Last Updated: September 27, 2026

What changed in this update (September 27, 2026): a new section on the reported hub-and-spoke reorganization plan and what a directed reassignment to a hub park would mean for your pay, your move and your RIF rights; the budget and staffing table rebuilt from CRS and Interior's own FY2027 justification; the staffing loss updated to NPCA's current figure; a wrong FY2026 workforce projection removed; and the VSIP and severance rules corrected against the statute.

The NPS reorganization story now has two layers, and they should not be confused. What is documented: the National Park Service has lost nearly 25% of its permanent workforce since January 2025, more than 4,000 positions, and Interior's FY2027 budget request would fund 9,206 current-appropriations full-time equivalents against 13,497 in FY2025. What is only reported: draft Interior planning documents, reviewed by NOTUS and made public September 8, 2026, that would move the Park Service to a "hub and spoke" model in which designated hub parks direct the spoke parks around them. Interior has not confirmed the plan, and the meetings that would have rolled it out were canceled.

If you are an NPS employee right now, you may be wondering whether your position is safe, whether to take the latest VERA/VSIP offer, or what your options are if a RIF lands on your desk. This guide covers what we know, what is still uncertain, and what to do right now.

What Is Happening at the National Park Service

The cuts started in February 2025, when approximately 1,000 probationary NPS employees were fired in a single day, just weeks before the spring visitor season. Many of those employees handled wildland firefighting duties, search-and-rescue operations, and visitor services.

Some were reinstated after court orders, but the disruption seeded a broader exodus. Thousands more left through the Deferred Resignation Program, accepted VERA, or resigned outright amid uncertainty. A government-wide hiring freeze has kept most vacancies empty since.

By October 2025, the NPS had lost nearly a quarter of its permanent staff. Visitor centers cut hours. Ranger-led programs were cancelled. Campgrounds operated with skeleton crews. The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, made up largely of retired NPS staff, documented trail maintenance backlogs, restroom closures, and reduced emergency response capacity across dozens of parks.

In April 2026, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced a staffing reorganization directing more NPS employees into "visitor-facing" roles while reducing administrative layers, and the department opened a third round of voluntary departures. That round closed April 12. The larger structural question arrived in September.

The Reported "Hub and Spoke" Reorganization Plan

On September 8, 2026, NOTUS reported that draft Interior planning documents describe moving the Park Service to a "hub and spoke" model. According to the reporting, some hub parks would be "given the power to manage priorities, leadership and direction for spoke parks," with resources shared more widely between them and the hub carrying more responsibility for managing those resources. The country's 430 park units would be affected. Everything known about the plan's contents comes from that one story; the documents themselves have not been published by anyone, and Interior did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.

Two details in the reporting cut against the version circulating on social media. First, the regional system would remain in place. Park superintendents currently report to regional leadership, and the draft documents indicate authority would centralize in hub parks, not that regional offices would close. Second, there is no implementation clock. NPS had planned to begin implementing changes during 2026, and the planning meetings and mid-September superintendent meetings that would have started it were canceled after the plan became public.

Claim Status as of September 27, 2026 Source
Interior drafted a hub-and-spoke management model for NPS Reported, draft documents reviewed by NOTUS; not published, not confirmed by Interior NOTUS, Sept. 8
Regional offices are being eliminated Not supported. The reporting says the regional system remains; authority moves to hub parks NOTUS, Sept. 8
Hub parks have been named No. No hub list, no organizational chart, no Interior statement Checked Sept. 27
The plan is being implemented Stalled. Rollout meetings canceled; no effective date NOTUS, Sept. 8
Interior intends to shrink regional and central functions Documented as a budget intent. The FY2027 justification says savings would "reduce regional and central programs" NPS FY2027 budget justification
A lawsuit has halted the plan Not found in searched sources Checked Sept. 27

