# Federal Employees Return After 2025 RIFs

Community accounts describe federal employees returning to civil service after 2025 reductions in force (RIFs) or deferred resignation programs (DRPs), including one DRP recipient who reported returning to a former position on October 19 without repaying the incentive. Experiences varied: some returnees said they had to renew security clearances, others did not, and one employee said their service-time calculation remained unfinished months after returning. The accounts do not establish government-wide reemployment rules and leave the effects of VERA on retirement and leave balances unresolved. For procurement professionals, these reports are relevant as workforce-capacity context, not as evidence of a new contract opportunity or uniform agency policy; contractor staffing plans that depend on returning federal personnel should account for uncertainty in clearance status and service-time processing.

- Reemployment experiences in the accounts were not consistent, so contractors relying on returning personnel should verify individual clearance status and availability rather than assume continuity.
- One returnee reported that service-time calculations were still pending months after returning; workforce transition planning may need to allow for administrative processing delays.
- The reports do not resolve how VERA affects retirement or leave balances, so they do not support firm assumptions about those benefits or related staffing timelines.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** October 01, 2026

### Key Quotes
> My last day in the office was June 10th. I recently applied to my old position and will be back in my office on the 19th of October. My time counts and I’m looking forward to continuing to put into the TSP.
> — Commenter (DRP recipient returning to a former position)

> I've been back since May. I am told they are calculating my time in service, but it still isn't done. I did not need a new clearance.
> — Commenter (returning employee)

### Sources
- [Returning to Feds After 2025 RIFs/DRP?](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1wv3jcj/returning_to_feds_after_2025_rifsdrp) - reddit-fedemployees