Since the wave of U.S. government layoffs began, the independent agency that adjudicates a federal worker’s challenge of their dismissal has seen its case load skyrocket. The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board said over the past two weeks, more than 2,000 cases have been received.
A National Institutes of Health employee who was let go on Valentine’s Day said she is among the many challenging their layoff.
“They terminated me, saying that I was not meeting the requirements of my probationary period. I have my supervisor’s review from the previous November stating that I was exceeding expectations, so my review and the termination letter do not match at all,” she said.
The former fed did not want to give WTOP her name, as her case is still pending. In fact, since filing her appeal on Feb. 19, she said she hasn’t seen any progress in the case.
The worker allowed WTOP to look at her review from November of last year, and it showed ratings of either “Achieved More than Expected Results” or “Achieved Outstanding Results” in every category. Those are the two top ratings an employee can receive.
“I understand from other feds who have received the same termination letter that it’s boiler plate text, but it’s offensive boiler plate text. It’s honestly insulting,” the worker said.
In numbers the board provided to WTOP, from the week of Sept. 29 through the week of Feb. 2, showed it averaged around 100 new cases each week. During the week of Feb. 9, that number jumped up to 578 cases, followed by 1,845 cases in the week of Feb. 16.
The worker said one reason she’s challenging her dismissal is due to the letter stating her job performance was to blame for her being fired.
“I’m sitting here with a termination letter on my professional record that indicates that I failed at what I’ve always strived to be. And even though I know that it’s not true, it’s still a lot to wrap my brain around,” she said.
The Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, led by Elon Musk, has said the layoffs of thousands of workers is part of a cost-cutting plan to reduce the federal workforce and increase government transparency.
The worker said she spent years as a contractor and, last year, landed a job with the federal government, hoping for more job security compared to contract work. While she is polishing up her resume and beginning the job search again, she has some hope that she’ll be brought back.
“I want my job back. I loved my job. I was proud of my job, and I didn’t deserve to have it taken away,” she said.
The worker said she reached out to an employment attorney about joining a class-action lawsuit against the federal government, but was turned down because she already started a case with the Merit Systems Protection Board. She said she wished she knew that would disqualify her before appealing to the board.
The worker said the entire situation has left her and many others in a tough spot, as bills continue to come in even though paychecks aren’t.
“It’s nerve-wracking, it’s disheartening, it’s scary,” she said.
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