Merit Systems and Employee Protection

In enacting the Civil Service Reform Act, Congress intended that the Special Counsel and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) vigorously protect federal merit principles and federal employees from prohibited personnel practices. The Special Counsel is required by statute to receive and investigate any allegations of a prohibited personnel practice and to refer all serious allegations to the head of the agency concerned. If it is determined that the situation requires action, the Special Counsel must report that determination with any findings and recommendations to MSPB, the agency involved, and the Office of Personnel Management. Allegations are received from individual employees, union representatives, referrals from Congressmen, and 14 agency fraud hotlines.