The employee side of the plan is where rights are fixed regardless of what Interior decides. A reorganization by itself is not a reduction in force. Under 5 CFR 351.201, each agency "is responsible for determining the categories within which positions are required, where they are to be located, and when they are to be filled, abolished, or vacated." RIF procedures attach only "when it releases a competing employee from his or her competitive level by furlough for more than 30 days, separation, or demotion," including for reorganization. Moving a budget or resource function from a spoke park to a hub is management's call. Releasing you from your competitive level is the point at which your rights switch on: at least 60 days' written notice (ordinarily; an OPM-approved shortened period can be at least 30 days) to you and your union under 5 U.S.C. 3502(d), and a retention register built on tenure, veterans' preference, length of service and performance under 3502(a).

If You Are Directed to Relocate to a Hub Park

A directed reassignment to a hub park is the likeliest employee-facing consequence of the reported plan, and it comes with a statutory entitlement and a statutory trap. Under 5 U.S.C. 5724(a), an agency may pay "the travel expenses of an employee transferred in the interest of the Government from one official station or agency to another for permanent duty, and the transportation expenses of his immediate family," plus household goods up to 18,000 pounds net weight. The hinge phrase is "in the interest of the Government"; the agency's determination that the move is in the Government's interest, not who first raised it, decides the entitlement, and repayment after a broken 12-month agreement turns on whether the separation was for reasons the agency accepts.

The condition is in 5 U.S.C. 5724(i). Relocation money requires that "the employee agrees in writing to remain in the Government service for 12 months after his transfer, unless separated for reasons beyond his control that are acceptable to the agency concerned." Break the agreement and "the money spent by the Government for the expenses and allowances is recoverable from the employee as a debt due the Government." Taking a relocation package to a hub park and then taking a buyout inside that year can turn the move into a debt: repayment depends on the service agreement and whether the agency accepts the separation as beyond your control, so obtain its determination before accepting the buyout. The federal employee relocation guide covers what a directed move pays and what it does not.

Scale of the Cuts

Here is what the numbers look like across the full arc of the reduction:

Metric Figure Source
Permanent workforce lost since January 2025 Nearly 25%, more than 4,000 positions NPCA, May 20, 2026
Probationary workers fired, February 2025 ~1,000 Reporting at the time
FY2025 enacted NPS appropriation $3.337 billion; 13,497 current-appropriations FTE actual (18,541 counting all funding sources) CRS IF13116; NPS FY2027 budget justification
FY2026 request $2.116 billion, 37% below FY2025 CRS IF13116
FY2026 enacted (P.L. 119-74, Jan. 23, 2026) $3.267 billion, 2% below FY2025 and 54% above the request; park operations $2,901.2 million; 11,913 current-appropriations FTE CRS IF13116; NPS FY2027 budget justification
FY2027 request $2.206 billion, 32% below FY2026; park operations $2,140.8 million; 9,206 current-appropriations FTE (13,119 all sources) CRS IF13262; NPS FY2027 budget justification
FY2027 House committee bill Park operations $2,874.2 million, 1% below FY2026 CRS IF13262
Seasonal slots for the 2026 season 5,000-plus announced; hiring lagged into spring; the 2027 seasonal picture is unannounced Interior, early 2026
Most recent VERA/VSIP window April 2026, deadline April 12, stop-work April 29 Interior

FedTools 2026 analysis of the NPS FY2027 budget justification: the request funds 9,206 current-appropriations FTE, which is 4,291 fewer than the FY2025 actual of 13,497 on the same basis, a 31.8% reduction (13,497 minus 9,206, divided by 13,497); counting every funding source, the Greenbook's total FTE falls from 18,541 to 13,119, a 29.2% reduction. Within park operations alone, staffing would fall from 11,488 FTE funded in FY2026 to 8,984 FTE requested, a loss of 2,504 FTE or 21.8%. Both figures are computed inside Interior's own FTE series and are not headcounts; NPCA's percentage is a headcount measure and the two should not be combined. The request would also cut National Recreation and Preservation by 93% and the Historic Preservation Fund by 94%; the House committee bill restores both to near their FY2026 levels. Nothing for FY2027 is enacted.

