May 4, 2013

No disciplinary action may be taken for failure to submit a travel voucher or repay a travel advance until all procedures of Article 26 have been exhausted and the employee has been notified in writing that failure to comply may result in disciplinary action.

Absent emergency circumstances, supervisors will allow sufficient time during regularly schedule tours of duty for preparation of travel vouchers.

The Agency agrees to make every effort to avoid requiring employees to perform continuous automobile travel for more than eight hours in any workday or to travel on assigned days off.

No derogatory material of any nature which might reflect adversely upon the employee’s character or Agency career will be placed in his or her electronic Official Personnel File (eOPF) or Employee Performance File (EPF) without his or her knowledge.

Any employee who has been injured or incapacitated on the job and able to perform light duty will be assigned to such duties that he or she is able to perform, when such duty is available, until he or she has recovered from the injury or incapacitation. Employees will be eligible for recommendation for promotion

In directing employees to undergo a fitness for duty exam, the Agency is required to observe applicable rules and regulation. The applicable regulation is at 5 CFR 339.301 (b) – (d).

When employees or their representatives report an illness or injury has occurred in the performance of official duties, the employees at their request will be promptly counseled by trained personnel as to their right to file for compensation benefits and the benefits payable. The employee also shall be advised as soon as possible that, when

If you have any questions about the applicability of the Federal Employee Compensation Act (FECA) and its application in OWCP matters, there are two very good publications issued by DOL that provide extensive information for employees: Publication 810 and Publication 550.

An employee should obey a supervisor’s lawful order and grieve the order later if the employee believes the order was in violation of a negotiated agreement or policy. There are three generally recognized exceptions to the “obey now, grieve later” rule, but the two that are most common are: 1) when the order is illegal;