FREE Civil Service FAQ Workplace Rights and Protections Questions and Answers Flashcards
6 cards from real Civil Service FAQ practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 FREE Civil Service FAQ Workplace Rights and Protections Questions and Answers flashcards as text
Which of the following actions is NOT considered a protected disclosure under the Whistleblower Protection Act for federal employees?
Answer: Revealing information already known to the public
Disclosures of information that is already widely known to the public are generally not protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act because there is no new public benefit from the disclosure.
A federal employee receives a proposed removal notice. Under 5 U.S.C. § 7513, what is the minimum advance notice period the agency must provide?
Answer: 30 days
Federal law requires agencies to give at least 30 days advance written notice before taking a major adverse action such as removal, suspension over 14 days, or reduction in grade/pay.
Under the Civil Service Reform Act, which body has appellate jurisdiction over most final decisions of the Merit Systems Protection Board?
Answer: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has exclusive jurisdiction to review final MSPB decisions, centralizing federal civil service appeals in one specialized court.
What doctrine protects a federal employee from being disciplined solely because a supervisor disagrees with the employee's lawful off-duty political activities?
Answer: Patronage dismissal prohibition
The patronage dismissal prohibition (established in Elrod v. Burns and Branti v. Finkel) restricts government employers from firing or penalizing employees based on political affiliation unless the position requires political loyalty.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act, a federal agency must provide a reasonable accommodation UNLESS it would:
Answer: Both B and C
An agency may deny accommodation if it would either eliminate an essential function of the position or impose an undue hardship (significant difficulty or expense) on the agency.
A federal supervisor retaliates against an employee for filing an EEO complaint by reassigning the employee to a less desirable shift. This reassignment most likely constitutes a:
Answer: Material adverse action supporting a retaliation claim
Under Burlington Northern v. White, a materially adverse action in the retaliation context is any action that would dissuade a reasonable employee from making a charge, which a less desirable reassignment can satisfy.