Who Is Affected: Permanent vs. Seasonal Workers

The cuts have landed differently depending on employment category.

Permanent Employees

Career and career-conditional NPS employees carry civil service protections, including formal RIF procedures, 60-day notice requirements (30 with OPM approval), bump and retreat rights, and appeal rights. These protections have not been suspended, though OPM's final RIF rule (FR 2026-15665, effective September 2, 2026) now makes performance credit the primary retention factor ahead of seniority, and RIF appeals for notices issued on or after that date go to OPM rather than the MSPB. The rights summary in this section was re-checked on September 27, 2026 against that rule; program specifics (VERA windows, CTAP conditions, severance arithmetic) change often, so confirm them with your HR office before acting.

The mass departures to date have largely been voluntary, through the Deferred Resignation Program, VERA, VSIP, and resignations. Formal RIF notices are more targeted so far, but Interior's current reorganization plan signals that involuntary separations may follow if voluntary programs do not meet reduction targets.

Permanent employees facing a RIF should read the MDR/RIF Guide for a full breakdown of retention registers, bump and retreat rights, and appeal timelines.

Seasonal and Term Employees

Seasonal workers are the most exposed. They have limited civil service protections compared to career employees. The February 2025 firings disproportionately hit probationary and seasonal staff, who could be removed without the full RIF process.

The 2026 summer season began with significant hiring shortfalls. Ranger season typically ramps up in May and June, but paperwork delays, background check backlogs, and housing shortages slowed the process. Many parks entered peak season without their full seasonal complement. Wildland firefighters who held seasonal NPS appointments were among those affected, raising real safety concerns for the 2026 fire season.

If you are a seasonal NPS employee who was terminated, your options depend on whether your appointment had not yet expired. An early termination of a term or seasonal appointment may be grievable through your union or the MSPB if you have appeal rights.

Wage-Grade and Maintenance Workers

Maintenance and trades employees have faced an additional hit: a pay rate change taking effect January 1, 2026 recalculated wages based on lower locality benchmarks in several parks. At Yosemite, for example, the NPS shifted wage-grade calculations from Stockton-area rates to Fresno-area rates, cutting hourly pay by as much as $3.50 for newly hired or promoted workers. The National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents NPS workers at several parks, called the change "a slap in the face" for employees already dealing with a high cost of living near the parks.

Your Options: VERA, VSIP, and Severance

If you are weighing whether to take one of the voluntary offers or hold on, the financial picture matters a lot. Here is a quick breakdown of each path.

Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)

VERA lowers the retirement threshold so you can access your FERS pension now without meeting normal age and service requirements.

VERA eligibility: Age 50 with at least 20 years of creditable service, or any age with at least 25 years.

No annuity penalty. Unlike MRA+10 retirement, which reduces your annuity by 5% for each year under age 62, VERA carries no penalty for FERS employees.

Critical limitations to understand:

  • FEHB 5-year rule: To keep FEHB in retirement you generally need 5 continuous years of FEHB enrollment (coverage as a family member counts) immediately before your annuity starts, or coverage for the full period since your first opportunity to enroll if that is less than 5 years. OPM grants exceptions in some cases. Verify with HR before deciding.
  • No COLAs until age 62: Your FERS pension will not receive cost-of-living adjustments until you turn 62. A $35,000 pension at age 52, unadjusted for a decade, loses real value every year.
  • FERS Supplement: If you retire before your Minimum Retirement Age (between 55 and 57 depending on birth year), the FERS Supplement does not start until you reach MRA.
  • TSP Rule of 55: The separation-from-service exception lets you take TSP withdrawals without the 10% early-withdrawal penalty if you separate in or after the calendar year you turn 55; other exceptions in the IRS early-distribution table can also apply.

