Sponsors (9)
The bill improves safety and speeds benefit access for recent domestic‑violence survivors among federal employees by allowing self‑certification and alternative OPM procedures, at the trade‑off of reduced spouse notice/consent protections, potential exclusion of older survivors, and modest administrative costs.
Federal employees and former employees who are recent domestic-violence survivors can receive lump-sum retirement credits without notifying or getting consent from an abusive spouse, reducing risk of further harm.
Federal employees who are survivors can access benefits faster because the bill permits written self‑certification that domestic violence occurred within the prior year, reducing administrative barriers.
OPM is authorized to create safety‑preserving alternative procedures for obtaining consent or processing payments, allowing implementation of methods that avoid exposing survivors to danger.
Spouses or former spouses may lose notice and consent protections, increasing the risk of disputes or wrongful payments if self‑certification is abused.
Limiting self‑certification to a one‑year lookback can exclude survivors of older abuse who still face safety risks when notice/consent would be required, leaving some without protection.
OPM and retirement systems — and ultimately taxpayers — may incur additional administrative costs and complexity to develop and implement new safety‑preserving procedures and regulations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows OPM to waive notice and spousal‑consent for lump‑sum retirement payments when a spouse committed a domestic violence crime and notice/consent would risk safety.
Allows the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to waive normal notice and spousal-consent requirements for lump‑sum retirement payments when the employee or Member shows the spouse or former spouse committed a domestic violence crime and giving notice or seeking consent would risk safety. OPM must adopt regulations and alternative safety-preserving procedures, permit written self‑certification for occurrences within one year of application, issue implementing rules within one year of enactment, and the changes take effect one year after enactment. The law does not retroactively eliminate notice/consent already required for payments before enactment but requires OPM to adopt procedures to protect safety in those previously-covered cases as well.
Official title: To change the spousal notification and consent requirements for the payment of lump-sum retirement benefits in cases of domestic violence, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 25, 2026 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress February 25, 2026