The Tim Hart Wildland Firefighter Classification and Pay Parity Act (Tim’s Act) rewrites federal pay and benefits for wildland firefighters by creating a new statutory special base rate (5 U.S.C. 5332a), an incident response premium pay regime, and a package of leave, health, retirement, and casualty-assistance authorities. It applies to Forest Service and Interior positions (including Tribal firefighters and prevailing-rate employees), establishes precise percentage uplifts to GS base pay by grade, and embeds reporting and adjustment duties for the Secretaries and OPM.
This bill matters because it converts temporary pandemic-era and IIJA pay supplements into a permanent, legally structured compensation framework with detailed computation rules, annual CPI indexing, distinct premium-pay formulas (including a daily 450% premium calculation subject to a $9,000 annual cap and Executive Schedule limits), and new nonpay programs (mental-health services, a cancer/cardiovascular database, rest-and-recuperation leave, tuition assistance, housing allowances, and a casualty assistance program). The changes shift significant budgetary and personnel-administration responsibilities to USDA, DOI, and OPM and create operational and implementation trade-offs for agencies and appropriators.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill inserts a new special base-rate statute (5 U.S.C. 5332a) that increases GS base pay for ‘‘wildland firefighters’’ by grade-specific percentages, makes prevailing-rate firefighters eligible for comparable increases, and creates a separate incident response premium pay paid daily for deployments. It also establishes limits, waiver authority, rest-and-recuperation leave, health tracking and mental-health programs, retirement-credit rules, recruitment bonuses, housing allowances, tuition support, and a casualty-assistance program.
Who It Affects
Forest Service and Department of the Interior employees who meet the NWCG wildland qualifications (including Tribal firefighters and certain prevailing-rate employees), OPM (for new special-rate administration and retirement changes), agency HR/payroll systems, and Congressional appropriations/oversight committees. Structural (non-wildland) federal firefighters are subject to parity reviews.
Why It Matters
It converts ad hoc raise authorities into permanent statutory pay mechanics with specific percentages and caps, creating predictable (but administratively heavier) compensation rules. HR teams must change rate tables, payroll systems, and benefit computation; appropriators and agency leadership must budget for ongoing higher base pay, premium pay, and program costs.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill builds a two-part compensation architecture. First, it creates a ‘‘special base rate’’ statute (5 U.S.C. 5332a) that replaces the applicable General Schedule base rate for qualifying wildland firefighters with a higher base computed by applying grade-specific percentage uplifts (for example, +42% at GS‑1 down to +1.5% at GS‑15) and then treating that special base as basic pay for most purposes, including locality pay computations.
For prevailing‑rate (wage‑grade) firefighters, the relevant Secretary must increase wage schedules in a way that is ‘‘generally consistent’’ with the GS percentage increases.
Second, the bill establishes an incident response premium pay regime (new 5 U.S.C. 5545c): covered employees deployed to response locations are eligible for a daily premium equal to 450% of their hourly basic rate for each day deployed, subject to two key constraints—(1) employees paid above GS‑10 step 10 are limited to the step‑10 GS‑10 locality-equivalent daily rate, and (2) total incident-response premium pay for any covered employee cannot exceed $9,000 in a calendar year. The Secretaries must assess prior compensation averages and may administratively adjust the premium after reporting to Congress.The Act adds guardrails and related benefits.
It creates a special limitation rule that exempts certain premium pay from statutory caps for calculation purposes but ultimately prohibits aggregate pay from exceeding the annual rate for Executive Schedule level II unless the responsible Secretary grants a waiver under prescribed criteria. It authorizes 7 consecutive days of paid mental‑health leave per calendar year (nonaccumulative), a rest-and-recuperation paid leave to be used immediately after qualifying incidents, mental‑health programs (including an unlimited-session support service), and a searchable Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database to track chronic exposures.
Retirement adjustments include allowing certain prior wildland service to be credited after deposits, counting overtime in ‘‘basic pay’’ calculations for survivors/disability, and narrowing disability‑annuity waiting periods for job-related illnesses. The bill also requires a parity review comparing federal structural firefighter compensation to wildland firefighter pay and mandates programs for recruitment bonuses, housing allowances for deployments more than 50 miles away, tuition assistance, and a centralized Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program.
The Five Things You Need to Know
Special base rates: The bill replaces GS base pay with a ‘‘special base rate’’ for wildland firefighters, increasing standard GS rates by fixed percentages by grade (e.g.
GS‑1 +42%, GS‑5 +30%, GS‑10 +15%, GS‑15 +1.5%), with rounding to the nearest dollar and annual adjustments tied to General Schedule changes.
Incident premium formula and caps: Incident response premium pay is computed at a daily rate equal to 450% of the employee’s hourly basic pay for each qualifying deployment day, but payments for employees above GS‑10 step 10 are limited to the GS‑10 step‑10 locality-equivalent daily rate and the premium cannot exceed $9,000 per calendar year.
Pay-cap interaction and waivers: Although some premium pay can be disregarded for applying certain statutory premium caps, the Act still prohibits aggregate annual pay (basic + premium + hazard) from exceeding Executive Schedule level II unless the Secretary grants a waiver under agency-prescribed criteria.