Use the FERS Retirement Calculator to model an immediate, MRA+10 or deferred annuity at different service years and high-3 figures; it does not model a VERA early-out, so run your VERA numbers by hand from its inputs. The lifetime difference is often larger than people expect.

Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP)

VSIP is a cash buyout on top of VERA. Under 5 U.S.C. 3523(b) it equals the lesser of your computed severance amount or an agency-set amount that may not exceed $25,000; the ceiling is statutory, not an Interior policy choice. It is paid in a lump sum after separation, it is fully taxable as ordinary income, and it is expressly excluded from any later severance computation. After taxes, most employees net approximately $17,000 to $19,000 on a full $25,000.

The VSIP repayment rule: if you return to any federal employment within 5 years of the separation on which the VSIP was based, you must repay the full gross amount, not the after-tax amount you received. That is 5 U.S.C. 3524(b): "the entire amount of the incentive payment," due before your first day back; OPM can waive it only in the narrow case the statute names.

Check the VERA/VSIP Guide for the full eligibility and decision framework.

Severance Pay

If you are not retirement-eligible and are separated through a formal RIF or an involuntary action, you may be entitled to federal severance pay. Severance is calculated as:

  • Years 1 through 10: 1 week of base pay per year of creditable service
  • Years 11 and above: 2 weeks of base pay per additional year
  • Age adjustment: An additional 2.5% of total basic severance for each full 3-month period over age 40
  • Cap: Total severance may not exceed one year's basic pay (5 U.S.C. 5595(c))

Important: if you have met the requirements for an immediate annuity on the day you separate, through VERA or regular retirement, you are not eligible for severance. That exclusion is in the statute, not agency discretion. If your FERS pension would be small due to limited years of service, run both numbers. Severance can sometimes exceed what you would collect under VERA over a comparable timeframe.

Use the Severance Pay Calculator to get your estimate before making any decision.

Transfer Rights to Other Interior Agencies

NPS is one of several bureaus within the Department of the Interior. If you are facing a RIF or want to stay in federal service, several transfer programs protect your placement priority.

CTAP (Career Transition Assistance Plan): Gives you priority selection for positions within Interior. Active from the date of your RIF notice through your separation date. Priority applies to vacancies in your local commuting area at or below your grade where you are rated well-qualified; check Interior's CTAP plan for the exact conditions.

ICTAP (Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan): Extends your priority selection to other federal agencies outside Interior. Eligibility generally runs one year after your RIF separation date; check OPM's current ICTAP guidance for the exact window and conditions.

Interior lateral transfers: Even outside of a formal RIF, NPS employees can apply for positions at other Interior bureaus, including the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and others, through standard competitive procedures or noncompetitive reassignment if your grade is the same.

Do not wait until after separation. CTAP priority is only available while you are still on the agency rolls. Register as soon as you receive a formal RIF notice and identify target positions immediately. Your HR office can confirm which positions in your competitive area are currently advertised.

Union Grievance Process

Most NPS employees in bargaining units are represented by the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) or the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Both unions have been active in contesting the firings and policy changes across the federal government.

What unions can do for NPS employees right now:

  • File grievances on contract violations and improper terminations that are not covered RIF actions; a covered RIF action (separation, demotion, or furlough over 30 days) under a notice issued on or after September 2, 2026 cannot be grieved or arbitrated and goes to OPM on appeal, while EEO, OSC and IG matters keep their own routes
  • Challenge wage-rate changes like the Yosemite locality pay reduction if the change violates your collective bargaining agreement
  • Negotiate over the impact and implementation of reorganization decisions, even when management has the right to reorganize
  • Refer cases to MSPB or EEO channels for formal adjudication

What to do: Contact your local union rep as soon as you receive any adverse action notice, RIF notice, or improper termination. Grievance deadlines are tight. Most negotiated grievance procedures require filing within 15 to 30 days of the action.

If your position was terminated while you were on protected leave, during an EEO complaint, or after you engaged in protected whistleblower activity, contact a federal employment attorney immediately. These circumstances create independent legal claims beyond the standard grievance process.

