Lynne Bernabei recently appeared on Federal News Radio’s Federal Drive to discuss the war between Congress and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) over attempts to limit the ability of federal employees to challenge demotions or terminations. When Congress voted to restrict appeal rights of Veterans Affairs Department managers, it never counted on what might happen – that the Merit Systems Protection Board would follow the law to the letter. That’s why a series of reversals have hit VA’s senior leadership when it tried to fire or demote senior managers for alleged performance issues. Lynne discussed how this is part of a larger battle over Congressional and Executive branch efforts to cut back on civil service protections for federal employees.
