Washington, DC- U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James has issued the final regulations on voluntary separation incentive payments (VSIP), also known as "buyouts." The incentives authorized by these regulations provide agencies with another option to minimize involuntary separations resulting from organizational change.

"These regulations help achieve President George W. Bush's goal of providing federal managers with state of the art staffing tools to create an efficient yet responsive federal workforce," said James.

The President's strategic management of human capital calls for a transformation in the employment, deployment, development, and evaluation of the federal workforce with results in mind. The VSIP regulations make it easier for agencies to respond quickly and retool their staffs with employees who possess the skills, knowledge, or similar factors needed to perform a position. Under the regulations, most non-Defense executive branch agencies may, at their option, offer voluntary separation incentive payments to employees who separate by voluntary retirement or by resignation in a downsizing, reshaping, restructuring, or similar situation.

Before offering separation incentives to their employees, agencies must first obtain approval from OPM, with concurrence from the Office of Management and Budget. Agencies may then offer employees who agree to voluntarily separate a lump sum payment equal to what they would get in severance pay, or an amount to be determined by the agency up to $25,000, whichever is less.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.

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