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Return to Article: Labor Department to fly solo on veterans' employment complaints

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  After serving for two combat tours in Vietnam as an Air Force pilot and receiving my honorable discharge in the United States, I have had to pursue my career as a scientist in foreign countries. In 1998, I went to work for the U.S. Forest Service as part of a settlement agreement mediated by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel after two FS employees offered me §20,000 to withdraw from a civil service selection. I was harassed and fired for blowing the whistle on the offer one day before the end of the probationary hear. Since then, I have been turned down in about 100 selections by the U.S. Geological Survey, in spite of having the highest score on examinations for at least 35 announced vacancies. I have learned that it is moot whether VETS or the OSC handles complaints. In every case, the veteran loses, no matter who handles the complaint.

  Dr. Charles W. Heckman Posted September 8, 2008 12:14 PM
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  I feel sorry for the veterans who must file their complaints to the Department of Labor. If there is another federal agency that is as cold, biased, cruel and felonious as DOL, I am not aware of it. Clearly, these bureaucrats will show disregard for the lawful rights of veterans just as they have disregarded the rights of injured federal employees.

  All veterans, injured or not, need to speak out loudly regarding the negligence of our federal government. Because, nothing will be done until the bureaucrats can no longer distort the truth.

  Robert M. Posted January 14, 2008 12:34 PM
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  If i am already employed by a DOD agency and i have 60% disability, if i apply for another job in the agency and i make the list of candidate for the job, and i dont get the job. Can i request a complain of employment.

  Mr. Garcia Marcos Posted January 14, 2008 9:08 AM
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  This would be the ideal situation if the Government and Office of Personnel Management would actually trained the people who are doing the investigations versus having to rely on an agency stating theat they are allowed to use other sources to select and hire personnel. the other issue is that there is not an order of presendence in which hiring officials are to pursue once going outside of their particular agency. Most agencies believe that they can apply merit principles to both intenral (within the agency) and external (government wide)candidates and also to the Delagated examination situations.

  Veteran's preference: Most agency human resource personnel do not know or understand how Veteran's preference applies. In that, a situation of a 30% disable veteran who applies for a job is suposed to be given preference under the Disabled Veteran's Affirmitive Action Program goals which are recruitment, placement, retentaion and advancement of disabled veterans. They believe a veteran only has preference when recriuting form outside the Government by the 10 point preference.

  In closing many agencies actually discriminate against the veteran and get by with it because most veteran's either do not complain, know that they have venues for complaints, and which are to protect the Veteran against discriminating actions however most veterans also do not have the funds to process and continue with the complaint.

  James Cochran Posted January 14, 2008 9:00 AM
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  DOL/VETS took 3 years to do ONE of my cases. They lost the case paperwork on the 12th Floor of the Federal building due to a "flood". Well that hadn't happened since the ploistene age.

  I have submitted 4 cases to DOL/VETS and not in anyone of them have they ever spoken to a single person nor subpoended a single piece of paper.

  They are a sad sad joke.

  Marshall Smith Posted January 12, 2008 2:40 PM
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  DOL/VET is comprise of a bunch of bureaucratic idiots. Time to flush them down the toilet.

  Marshall Smith Posted January 12, 2008 1:15 AM