1 thought on “Important Cases Which Impact Disability Retirement Applications”

  1. After nearly seventeen-17-years as a Civil Service Employee in the Federal System with an excellent performance record; I was forced to transfer to another DOD agency via the DOD PPP-Priority Placement Program-List. The new agency-NAF-Naval Air Facility-Command Andrews Air Force Base proved to be a PPP employee’s nightmare.
    Within eighty-nine days my immediate supervisor was attempting to give me a Below Fully Successful Annual Rating; this was not LEGAL BECAUSE AN EMPLOYEE MUST WORK UNDER A SET OF PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR AT LEAST NINETY-90-DAYS BEFORE THEY CAN RECEIVE A RATING.
    A little over four-4-months later my immediate supervisor forced me to accept the transfer to and title of Supervisory Accounting Technician. During the next few months I developed Position Descriptions and Sets of Job Elements which resulted in the promotion of all four-4-of the employees in my branch-a great deal of this work had to be done outside of working hours at the demand of my supervisor, her superiors. and Human Resources Personnel. Typically this type of work would be handled by the Human Resources Personnel with final approval coming from management. In this case the Position Descriptions and Performance Appraisals-Sets of Job Elements-were developed by me with final approval by senior management and implementation by Human Resources. From the time that the Position Descriptions and Performance Appraisals were approved by senior management and Human Resources my immediate supervisor was even more bitter toward me.
    Four other areas which my supervisor was extremely bitter toward me about were:
    1. My previous extensive experience with EEO-Equal Employment Opportunity-and its principles and regulations.
    2. My previous extensive experience with DFAS-Defense Finance Accounting Service-and knowledge of DFAS regulations.
    Shortly after I came to the agency-this agency was incorporated into the DFAS group. Instead of feeling bitter toward me-my immediate supervisor should have been glad that she had someone on-site who was familiar and experienced with DFAS.
    3. My extensive knowledge of DFAS made me a source for answers-she considered me to be a threat to her authority.
    4. Her constant harassment of me whenever I requested leave-despite the fact that I had ample leave to cover the request.
    As a result of my immediate supervisor refusing to grant me sick leave I lost the service of two-2-doctors during the twenty-eight months that I was employed at her agency.
    Even some of the senior military officers were afraid of my immediate supervisor. One of the young enlisted Marines was so frightened of my former immediate supervisor-that the poor man would make the same error every month on his reports by reversing the Flight Hours and Gallons of Fuel totals. A young Navy enlisted man was so frightened of my immediate supervisor that he phoned in his Flight Hours and the Gallons of Fuel totals from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean-to insure that she would not be angry about a delay in the report of the figures. My department had the highest turnover rate in the AGENCY; quite obviously there was definitely a problem which needed to be resolved.
    The former immediate supervisor and management combined their efforts with Human Resources to force me out of the Navy without any JUSTIFICATION OR COMPENSATION. I have filed all of the required actions including:
    MSPB-Initial and Appeal
    EEOC-Initial and Appeal
    OSC
    OFO-Initial and Appeal
    Each response is the same-Agency action affirmed.
    It is rather difficult to explain this response when the employee had in her records:
    1. Numerous Outstanding Performance Awards
    2. Numerous Above Fully Satisfactory Performance Awards
    3. Beneficial Suggestion Award
    4. Employee of the Quarter
    5. EEO-Equal Employment Opportunity-Handicapped Coordinator
    Six-6-years.
    6. Member of the EEO Committee for five-5-years.
    7. Chosen by agency and DFAS management to be a member of the TQM-Total Quality Management-Team. Served on the TQM Team for nine-9-months and its findings were relayed to DFAS-Defense Finance Accounting Service.
    8. Chosen by management to train a speech and hearing impaired employee on the operation of the STARS DB-Standard Accounting Reports System-Data Base-and prepare and design an information and training guide for this employee.
    Instead of-Agency action affirmed-perhaps one of these other ruling agencies could have suggested that the involved activity be required to place the involved employee somewhere in DOD at her current grade level-GS-7 Step 10.
    The former immediate supervisor even asked me early in my employment at her agency how I could possibly be a GS-7 Step 10 at my age? To keep the peace for all concerned I explained that the Step 10 was the combination of my normally granted WGI’s and the numerous QSI’s that I had earned. The immediate supervisor was displeased and considered me a personal threat from very early in my employment at her activity. I didn’t want her job-I detest supervisor jobs. To say the least she was being very UNREALISTIC FROM THE START.
    By the following year’s appraisal the immediate supervisor was able to get away with giving me a Below Fully Satisfactory Rating for my Annual Appraisal despite the large quantity of money and work that I had saved her, human resources, and senior management. According to Human Resources and Senior Management I was supposed to be able to meet with the Administrative Officer once a week on the same day and at the same time-to review job opportunities that I might be able to apply for. Each time I attempted to attend one of these mandatory meetings-my former immediate supervisor refused to let me leave the office to attend those mandatory meetings of which she was fully aware and informed.
    My failure to appear at these-MANDATORY MEETINGS WAS HELD AGAINST ME. Management personnel claimed that I had failed to attend the mandatory meetings in an effort to possibly find another job. It was omitted that my former immediate supervisor had refused to let me attend these meetings in all documents which were generated before, during, and after the REMOVAL. Management has to be realistic here; one of their own refused to allow permission to attend MANDATORY MEETINGS.
    The doctor appointed by the Navy did not have any knowledge of Neurology or Epilepsy. My neurologist verified in a letter to the agency that stress can trigger seizures. It is no secret that my former supervisor had one of the worst reputations in the activity. If even some of the senior military officers were afraid of her she must have had quite an impression on people.
    After my Forced Removal many customers would phone the office and ask for me by name. The ultimate insult came when my former supervisor heard a customer tell her over the phone: ” Miss Evcic was the only one who knew what was going on in that place. She could get anything done that we needed. ” If I was such a burden-why did the customers regret my departure? L. Evcic

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