This text guides practitioners, HR specialists, and supervisors and managers through the complexities of adverse and performance-based actions, with discussion of the governing statutes, regulations, and decisions from the MSPB and Federal Circuit, and practical advice, strategies, and best practices for navigating these disciplinary processes. Major topics include discussion of the Civil Service Reform Act, statutory and regulatory requirements of adverse actions, the agency’s administrative process in taking adverse actions, substantive rights in performance-based actions, and the agency’s administrative process in taking performance-based actions. (more details)

This thorough but concise handbook offers supervisors and personnel specialists an easy-to-read, step-by-step, practical approach to taking adverse and performance-based actions. The subject matter is not complicated by legalese. Major topics include the legal framework of adverse actions, jurisdiction, adverse action causes, penalties, proving the case, adverse action procedures, performance based actions, and adverse action appeals. (more details)

Annually-updated, a Dewey best seller. Using Board and Federal Circuit cases as examples, Charges & Penalties offers comprehensive analysis and authoritative advice on adverse actions, charge drafting, and penalty selection. Major topics include the basics of adverse actions and charges; causation; charge classification; specific, generic, and narrative charges; power charging; lesser-included offenses; charge interpretation; notice and due process; the conjunctive charge; indefinite suspensions and security-related charges; merging, selecting and drafting the charge; advice for proposing and deciding officials; the penalty; and charges and proof requirements.

New in 2026 is an informational supplement, which updates the MSPB Charges and Penalties, 17th edition. The 2026 Supplement includes updated regulations, executive orders, and guidance. New case law (nonprecedential, precedential, and courts) is also included. The 2026 Supplement is included with a new purchase of the 17th edition or can be purchased separately. (more details)

Updated annually, this encyclopedic guide condenses MSPB and Federal Circuit decisions from 1999 through early 2026 into concise, usable summaries. Cases are arranged by subject matter areas and further categorized alphabetically. The MSPB Reference Materials free download and an index and table of cases rounds out this research tool. Major topics include adverse and performance actions, arbitration/collective bargaining issues, attorney fees, Board procedure, jurisdiction and judicial review, defenses, discrimination, evidence, harmful error, hearings, mitigation, prohibited personnel practices, retirement, reemployment, remedies, RIFs, settlements, substantive offenses, timeliness, USERRA and VEOA. (more details)

In four volumes, updated annually, the MSPB Guide is a complete research tool for Board cases, laws, procedure, and litigation practice and is the seminal text on this complex area of the law. Major topics include jurisdiction, appeals, discovery, hearings, evidence, PFRs, adverse actions and discipline, nexus and mitigation, substantive offenses, performance cases, RIFs, prohibited personnel practices, retirement, attorney fees, settlement, remedies, sanctions, and judicial review. This authoritative text is a component of the American Civil Service Law Series. (more details)