Frederick A. R. Drew v. U. S. Department of the Navy and Merit Systems Protection Board

672 F.2d 197, 217 U.S. App. D.C. 344, 109 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3053, 1982 U.S. App. LEXIS 21252
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedMarch 5, 1982
Docket80-2352
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 672 F.2d 197 (Frederick A. R. Drew v. U. S. Department of the Navy and Merit Systems Protection Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frederick A. R. Drew v. U. S. Department of the Navy and Merit Systems Protection Board, 672 F.2d 197, 217 U.S. App. D.C. 344, 109 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3053, 1982 U.S. App. LEXIS 21252 (D.C. Cir. 1982).

Opinions

PER CURIAM:

Petitioner Drew, a Medical Records Technician with the Department of the Navy in San Diego, California, was dismissed from his post for performing “unacceptably” as defined in 5 U.S.C. § 4303 (Supp. II 1978). On review, the Merit Systems Protection Board (“Board”) affirmed that dismissal. Subsequently, in a case with similar facts, the Board invalidated the procedure earlier followed in dismissing petitioner. The Navy, acknowledging that Drew’s dismissal could not stand, requested reconsideration (J.A. 376) of petitioner’s dismissal under a second statute, 5 U.S.C. Chapter 75, which authorized removal of employees “to promote the efficiency of the Service.” The reconsideration resulted again in petitioner’s dismissal, the Board affirmed and petitioner appealed. We affirm the Board’s decision.

I.

On June 7, 1979, petitioner was notified by his supervising officer of an impending recommendation to the Chief of Naval Patient Services that he (petitioner) be dismissed for failure to perform two critical elements of his job.1 Petitioner responded by alleging that the proposed dismissal action was in direct retaliation for his union activities. On July 9, 1979, the Chief of Patient Services ordered the dismissal.

On July 20, 1979 petitioner’s representative, the National Representative of the American Federation of Government Employees (J.A. 5, 227), filed an appeal to the Board, which reviewed the dismissal under the standards of Chapter 43, i.e., 5 U.S.C. § 4303. Pursuant to that section, an agency may “remove an employee for unacceptable performance.” Section 4301(3) defines “unacceptable performance” as “performance of an employee which fails to meet established performance standards in one or more critical elements of such employee’s position.” The Board ruled under Chapter 43 that petitioner’s alleged failure to perform the critical elements of his position was sustained by the requisite substantial evidence, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 7701(c)(1)(A).

Subsequently the Board reopened the appeal pending a determination in Wells v. Harris (J.A. 210). On December 5, the Board decided that case,2 in which it held, with respect to another dismissal under Chapter 43, that an agency could not dismiss an employee under § 4303 without having first established a performance appraisal system under § 4302.3 Such system had not been established in Drew’s agency. Accordingly, on December 26, the Board [199]*199remanded petitioner’s case to the Naval field office and ordered “reconsideration” in light of Wells. (J.A. 208-209).

On January 23, 1980, the Presiding Official of the Field Office of the Board wrote a letter to the Civilian Personnel Officer of the Navy, who had presented the case against Drew. Petitioner and his representative received notice of this letter by a copy thereof. This letter indicates that petitioner and his representative were also furnished with the Board’s remand order and its entire decision in Wells v. Harris.4 The Board Order (J.A. 208-209) gave petitioner full notice of the status of his case, the reasons therefor, and the fact that under the Board’s decision the Navy could seek his dismissal under Chapter 75 should a “preponderance of the evidence”5 show such action was taken “for such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service.” (J.A. 209).

On February 13, 1980, the Navy requested the Board to reconsider petitioner’s dismissal under the standards of Chapter 75. (J.A. 213). In that request, the Navy, referring the Board to the original notice sent to petitioner for a review of his job-related failures, stated that his deficient work performance, as had been set forth in the Chapter 43 proceeding, also satisfied the “efficiency of the service” standard for dismissal under Chapter 75.

The appellant’s poor work performance adversely affected the ability of the Center to accomplish this portion of its mission in a timely and efficient manner. The showing by the agency, through records kept by the employee, that appellant’s total work production was far below that of his co-workers performing the same type of work as well as being short of the minimum standard identified as that necessary for efficient government operation leads to the unavoidable conclusion that his removal from employment with the agency and the subsequent placement of a qualified employee into the vacated position will promote the efficiency of the service.

(J.A. 219).

On February 19, 1980, the Board advised Drew’s representative (copy to Drew) as follows:

I am enclosing a copy of the February 13, 1980 letter from the agency in which it acknowledges that Mr. Drew was not separated under a performance appraisal system approved by the Office of Personnel Management pursuant to 5 U.S.C. section 4303. Further, the agency elected to request reconsideration of the case, and a new adjudication, under the standards of 5 U.S.C. Chapter 75.
In further compliance with the Order, you are hereby granted twenty (20) days from receipt of this letter to present any supplemental documentary or testimonial evidence[6] concerning the issue of wheth[200]*200er, by a preponderance of the evidence, the agency action was taken for “such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service.”

(J.A. 212) (emphasis added).

Drew exercised his right “to answer .. . in writing ... in support of his ... ” position by filing on February 19, 1980, a six page single spaced letter with the Board. (J.A. 221-226). The letter presents Drew’s case in great detail.

The Navy’s letter of February 13, 1980 (J.A. 213-219), the February 19, 1980 letter of the Board’s Field Office (J.A. 212) and Drew’s letter of February 19, 1980) (J.A. 221-227) indicate that Drew and his representative were given adequate notice of the “specific reasons for the proposed action” (§ 7503(b)(1)) and the evidence necessary to dismiss him under Chapter 75 and that they fully understood the charges and the law applicable thereto (J.A. 212-227).

The statutory requirement that “[a]n employee against whom an action is proposed is entitled to — (1) at least 30 days’ advance written notice ... stating the specific reasons for the proposed action . ..,” 5 U.S.C. § 7513(b) was thus satisfied by delivery of the above mentioned documents to Drew and to his “representative in the case.” (J.A. 221).

On April 4, 1980, the presiding Naval official dismissed petitioner for reasons authorized by Chapter 75. Petitioner appealed once again to the Board. On October 9, the Board affirmed the decision and petitioner filed the instant appeal.

II.

Petitioner argues that the notice he received that the Board was proceeding to seek his dismissal under Chapter 75 did not properly inform him of the nature of the proceedings against him.

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672 F.2d 197, 217 U.S. App. D.C. 344, 109 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3053, 1982 U.S. App. LEXIS 21252, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frederick-a-r-drew-v-u-s-department-of-the-navy-and-merit-systems-cadc-1982.