There are several federal boards and agencies designed to protect the rights of civil-service employees. The Merit Systems Protection Board, often referred to as the MSPB, is one of the boards that was established with the purpose of protecting civil-service employees from unfair personnel decisions. These decisions, which may include demotion or termination, can be appealed through the MSPB. People who report illegal activities in the workplace, whistleblowers, are often sanctioned in unfair ways. These sanctions, which are often as extreme as termination, can be effectively addressed by filing an appeal through the MSPB.
Before filing an appeal with the MSPB, certain steps usually must be taken. Since federal laws protect federal employees and federal job applicants, appeals should take place in the manner mandated by federal law. We recommend you speak with one of our federal employment lawyers, and we are happy to offer free initial consultations by phone. It is important to note that these federal laws, in most situations, require that appeals pass through the Office of Special Council as stated in the Whistleblower Protection Act. However, when a whistleblower suffers an adverse sanction specified in the general jurisdiction of the MSPB, appeals can be filed with the MSPB directly, which circumvents the need to go through the Office of Special Council first.
Once the MSPB receives an appeal concerning whistleblowing, it can do several things to help. If, for instance, a federal employee is fired because of whistleblowing, the MSPB can fight to get the employee the financial damages due to them. In other cases, even when the affected party is only demoted, the MSPB will work to recover the losses incurred.
Actions taken by the MSPB to protect each individual whistleblower are designed to protect the legal rights that all potential, current, and former federal employees have. The protection of these rights is vital because it ensures that government agencies operate with the utmost respect for the United States’ legal and ethical standards. Of course, many governmental agencies don’t appreciate the negative attention that whistleblowers can generate, but with the help of the MSPB, justified whistleblowers can do the right thing without suffering unfair consequences.
Tags: Federal Employee Whistleblowers, Merit Systems Protection Board, MSPB
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