AFGE maintains an active litigation summary at AFGE.org tracking current lawsuits against the administration, including cases relevant to mass firings of probationary employees.

What To Do Now

Whether you are staying, considering an offer, or bracing for a RIF, there are concrete steps you can take today to protect yourself.

1. Pull Your Personnel Records Immediately

Download your SF-50, last three performance appraisals, and leave and earnings statements now. Access to your eOPF ends when you leave federal service. Verify the following:

  • Block 24 on your SF-50: Tenure code (1 = career, 2 = career-conditional)
  • Block 23: Veterans' preference code
  • Block 31: Your leave service computation date (the SCDs used for RIF and severance are separate records; ask HR for those)

Errors in these fields directly affect your RIF retention standing and severance calculation.

2. Verify Your FEHB Enrollment History

Log into your benefits portal and confirm your continuous enrollment start date (family-member coverage and coverage since your first opportunity to enroll both count). If you are considering VERA and you are short, that gap changes your calculation fundamentally.

3. Run Your Numbers Before the VERA Window Closes

The most recent confirmed Interior VERA/VSIP window closed April 12, 2026, and no fourth window has been publicly announced as of September 27, 2026. Rounds have followed each prior closing, so if another opens you will want your numbers ready. Run:

  • Your FERS annuity at your MRA versus a deferred start (the calculator's scenarios; VERA arithmetic by hand from its inputs)
  • After-tax VSIP proceeds versus the pension accrual you give up
  • Severance entitlement if you are not retirement-eligible

FERS Retirement Calculator | Severance Pay Calculator

4. Assess the Reorganization's Impact on Your Position

The April 2026 realignment shifted NPS workers toward visitor-facing roles and reduced administrative positions. The reported hub-and-spoke plan would go further, moving management authority and shared functions to hub parks. If your role is in administration, budget, resource management or park leadership at a park that could become a spoke, your position is the kind the reporting describes as migrating.

Ask your supervisor in writing, and keep the answer: Is my park proposed as a hub, a spoke, or unassigned? Is my position proposed for transfer to a hub? Would any move be a directed reassignment in the interest of the Government, with relocation entitlements and a 12-month service agreement? Nothing about the plan is confirmed, but a written answer now is the record you will want if a directed reassignment or a RIF notice arrives later.

5. Register for CTAP and ICTAP

Even if a formal RIF has not been announced for your park or region, you can research your eligibility and identify positions now. Being registered and actively applying before a RIF notice arrives gives you more time and more options.

6. Contact Your Union Rep

If you received any adverse action, pay reduction notice, or involuntary reassignment, contact your NFFE or AFGE local representative before responding in writing to management. Responding to agency communications without union guidance can inadvertently waive rights.

7. Do Not Resign Voluntarily Without Running the Numbers

A voluntary resignation forfeits severance pay, MSPB appeal rights, and in some cases FEHB continuation. If you are burned out and ready to leave and a qualifying departure offer (a VSIP or a deferred-resignation window) is actually open to you, compare its terms before resigning outright; as of September 27 no fourth Interior window has been announced. The difference in financial outcome is often significant.

The Bigger Picture

The State of the Federal Workforce 2026 covers the broader landscape across all agencies. NPS is not unique in facing these pressures, but it is in a particularly exposed position because of its high public visibility, its reliance on seasonal and term workers, and the political sensitivity of national parks as a cultural institution.

Congress rejected the deepest FY2026 cuts, enacting $3.267 billion against a $2.116 billion request. The FY2027 fight is the same shape with higher stakes: the administration asks for $2.206 billion, 32% below FY2026, with current-appropriations staffing at 9,206 FTE, while the House Appropriations Committee's Interior bill restores park operations to within 1% of FY2026. Interior's own justification says its savings would "reduce regional and central programs," which is the budget-side echo of the reported hub-and-spoke plan. Neither the budget nor the plan is settled, and the positions already lost are not coming back on either path.

