EDRP Termination?
Been working with the VA for roughly 3 years now, with my 3rd year of reimbursement coming up. Got the email for the annual review and got my paperwork in place, except that back in December I got dinged for conduct issues (unrelated to my work, caused no damage, mostly hearsay) which I filed grievance but was denied due to "lacking evidence" and this left a strike on my record. My supervisor basically implied (after supposedly consulting HR) that this would prevent reimbursement and is grounds for program termination.
Don't believe this is fair since this was the only conduct issue on my file and otherwise I've only received stellar performance reviews and feedback since. Because of the massive amount of the EDRP reward (roughly $70k left on the award), this isn't something I can chalk up as an "expensive lesson"--I'm exploring employment lawyer options to fight if necessary.
I didn't receive any official statement on this, but I'm essentially bracing myself for the worst at the moment. The EDRP contract does indeed state SUSTAINED disciplinary action will cause termination while my conduct issue was just one episode so I'm hoping I have some ground, and the issue itself was so minor (i.e. to elaborate without additional details, this would not have been a conduct issue at another VA location) that punitive actions amounting to $70k (after tax) is excessive from any kind of standpoint.
I see a lot of EDRP questions asked on this subreddit so moreorless trying to grab at straws looking for insight until I receive an official response from the program managers, who can be a bit slow in responding. I've called a couple of firms already and most of them do require a significant consultation fee, so a legal dispute is something I'd like to use only as last resort.
Many thanks