Federal employees have rights when they receive a notice of proposed discipline, such as proposed removal, proposed demotion, or proposed suspension of more than 14 days.
Except in certain circumstances, most federal employees are entitled to certain protections before they can be removed, demoted, or suspended for more than 14 days. Most federal workers have the following rights when they are facing one of these disciplinary actions: (1) the right to written notice; (2) the right to review the evidence; (3) the right to representation; and (4) the right to respond. 5 U.S.C. § 7513; 5 C.F.R. § 752.404.
The right to written notice of proposed discipline
Before removing, demoting, or suspending an employee for more than 14 days, the agency must give the employee a written notice of the proposed discipline. The notice of proposed discipline must describe the allegations against the employee (i.e., what type of misconduct or performance issue the employee is accused of) and what penalty the agency proposes to impose.
The right to review the evidence
The employee has the right to review any documents and any other evidence the agency relied upon in proposing the disciplinary action. This evidence is frequently called “the documents relied upon” or “the record.” Sometimes the proposing official or HR will automatically give the employee the documents relied upon. However, the employee should ask for the documents and ask the agency to confirm that he/she received all of the documents relied upon.
The right to representation
The notice of proposed discipline should also state that the employee has the right to representation. This means that the employee may enlist or retain a representative to aid him/her in responding to the notice of proposed discipline. The representative may be a union representative, a private attorney, or any other person. The employee should notify the agency that he/she has a representative connected to the proposed discipline.
The right to respond to the notice of proposed discipline
An employee has the right to respond in writing and orally to a notice of proposed removal, demotion, or suspension for more than 14 days. The agency must give the employee a “reasonable” amount of time (i.e., not less than 7 days) to respond. The notice of proposed discipline should state when the employee’s response is due. An employee may ask the deciding official for an extension of time to submit his/her response. The employee may submit his/her own evidence, including but not limited to statements or declarations from witnesses, with the written or oral response.
Contact Alan Lescht and Associates, P.C., today if you are a federal employee who received a notice of proposed removal, proposed demotion, or proposed suspension for more than 14 days. We offer strategic and results-driven legal services to federal government employees around the world.
