OPM Corrects RIF Appeals Rule; Education Dept. Extends Native Hawaiian Grants; NASA Seeks Comment on Diver Medical Form

OPM Corrects Reduction-in-Force Appeals Rule

The Office of Personnel Management has published a correction to a final rule it originally issued on August 3, 2026, revising subpart I of 5 CFR part 351, which governs reduction-in-force appeals. The correction is effective September 2, 2026 — before the underlying rule's own effective date — and the agency describes the changes as non-substantive.

According to the document, the original rule (FR Doc. 2026-15666, 91 FR 49230) contained several clerical errors: an imprecise cross-reference in § 351.902(b)(3), a garbled series in § 351.902(c)(6), use in § 351.904(c) of the term "responsible agency," which the document notes is undefined in part 351 (the term is defined only in § 731.503(b)(2), for purposes of part 731, subpart E), and additional typographical errors. The correction substitutes "an entity identified in § 351.901(c)(3)" for the imprecise reference in § 351.902(b)(3); fixes the conjunctive series in § 351.902(c)(6) to read "filed by a party, a party's representative, or OPM"; replaces "responsible agency" in § 351.904(c) with "the agency whose action is under appeal"; corrects a self-referential clause in § 351.905(b); and fixes a word-level error in § 351.909(f), substituting "protected personal information" for "protected personnel information." The Director of OPM, Scott Kupor, reviewed and approved the correcting document.

Education Department Extends Native Hawaiian Education Grants

The Department of Education has finalized a waiver and extension, effective August 25, 2026, allowing 21 projects under Assistance Listing Number 84.362A — the Native Hawaiian Education (NHE) Program — to receive funding for up to one additional 12-month period, not to exceed September 30, 2027.

The NHE Program is authorized under sections 6201–6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, and authorizes the Secretary to make grants to or enter into contracts with Native Hawaiian organizations and other organizations to support the development of innovative educational programs to assist Native Hawaiians. The document states that under section 6205(a)(2), the Secretary must prioritize awarding grants to entities that propose projects designed to address beginning reading and literacy among students in kindergarten through third grade, the needs of at-risk children and youth, needs in fields or disciplines in which Native Hawaiians are underemployed, and the use of Hawaiian language in instruction.

The Department published a notice inviting applications for the FY 2023 NHE competition on March 14, 2023 (88 FR 15689), and proposed the waiver and extension on June 5, 2026 (91 FR 34186). Of the 29 public comments received in response to the proposal, the document reports that all were in support. Commenters emphasized that the additional 12 months of funding is needed to prevent interruptions in service while preserving continuity of successful NHE projects, and that a lapse in funding would disrupt trusted partnerships, result in the loss of experienced educators and staff, and jeopardize long-term educational progress.

The final waiver sets out four operative conditions: current FY 2023 grantees are authorized to receive continuation determinations and awards annually for one additional 12-month period at an amount consistent with the amount awarded to each grantee in FY 2025; the Department is not announcing a new competition in FY 2026; during the extension period, any activities carried out must be consistent with, or be a logical extension of, the scope, goals, and objectives of the grantees' approved application from the FY 2023 competition; and each grantee must continue to comply with the requirements established in the statute and the FY 2023 notice inviting applications. The document states that the Secretary found it would be contrary to the public interest to allow a lapse in the work of current NHE program grantees while the Secretary considers changes to the NHE program.

NASA Seeks Comment on Neutral Buoyancy Lab Diver Medical Form

NASA is inviting public comment on a proposed revision to a currently approved information collection — JSC Form 1830, "Report of Medical Examination" — used at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). Comments are due by September 24, 2026.

The document explains that since the mid-1960s, neutral buoyancy has been an invaluable tool for testing procedures, developing hardware, and training astronauts, because neutrally buoyant conditions sufficiently simulate reduced gravity conditions comparable to the environmental challenges of space. NASA hires individuals with demonstrated diving experience as NBL Working Divers in teams comprised of four divers: two safety divers, one utility diver, and one cameraman. NASA also allows guest divers — described in the document as typically non-federal photographers representing the media — to participate in NBL diving experiences. To participate, guest divers must present a dive physical completed within one year of the targeted diving opportunity for review by the NBL Dive Physician. If a guest diver does not hold a current U.S. Navy, Association of Diving Contractors (ADC), or current British standard for commercial diving physical, they are required to complete a medical examination performed by a certified Diving Medical Examiner, with results documented on JSC Form 1830.

The document lists the collection's OMB Number as 2700-0170. NASA estimates 30 annual responses, at 1 respondent per activity, with an estimated time per response of 90 minutes, yielding an estimated total annual burden of 45 hours. The document states the associated cost for guest divers to complete the medical examination will vary, typically based on the guest diver's insurance.

What to Watch

• September 2, 2026: Effective date for OPM's corrections to the reduction-in-force appeals rule at 5 CFR part 351.
• September 24, 2026: Deadline for public comments on NASA's proposed revision to JSC Form 1830 (OMB No. 2700-0170).
• September 30, 2027: Outside date for the extended project period for the 21 NHE grants under ALN 84.362A.

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