Legal Definitions - Merit Systems Protection Board

The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is an independentfederal agency that oversees personnel practices of the federal government. It hears and decides appeals from adverse personnel actions taken against federal employees. The MSPB has five regional offices and five field offices. Its functions were transferred from the former Civil Service Commission under Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978.

The Civil Service Commission was a former independent federal agency that supervised the government's personnel system. It was created in 1883 and abolished by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978. Its functions were transferred to the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Office of Personnel Management.

For example, if a federal employee is fired or demoted, they can appeal the decision to the MSPB. The MSPB will then review the case and make a decision on whether the personnel action was justified or not. This helps ensure that federal employees are treated fairly and that the government's personnel system is operating properly.

Civil service reform is the use of business principles and methods instead of the spoils system in the conduct of the civil service, especially in awarding contracts and appointing officials. This helps ensure that the government is hiring and promoting employees based on merit and qualifications rather than political connections.

For example, before civil service reform, government jobs were often given to people based on their political affiliations rather than their qualifications. This led to corruption and inefficiency in the government. Civil service reform helped to eliminate these problems by establishing a merit-based system for hiring and promoting employees.