On January 29, 2026, OWCP released FECA Bulletin No. 26-02 FECA Bulletins (2025-2026).
FECA bulletins provide temporary procedural guidance and may later become part of the OWCP Procedure Manual. This bulletin explains how federal agencies must calculate pay for wildland firefighters under a new permanent compensation law.
What Happened?
Congress passed Public Law 119-4 on March 14, 2025.
This law permanently changed how federal wildland firefighters receive pay across both Interior and Agriculture agencies.
Key Effective Dates
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March 22, 2025: Retention pay under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (FECA Bulletin 22-08) ended
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March 23, 2025: The new permanent pay reform began
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The bulletin applies to firefighters with a pay rate effective date of March 23, 2025 or later
What Changed Under FECA Bulletin No. 26-02?
1. New Pay Table (GW Scale)
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The new General Wildland Firefighter (GW) pay table replaces the GS schedule and retention pay
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Claims staff must use the annual salary listed in the GW scale when setting the pay rate
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Staff must calculate pay using rules from the Federal Firefighters Overtime Pay Reform Act of 1998
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All premium pay types previously included under FECA remain included
2. Incident Response Premium Pay
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The statute created a new premium pay category
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FECA pay-rate calculations must exclude this premium pay
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The exclusion follows 5 U.S.C. 5545c(d)(3)
Retroactive Adjustments
- Interior and Agriculture agencies already provide pay data consistent with the new law.
- However, agencies must review any retroactive adjustment requests individually with the employing agency.
Why FECA Bulletin No. 26-02 Matters
This bulletin instructs Claims Examiners to use the annual salary listed in the GW scale when determining compensation. The reform affects firefighters whose pay effective date falls on or after March 23, 2025.
Additionally, agencies must review retroactive pay requests case-by-case with the employer.
For claims professionals, this change directly affects compensation calculations, documentation accuracy, and benefit determinations.
Disposition
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FECA Bulletin No. 26-02 replaces FECA Bulletin 22-08
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The bulletin remains active until OWCP updates or incorporates it into the DFEC Procedure Manual
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