Federal employees work under a personnel system that can make the choice of forum as important as the underlying workplace problem.
A federal worker may be dealing with discrimination or harassment, a reasonable-accommodation problem, a proposed suspension or removal, a performance action, whistleblower retaliation, an Inspector General or OSC issue, a grievance, or an action that may be appealable to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Those routes can overlap, but they are not interchangeable.
Start with what happened
Discrimination or Harassment
Federal-sector EEO, protected bases, harassment, reprisal, complaints, and hearings.
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Discipline, Removal, Suspension & MSPB
Proposed actions, final actions, appealability, reply rights, and MSPB routes.
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Whistleblower, OSC & IRA
Protected disclosures, prohibited personnel practices, OSC exhaustion, and IRA appeals.
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Reasonable Accommodation
Disability accommodation, interactive-process records, and later personnel actions.
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Mixed Cases & Forum Choice
When discrimination and an appealable personnel action overlap.
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Performance Actions & PIPs
Performance standards, PIPs, records, responses, and possible later review.
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RIFs & Reorganizations
Retention, competitive areas and levels, preference, notice, and appeal questions.
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Grievances & Union Routes
Bargaining-unit coverage, negotiated grievance procedures, exclusions, and elections.
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Early Intervention
Organize the record before a proposed action, short deadline, or forum choice becomes irreversible.
Explore this federal issueForum choice can change the case
Federal EEO, MSPB, OSC, negotiated grievance procedures, and other federal processes have their own jurisdictional and election rules. In a mixed case, filing choices can matter. Do not assume that contacting one office automatically starts or preserves every other route.
Time can be short
Federal-sector EEO generally begins with contacting an EEO counselor within a short period, often 45 days, subject to the governing rules and exceptions. MSPB and OSC-related matters use different rules. Use the actual notice and current official instructions immediately when a deadline may be running.
Build one organized federal file
Keep the proposed-action notice, decision letter, performance records, EEO documents, accommodation records, grievance papers, OSC materials, MSPB filings, email, agency policies, and proof of when notices were received.
This center is national educational material for federal employees and applicants. It is not a representation that workrights.com/ currently offers nationwide legal representation.