In another blow to the Federal Career Intern Program, the Merit Systems Protection Board Nov. 2 ruled that Office of Personnel Management regulations implementing the FCIP violate veterans’ preference under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (Dean v. OPM).
The board stopped short, however, of striking down the program in its entirety as suggested by the National Treasury Employees Union, which in an amicus brief argued that it violates merit systems principles by providing for hiring without “fair and open competition.”
The decision addresses the consolidated appeals of David Dean and Larry Evans, both of whom argued that their ...