{"id":25481,"date":"2023-04-06T17:26:49","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T17:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/06\/veterans-gets-protections-from-retaliation-at-government-agencies\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:54:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:54:02","slug":"veterans-gets-protections-from-retaliation-at-government-agencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/federal-oversight\/watchdogs\/2023\/04\/06\/veterans-gets-protections-from-retaliation-at-government-agencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans get protections from retaliation at government agencies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The quasi-judicial agency that protects federal employment rights set a precedent last month<\/a> that affirms veterans who work in the government are protected from retaliation for speaking out against discrimination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Merit Systems Protection Board affirmed that federal employees who are veterans are protected from workplace harassment specifically under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act\u2019<\/a>s anti-retaliation provision. This landmark law has protected veterans from employment discrimination based on their military service since 1994.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, it been debated whether USERRA in itself protected veterans against \u201ca hostile work environment\u201d in the federal government. Refined standards make it clear that it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUSERRA was amended with explicit language to open the door for these kinds of [workplace harassment] claims to go forward,\u201d said Ryan Gallucci, director of the Veterans of Foreign War<\/a>\u2019s Washington office, in a phone interview. \u201cThis is a positive development for veterans, and one that has been in the works for more than a decade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several administrative bodies deal with USERRA cases, and MSPB\u2019s focus is on appeals at the federal level. In a case last month, it clarified its standards, acknowledging that persistent harassment in a federal agency can rise to the level of severity such that it alters the conditions of a veteran\u2019s employment, and therefore can trigger a freestanding retaliation complaint under the law if the protected activity was a motivating factor. Veterans make up about a third of the federal workforce, with 14% of all employed Gulf War-era veterans working for the government.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe question of hostile work environments via USERRA asks the question of whether there\u2019s a culture in a certain agency that is hostile to vets,\u201d VFW\u2019s Gallucci said. \u201cAnd now veterans have peace of mind that workplace harassment will be taken seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t