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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Are AAs designated as essential? Where does OAO and OAS fall in terms of the BVA? Are they separate from AAs? Probie here and still trying to figure out the ropes.   Thank you.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://www.reddit.com/r/VeteransAffairs/comments/1j49ls2/reorgrif_memo/

The leaked memo re: VA cuts

I think BVA is relatively safe based on the 2019 contingency plan.[/quote]

Past emails re: potential shutdowns indicate that BVA's OAO and OAS employees are designated as essential during a lapse in appropriations.  But that seems like a lot of people that would be exempt from RIFs.[/quote][/quote]

AAs are generally expected to continue to work. The BVA is pre-funded and not impacted by a shutdown like most of the rest of the government.

As far as probationary status goes, good luck. They're evaluating probationary employees based on the DOC prior to your actual eval date, and prior to the 4/4/25 deadline, and terminating probationary employees based on present numbers. In short, BVA is doing to probationary employees what BVA did to non-probationary employees not too long ago.

By that I mean, BVA previously placed AAs on PIPs and took adverse actions against them for being behind on the DOC mid-cycle. The result was missed incentive payments, missed step increases, etc. The union took the situation to arbitration and prevailed, and BVA had to pay back-pay and remove adverse actions from employees' records because it violated the CBA. No similar protections protect probationary employees.

In other words, don't ever get behind on the DOC. BVA hired 200 new attorneys just before Trump. These are the 20% lowest producing attorneys at the Board, and with the pressure to shrink VA overall, the probationary employees have a big target on their back, and the new DVCs and secretary are seeing low hanging fruit with the probationary AAs. [/quote]

Sounds like you’re spouting generalizations or speculation. We are only pre-funded at this point for 7 days, so get up to speed. And what’s your source on probationary employees? Plenty of GS14s who don’t stay green from week to week and then catch up. Haven’t heard of any of them getting fired. [/quote]

Of course GS-14 aren't fired for that. They can't be disciplined for it either. AFGE Local 17 already fought and won that challenge in arbitration. However, there's nothing stopping BVA from looking at probationary employees prior to the end of their probationary period and finding them unfit for being behind. And, that's what BVA is doing. Probationary employees are being termed for being behind prior to their anniversary and prior to 4/4/25. I'm not sure how many decisions behind they're allowed to be at any given time, but probationary employees ARE being terminated for being behind before their anniversary date and (obviously before 4/4/25). 
[/quote]

probationary employees are covered by the CBA so I doubt these terminations are legal.  [/quote]

Probationary employees frequently are fired for not making their production goal. This has been the case for many years. [/quote]

I am well aware of that but I’m not sure if those firings are legal in light of the arbitrator’s recent ruling. [/quote]
Which ruling and which firings? Probationary people being warned about production and being fired has been done for years.

Are you saying that Probationary employees have a right to a PIP?  If they cannot make the weekly goal with the simple cases they are not going to pass a PIP.

The union apparently has a grievance about the April 5 deadline to assess mid-year production. There has not been a decision as far as I know. [/quote]

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