This paper presents the background status and current research on the motor-operated valve (MOV) disc and stem factor loads. Generic Safety Issue (GSI)-87 Failure of HPCI Steam Line Without Isolation'' and Generic Letter (GL) 89-10 Safety-Related Motor-Operated Valve Testing and Surveillance'' have initiated a great deal of research on MOVs in a relatively short time. Most of this research has concentrated on the motor-operated, rising, stem, wedge gate valve, which is the predominant valve in the GSI-87 applications and is widely used in the systems covered by GL 89-10. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), is performing research to assist in the resolution of GSI-87 and the implementation of GL 89-10. This work has identified two friction loads that were not well understood and that have a significant influence on the force required to operate a valve under load. The lack of understanding of one of the friction loads has led to questions about the diagnostic testing performed on MOVs over the last few years. It is also not known how aging (time) will affect these friction loads. This is also a subject of ongoing research.