If you are a park ranger, natural resource specialist, maintenance worker, or any NPS employee navigating this, the most important thing you can do right now is get informed, document everything, and run your numbers before any window closes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many NPS employees have been cut since 2025?

The National Park Service has lost nearly 25% of its permanent workforce since January 2025, more than 4,000 positions, according to NPCA as of May 2026. This includes roughly 1,000 probationary workers fired in February 2025, plus thousands more who left through the Deferred Resignation Program, VERA, VSIP, and voluntary resignations. A hiring freeze has kept most of those positions vacant.

Is the Interior Department currently offering VERA and VSIP to NPS employees?

As of April 2026, the Interior Department launched a third round of voluntary departure incentives, offering employees another opportunity to enroll in the Deferred Resignation Program or accept Voluntary Early Retirement. The application deadline for this round was April 12, 2026, with a stop-working date of April 29. Check with your HR office for current availability, as windows open and close quickly.

Are NPS seasonal rangers still being hired for the 2026 season?

Yes, but the process has been delayed and the numbers are smaller than in prior years. As of early 2026, the Interior Department announced plans to hire more than 5,000 seasonal employees, including up to 1,560 nine-month seasonal positions. However, hiring lagged significantly behind those targets heading into spring, and many parks entered the busy visitor season understaffed.

What is the NPS hub and spoke reorganization plan?

It is a draft plan described in Interior planning documents reviewed by NOTUS and reported September 8, 2026. Designated hub parks would set priorities, leadership and direction for nearby spoke parks and take on more responsibility for shared resources. Interior has not published the plan, confirmed its contents, or named any hub parks, and the superintendent meetings that would have rolled it out were canceled after the report.

Is Interior eliminating the National Park Service regional offices?

Not according to the reporting. The draft documents indicate the regional system would remain in place; what changes is where the authority sits, with power centralizing in hub parks rather than regional leadership. Separately, Interior's FY2027 budget justification says its proposed savings would reduce regional and central programs, which is a funding statement, not an announced office closure.

Can Interior reassign me to a hub park, and would that be a RIF?

A reorganization by itself is not a reduction in force. Under 5 CFR 351.201 the agency decides what positions exist and where; RIF procedures attach only when it releases you from your competitive level by separation, demotion or a furlough of more than 30 days. If that happens you get at least 60 days' written notice (OPM can approve a shortened period of no less than 30 days), and if the transfer is in the interest of the Government, 5 U.S.C. 5724 covers your move, tied to a 12-month service agreement.

What does the FY2027 budget request mean for park staffing?

The request asks for $2.206 billion, 32% below the $3.267 billion Congress enacted for FY2026, and funds 9,206 current-appropriations FTE, which is 4,291 fewer than the FY2025 actual of 13,497 on the same basis, a 31.8% cut in FedTools' analysis of the NPS budget justifications (counting every NPS funding source, the Greenbook shows 13,119 FTE requested against 18,541 in FY2025, a 29.2% cut). The House Appropriations Committee's FY2027 Interior bill restores park operations to $2,874.2 million, within 1% of FY2026. Nothing is enacted yet.

Can NPS employees transfer to other Interior agencies to avoid a RIF?

Yes. NPS employees facing RIF can register for CTAP for priority placement within Interior, and ICTAP for priority placement at other federal agencies. Eligibility for ICTAP runs for one year after a RIF separation date. Register as soon as you receive a RIF notice, not after separation.

What happens to an NPS employee's FEHB if they accept VERA?

If you have been continuously enrolled in FEHB (or covered as a family member) for the 5 years immediately before your annuity starts, or for the full period since your first opportunity to enroll if that is shorter, you can keep your health insurance in retirement at subsidized retiree rates. If you fall short, you may lose FEHB in retirement unless OPM grants an exception. OPM has granted waivers for some VERA retirees who enrolled when their agency's VERA authority was established, but this is not guaranteed. Verify your enrollment history with HR before making any decision.

Sources