appointment authorities than competitive service roles.
- Job protections and appeal rights may differ. Movement into an excepted-service category can affect which civil service procedures apply, depending on how OPM and agencies implement the schedule.
- Mobility and career planning could be affected. If your role is converted, you may want to review how the new designation interacts with internal merit promotion processes, probationary periods (if applicable), and future transfers.
- Retirement isn’t directly changed by the order as reported. FERS/CSRS eligibility generally depends on retirement coverage and creditable service, not competitive vs. excepted service status—but employees may still want to model long-term outcomes using a FERS retirement calculator if career trajectory or tenure could change.
Serving Those Who Serve reported both the June 3 signing of Executive Order 14410 and OPM’s June 8 implementation memorandum, describing the action as a significant shift in federal workforce policy with near-term effects as agencies execute OPM’s direction.
Source: Serving Those Who Serve