The Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination Act, or MERIT Act, aims to reinstate certain federal probationary employees who were terminated as part of recent "mass terminations." It defines an affected probationary employee as an individual separated from an Executive agency between January 20, 2025, and the Act's enactment, who was serving a probationary period or had not completed required continuous service. A mass termination involves at least 15 involuntary or incentivized voluntary separations from an Executive agency within a 30-day period due to related actions. Under the Act, these affected employees are entitled to an appointment to a position in their former agency that is same or similar to their previous federal role, ensuring comparable or better employment benefits. They are also eligible for back pay covering the period from their termination date until their reinstatement. For those who found new federal employment, the back pay calculation accounts for the difference between what they would have earned and what they did earn in their new position. Executive agencies must notify affected employees of their rights within 30 days of the Act's enactment, and employees then have 30 days to accept or reject the reinstatement offer. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director is responsible for determining pay for back pay calculations. The bill also mandates reports from the Comptroller General on the scope and reasons for these mass terminations and from OPM on the implementation and number of reinstatements under the Act.