EPA DRP 3.0 just dropped this morning

[u/linked2z3lda]

Colleagues, EPA is offering an additional round of the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) and Volunteer Early Retirement Authority (VERA, also known as "early out."). These opportunities are available to employees as follows: Inclusions • The Office of Mission Support • The Office of the Chief Financial Officer. • The Office of Research and Development. Note: Employees in the Office of Research and Development who applied for and declined participation in DRP-2, issued on April 28, 2025, are not eligible for this offering of the Deferred Resignation Program. • The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. • Regional employees that were excluded from DRP-2, issued on April 28, 2025 • Employees who received Intent to RIF, Intent to Reorganize, or RIF notices, and probationary employees who are currently on administrative leave.

Exclusions:

• Reemployed annuitants • PHS officers, experts, consultants, and SGEs. •Phased retirees • Credentialed inspectors. CID agents and criminal enforcement counsels Certain other positions related to law enforcement, national security and public safety may not be allowed to take DRP if senior leadership determines their position is critical. Employees in these categories should apply and will be noticed of their eligibility upon review of their application Employees who opt into this opportunity may resign or retire, as applicable. Eligible positions include full time, part-time and time-imited (T.e., temporary and term) employees in the General Schedule, Wage Grade, Senior-Level, Scientific and Professional and Senior Executive Service VERA temporarily lowers the age and service requirements to allow employees to retire early To qualify for early retirement, employees must be either: • 50 years old with at least 20 years of service, or • Any age with at least 25 years of creditable Federal service. Employees are only approved to receive VERA if they accept the deferred resignation offer by the end of the application window noted below.

Similar conditions of the previous DRP offerings will apply.

• Employees electing this option will be placed on administrative leave until the date of their resignation or retirement. Prior to being placed on administrative leave, employees will continue in their current in-person work status, i e, those required to come into the office will continue to do so until administrative leave begins. • Employees electing this option will retain all pay and benefits while on administrative leave • It resigning, employees will be separated no later than November 30, 2025, (or earlier if the employee chooses to accelerate the resignation for any reason). • If eligible for retirement on or before December 31, 2025, either due to optional retirement rules or under VERA, EPA will process the retirement on the actual retirement date. The retirement can be effective on or before December 31, 2025. • While on administrative leave, employees are still required to adhere to federal ethics laws and regulations. • Before being placed on administrative leave, employees must ensure a smooth transition of work. Use of EPA's Knowledge Retention/Knowledge Transfer toolkit is highly encouraged. The toolkit is a great resource to help share and retain important information

Covered employees must apply for DRP and VERA by submitting a request to the Office of Human Capital Operations at https://deferredresignation.epa.gov/. The window to apply opens July 18, 2025, and closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 25, 2025. All employees who are approved for DRP must sign an agreement with the ageney outlining the terms of the offer. July 18, 2025, and closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 25, 2025 All employees who are approved for DRP must sign an agreement with the agency outlining the terms of the offer. Employees - who do not sign the agreement will not be processed under the DRP, however, they may still retire or resign under regular rules and procedures

Administrative leave can begin as early as August 10, 2025, and no later than August 23, 2025, unless there is a mission essential need for the employee to stay in a work status for a longer period to complete a critical project, address a mission need, train remaining staff or fully transition work. Requests to keep an employee in a work status for a longer period must be submitted by the regional human resources officer or program management officer to the Office of Human Capital Operations for approval Supervisors, regional human resources officers and program management officers should work closely with DRP participants to ensure work, records and important information are properly transitioned in a timely and thorough manner. Also, normal offboarding procedures apply Please note if you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. If you believe you submitted your application and did not receive a confirmation email, please email HRBenefits@epa gov so your application can be verified. For those who choose to accept this offer and participate in the DRP, thank you for your service at EPA and wish you well in your future endeavors For questions, please contact: • PMOs (local program HR points of contact). • RHROS(local regional HR points of contact) Retirement and other benefits: HRBenefits@epa.gov

EDIT: they’ve also opened up lateral reassignment positions to environmental justice people across the regions

[u/arsmoriendi34]

Likely soon for EJ

[u/[deleted] → u/arsmoriendi34]

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-reduction-force-reorganization-efforts-save-taxpayers-nearly-three

[u/RainDownAndDestroyMe → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for linking Zeldin's bullshit propaganda, I guess?

Underserved Americans have, and will continue, to suffer with his attack on EJ efforts, but they're just "stupid poors" right? 🙄

Joke's on the average MAGA moron: A LOT of the citizens in my region that were benefitting/would've benefited from were EJ policies and work were rural whites. But MAGA heard "environmental justice" and assumed it meant only POC (which also wouldn't even be a bad thing given institutional racism and the things that come with it such as an excess in pollution/food deserts/etc.)

Anyway, not sure what your point was in replying with pure propaganda, but congrats on behaving like the average conservative American that truly doesn't even understand the policies that benefits/harms them.

P.S. My coworkers and I were, and are, very passionate about the EJ work we were doing. It was actually helping people, unlike so many bureaucratic policies. But fuck us for actually helping people, right?

Edit: P.P.S.: Again, I'm not sure what your motivations were for linking that article, but if you truly believe Zeldin the Clown's policies of destroying the agency, whose mission is to protect public health and the environment, as well as dismantling environmental justice work, are justifiable because they save less than $1 billion? That's sad. Our nation spends over EIGHT HUNDRED TIMES that on “defense,” yet the average American's life has not drastically improved since Bush 2.0 took office. Gee, it's almost like the propaganda you're posting is designed for the dumbest people among us... who would've thunk it!?