PERSONNEL HANDBOOK
SUBJECT: Charges and Penalty Selection for Disciplinary and Adverse Actions
The Department's Disciplinary Action Guide (Table of Penalties), currently found in 370 DM 752, Appendix A, has been abolished. It has been replaced with the attached DOI Handbook on Charges and Penalty Selection for Disciplinary and Adverse Actions, which contains a revised Table of Penalties. Language has been added to the introductory section of the Table to clarify its intended use and its limitations and to emphasize the importance of applying the Douglas factors when taking disciplinary action. New offenses have been added while others have been deleted, based on input received from the EEO, SOL and Personnel communities. The range of penalties has also been modified for certain offenses and the Table has been reorganized into more logical groupings. In addition, a fourth column has been added to the Table which lists "possible charges" for particular acts of misconduct.
The Handbook also contains in-depth guidance on framing charges and selecting penalties for misconduct which human resources specialists, as well as supervisors and managers, may find helpful when taking disciplinary actions.
Personnel Handbooks, such as the attached, will be made available for viewing/downloading from the Department's HRM website and may also be obtained electronically or in hard copy. Contact Jodi B. Vargas, Office of Personnel Policy, on 202/208-7764, for information.