S. 82 — Telework Reform Act of 2025

This section revises definitions in the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (5 U.S.C. Ch. 65) by adding terms for "agency-designated worksite" (i.e., location from which an employee would otherwise work when not teleworking) and "approved alternative worksite"; redefining "telework" to encompass routine, situational, or full-time work from an approved alternative worksite other than the agency-designated worksite; and defining "remote work" as a full-time category of telework from such an alternative worksite. The section further amends telework policy requirements for executive agencies (5 U.S.C. 6502) by (1) limiting written telework agreements to one year with annual review of policies, employee performance, and agency needs; (2) requiring agency policies to address telework restrictions for employees disciplined for unauthorized absence while teleworking, with below-acceptable performance, or violating policy terms; and (3) limiting remote work by requiring periodic reporting to the agency-designated worksite and prohibiting travel compensation or reimbursement to that worksite (if within 75 miles of the alternative worksite) unless required during the workday and approved. (The one-year agreement limit does not apply to conflicting collective bargaining agreements in effect before October 1, 2024, until their expiration, renegotiation, or two years after enactment, whichever is earlier.) Finally, this section enhances training requirements (5 U.S.C. 6503) by mandating agency training on accurate reporting of remote work and telework usage and annual training for managers and supervisors of teleworkers and remote workers on accurate reporting of eligibility and participation in agency time and attendance systems.

This section authorizes Executive agencies to noncompetitively appoint qualified covered veterans (i.e., veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 30% or more) and spouses of Armed Forces members to remote work positions for nontemporary employment, if determined qualified by the agency head. This section also establishes a pilot program, through the fiscal year ending seven years after enactment, authorizing Executive agencies to similarly noncompetitively appoint spouses of law enforcement officers—including Department of Veterans Affairs police officers under 38 U.S.C. §902—to remote work positions, if determined qualified. (Thus, the pilot targets recruitment and retention challenges faced by law enforcement spouses, akin to those of military spouses.) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must submit annual reports to Congress beginning four years after enactment, detailing appointments by number, pay/grade, location, and federal service longevity, plus program effectiveness metrics; and OPM must issue implementing regulations within 180 days of enactment.