HHS to start Schedule P/C conversions while withholding details on new RIFs
HHS to start Schedule P/C conversions while withholding details on new RIFs
Publish Date: 2026-05-18 16:39:00
Source Domain: www.nextgov.com
The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has initiated the process of converting several of its employees to the new Schedule Policy/Career (P/C) job classification, a move that could undermine their civil service protections. Officials claim that this administrative action, not intended to be punitive, affects a relatively modest number of General Schedule (GS)-15 positions, with estimates suggesting around 50,000 staff could be impacted department-wide as implementation progresses. The transition to Schedule P/C, a reformed version of Schedule F from the Trump administration, would revoke many of their protection and appeal rights against adverse actions such as firings and suspensions. This move is seen by many civil servants and good government experts as yet another effort to replace career staff with political appointees and dismantle civil service protections.
Moreover, HHS employees recently reported further reductions in force, causing uncertainty about the scale and the reasons behind these layoffs. Some workers, initially spared last year, have now been laid off under unclear circumstances. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to hire 12,000 new staff despite the recent and substantial layoffs carried out last year through layoffs and separation incentives, which eliminated around 20,000 positions.
Key Points:
– HHS has begun converting employees to a new Schedule P/C classification with fewer protections.
– Officials expect approximately 50,000 employees across the agency to be affected.
– These conversions are designed to replace civil service protections in policy-related positions.
– Recent layoffs within HHS have stirred confusion over their scope and rationale.
– Despite the layoffs and reductions, HHS plans to hire 12,000 new staff.