Leave and health rules: The Act mandates 7 consecutive days of paid mental‑health leave per calendar year (noncumulative), a paid rest-and-recuperation leave immediately after qualifying incidents (not payable if unused), a publicly searchable firefighter cancer/cardiovascular database updated annually, and an unlimited-session, trauma-informed mental‑health support service for firefighters and immediate families.
Retirement and retroactive credit: The bill permits firefighters to purchase (deposit for) uncredited federal wildland service (service on or after Jan 1, 1989) to make it creditable for chapter 84 annuities, treats certain prior service (Oct 1, 2003 to day before enactment) as creditable for FERS under election and payment rules, and narrows the disability-annuity waiting period (12 months substituted for 18 months for qualifying job-related disease).
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Creates special base rates for wildland firefighters
This section inserts 5 U.S.C. 5332a and defines ‘‘firefighter’’ and ‘‘wildland firefighter’’ by cross-reference to the Act’s definitions and NWCG qualifications. It directs OPM to compute and administer a ‘‘special base rate’’ that replaces the otherwise-applicable GS base rate and is treated as basic pay for purposes such as locality‑based comparability. The mechanics are precise: a fixed percentage uplift for each GS grade and rounding rules, with hourly/daily equivalents computed under existing rules. Practically, agency HR and payroll must implement new pay tables and adjust locality-pay computations to use the higher special base.
Incident response premium pay—eligibility and formula
This section defines ‘‘covered employee’’ (Forest Service/Interior staff who are wildland firefighters or certified to perform incident duties), sets qualifying incidents (wildfire, prescribed fire, severity, or similar incidents) and establishes eligibility conditions (deployment outside duty station or assignment to incident-adjacent camps). It entitles eligible employees to a daily premium equal to 450% of their hourly basic rate for each day deployed, but with two statutory constraints: payment for employees whose annual basic pay exceeds GS‑10 step 10 is limited to the GS‑10 step‑10 locality-equivalent daily rate, and total incident premium pay cannot exceed $9,000 per calendar year. The Secretaries must assess historical compensation (FY2023–24) and may administratively adjust premium amounts after a required joint report and short Congressional notification window.
Special limitations and waiver authority for premium pay
Section 4 creates a special limitations regime that specifies which premium pay is ‘‘covered services’’ and how such pay interacts with statutory limits (sections 5547 and 5307). It authorizes treating certain premiums as disregarded for calculating some caps while still imposing an absolute ceiling—annual aggregate pay may not exceed Executive Schedule level II unless the relevant Secretary, after consulting and prescribing criteria, grants a waiver. The section also requires agencies to keep records documenting use of the authority and extends similar rules to prevailing-rate employees with defined ‘‘basic pay’’ and ‘‘premium pay’’ terms.
Rest-and-recuperation leave for wildland firefighting
This section authorizes covered employees to receive paid rest-and-recuperation leave after completion of a qualifying incident, subject to agency policies the Secretaries set in consultation. The leave must be used immediately during scheduled duty hours, is paid as annual leave, cannot be banked for later use, and carries no payout for unused leave. For intermittent schedules the employee is excused during the same period and receives a payment as if entitled to the leave. Agencies will need to draft implementing policies and payroll rules to ensure consistency.
Health tracking, mental-health programs, and OWCP changes
The Secretaries must create a publicly accessible Federal Wildland Firefighter Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Database within one year and update it annually; they must also develop exposure‑mitigation recommendations. The Act requires a comprehensive mental-health program by January 1, 2026 (campaigns, onboarding training, expanded peer support, Critical Incident Stress Management expansion, and an unlimited-session mental-health support service for firefighters and immediate families). The bill directs OWCP to recognize PTSD and psychological injuries tied to firefighting, provide long-term coverage, and expand the Special Claims Unit to expedite claims.
Retirement rules, deposit service, and disability annuity adjustments
This section allows individuals to make retirement deposits so service performed on or after January 1, 1989 can be credited under chapter 84, provided deposit requirements are met and an election is made. It treats certain job-related diseases as qualifying for disability annuities with a reduced waiting period (12 months substituted for 18) and amends the definition of ‘‘basic pay’’ to include overtime for Federal wildland firefighters for survivor/disability computations. It also designates a separate normal‑cost percentage category for Federal wildland firefighters in actuarial calculations.
Pay parity for Federal structural firefighters
Section 8 defines ‘‘Federal structural firefighter’’ (using 5 U.S.C. 8401) and requires that, beginning one year after enactment, pay, benefits, and bonuses for structural firefighters be comparable to those for wildland firefighters under this Act. It also requires an OPM report—submitted within one year after establishment of special base rates—assessing whether structural firefighter pay is competitive with wildland firefighter pay.
Annual CPI adjustments, recruitment/retention tools, housing, tuition, and hazardous duty pay
The bill mandates annual automatic adjustments to the special base rates tied to the December CPI‑U percent change (nearest tenth of one percent). It directs the Secretaries and OPM to implement recruitment/retention bonuses (minimum $1,000, CPI‑adjusted annually), housing allowances for deployments beyond 50 miles (amount set by Secretaries by local cost), a $4,000 annual voluntary tuition assistance payment for participating permanent wildland firefighters, inclusion of hazardous‑duty differentials for specified tasks, and an obligation to report on comparability with non‑federal firefighter compensation.
Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program
This section requires Interior to create a centralized casualty-assistance program that assigns trained casualty assistance officers, reimburses travel for next‑of‑kin visits, provides centralized case-management and complaint channels, publishes benefit/claims guidance via a public website, and coordinates across DOI, DOJ, and SSA. It does not alter existing line‑of‑duty death benefits but centralizes assistance and data collection for quality oversight.
Continuing accrual of service and retroactive credit rules for FERS
Section 11 amends the FERS firefighter definition to explicitly include wildland firefighters and clarifies conditions for supervisory transfers and permissible breaks in service. It also contains a limited retroactivity mechanism treating service performed from Oct 1, 2003 through the day before enactment as creditable for certain employees provided they meet election and deposit rules, remit employee deposits plus interest, and the employing agency remits the additional government contributions to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund.
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Explore Employment in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Federal wildland firefighters (Forest Service, DOI, and Tribal partners) — receive higher permanent special base pay (grade‑based percentage uplifts), a daily incident response premium for deployments, mental‑health leave and services, tuition assistance, housing allowances for distant deployments, improved disability treatment, and possible recruitment/retention bonuses.
- Tribal firefighters integrated under agency definitions — eligible where they meet NWCG qualifications or agency certification and therefore gain access to special base rates, incident premiums, health programs, and casualty-assistance services.
- Immediate families and next‑of‑kin — improved casualty assistance, travel reimbursement to visit hospitalized firefighters, and easier access to benefits information and coordinative support after line‑of‑duty injuries or deaths.
- Structural federal firefighters — receive statutory parity review and potential pay/benefit alignment efforts, which could lead to comparable compensation and benefits if OPM/Secretaries find asymmetry.
- Agency HR/payroll and medical/claims units — gain clearer statutory authorities and program tools (databases, leave, casualty offices) that can simplify some casework and standardize benefits delivery.
Who Bears the Cost
- Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture (Forest Service) — must fund higher ongoing base pay, incident premium payments, mental‑health programs, housing allowances, tuition assistance, and implement new payroll and retirement accounting; agencies must also staff casualty assistance and expand OWCP coordination.
- Office of Personnel Management — must create and administer special-rate tables, update retirement actuarial categories, process deposit elections and recalculated annuities, and harmonize locality-pay calculations, requiring staff time and systems updates.
- Congressional appropriations committees and taxpayers — the new permanent pay structure and recurring premiums increase baseline budgetary obligations for wildland firefighting pay and associated programs, shifting costs from temporary funding lines to regular appropriations.
- Payroll and HR systems contractors and payroll offices — bear implementation costs to reprogram pay computations, locality interactions, premium caps, recordkeeping for waivers and deposits, and manage retroactive or election-based crediting.
- Local fire departments and non‑federal employers (indirect) — may face comparative recruitment and retention effects if federal pay increases materially change local labor markets for wildland firefighting personnel.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is straightforward: the bill aims to close a pay and risk gap for high‑hazard wildland firefighters through statutory pay uplifts, daily deployment premiums, and robust health and retirement benefits — but it does so by creating a structurally higher and more complex compensation system that increases recurring budgetary obligations, requires difficult cross‑agency and payroll integrations, and forces choices about caps, waivers, and discretion that can produce unequal outcomes or administrative unpredictability. In short, achieving pay parity and better health/retirement protection competes directly with fiscal restraint, pay‑system simplicity, and consistent nationwide implementation.
The Act tightly specifies computation rules (grade-by-grade percentage uplifts and a 450% daily premium formula) but leaves several key implementation choices to agency discretion. The Secretaries and OPM must harmonize the new special base rates with existing locality pay, special-rate supplements, prevailing‑rate wage schedules, and hazard pay differentials.
That harmonization will require detailed payroll logic: for example, determining when the special base is the basis for locality, how overtime counts as ‘‘basic pay’’ for annuity calculations, and how prevailing‑rate increases are ‘‘generally consistent’’ with GS percentage uplifts without explicit percent directives. Those gaps create a risk of inconsistent application across regions and bargaining units.
The incident-response premium pay mechanism attempts to target deployment compensation but creates hard administrative edges: a per‑day 450% calculation interacts with hourly conversions, step‑10 caps, and an annual $9,000 ceiling that may yield inequitable outcomes between high‑wage and lower‑wage firefighters. The statutory ability for Secretaries to administratively adjust premiums after reporting is broad and tied to historical FY2023–24 averages; that discretionary authority could produce oscillations in pay as agencies attempt to align year‑to‑year total compensation.
Retroactive service credit and deposit elections permit targeted annuity improvements but impose administrative burdens on employees (upfront deposits plus interest) and agencies (remitting government shares), which could limit takeup. Finally, public data mandates (the disease database) raise questions about privacy, data standardization, diagnostic attribution to occupational exposure, and resourcing for accurate longitudinal tracking.
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