Bill Introduced to Protect Veterans Rights Against Reassignment

The legislation that was introduced will assure that military veterans
employed by the Postal Service and throughout the federal government
receive a guarantee of preference job protections during downsizing and
consolidation actions. Congresswoman Herseth is a member of the House
Veterans' Affairs Committee.

The USPS contends that federal law does not require the application of
veterans' preference job retention priorities to repositioning actions
because veterans' preference rules, according to the Postal Service,
apply only during a reduction-in-force or RIF, not "repositioning
personnel action". This proposed legislation would require that any
military veteran employee of the federal government (including the
USPS), who becomes subject to an involuntary geographic reassignment
outside of the commuting area during the course of a reorganization or
transfer of function, receive the choice of accepting the reassignment
or the opportunity to contest the reassignment in the same manner as a
RIF.