In 1981, seven people were fired by four different government agencies. Each believed that the punishment far outweighed the crime. Initially, the MSPB (Merit Systems Protection Board) disagreed, but upon further review, it realized these people were correct. The outcome of Curtis Douglas vs. Veterans Administration was the Douglas Factors. For immediate assistance from our experienced MSPB lawyers, contact...
Continue ReadingOPM Disability Retirement Basics There are four types of retirement for federal employees: early, voluntary, deferred, and disability. If you are a civilian employee of the federal government, your retirement benefits are provided by either the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or the Civil Service Retirement Service (CSRS).* Regardless of which office provides your disability benefits, the Office of...
Continue ReadingThe Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is one of two federal government personnel systems. That said, almost all federal employees fall under FERS. However, you may not know how to calculate your FERS retirement benefits. The good news is that you can follow a simple formula when calculating your FERS retirement benefits. There is no need to buy a...
Continue ReadingAttorney Eric Pines Discusses the Process of Personalizing the Customer’s Experience on the Win Win Podcast Houston, TX [October 4th, 2022] — In early October, founding attorney Eric Pines appeared on the Win Win Podcast, a show for the entrepreneurial community that discusses several business management topics. For this 30-minute episode, Eric talks about what it’s like to have unique deliverables for...
Continue ReadingUnlike private sector employees, virtually all federal employees have the right to appeal adverse actions taken against them. If you want to appeal an adverse action – such as a removal/termination, demotion, suspension longer than 14 days denial of Within-Grade Increases (WIGI) – then you may need to file a Merit Systems Protection Board appeal (MSPB) to challenge the...
Continue ReadingRecently, the Biden administration updated testing requirements for federal employees. The new guidelines from the government do not mandate COVID-19 screening tests for unvaccinated federal workers. Consequently, unvaccinated federal employees do not need to undergo testing because of their vaccination status. Instead, all federal employees, both unvaccinated and vaccinated, are subject to the same safety protocols. However, the Biden...
Continue ReadingWhat Was This Lawsuit About? In September 2017, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National VA Council (NVAC) filed a National Grievance against Veteran Affairs (VA) for failing to provide performance improvement plans (PIP) to AFGE bargaining unit employees (BUE) before taking performance-based adverse action. Providing PIPs is necessary under Article 27, Section 10 of the 2011 Master Agreement....
Continue ReadingFederal employers must provide workers with reasonable accommodation if they have a qualifying disability. There are many accommodation options available, depending on the severity of the disability and other factors. For example, disabled employees can request telecommuting or work from home, and they can also request physical accommodations in the workplace. Another common request employees ask for is a...
Continue ReadingSuspensions are generally used as a disciplinary measure and often affect a federal employee’s duty or pay. Depending on the offense, suspensions can be temporary or indefinite. If you are facing such a suspension, you still have legal rights. You are not forced to blindly accept this action. In this article, our Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) lawyers will...
Continue ReadingThere are unique sets of federal laws and regulations surrounding Veterans Affairs (VA) personnel, such as wage and hour matters, leave, discrimination, and disciplinary actions. Two common categories that VA employees fall under include Title 38, Title 5, and Hybrid 38. One of the most common challenges that VA employees face is understanding the different laws surrounding Veterans Affairs...
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