How PLI Can Help Protect Against Schedule F

On October 21, President Trump issued Executive Order 13957, which will reclassify workers "in positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character" into a new category, Schedule F.  Schedule F employees will be exempt from the typical federal employment processes, making the positions easier to hire and fire.  While the number of federal employees impacted by the Executive Order is unknown due to the elastic definition of what could be classified as Schedule F, the American Federation of Government Employees estimates that it could impact “perhaps hundreds of thousands” of federal employees.

For existing federal employees, the Executive Order represents yet another attack on the civil service, and one that could result in significantly lower job protections and due process rights.  New “Schedule F” employees will be exempted from the Title 5 requirement that agencies comply with “extensive procedures before taking adverse action against an employee.”  Put plainly, it will become much easier for the federal government to discipline or fire employees newly classified as Schedule F.

If you are a federal employee in a position at risk of being classified as Schedule F, it is imperative to protect your career with professional liability insurance (PLI).  The reduced job protections for Schedule F employees magnify the need to defend your career using the remaining protections, and a PLI policy with robust administrative action coverage is the best way to augment this protection. 

FEDS Protection provides $200,000 of legal representation per incident for administrative actions, which include investigations, disciplinary actions, and proposed removals arising out of the performance of a professional service.  While Schedule F employees will lose layers of protection under Title 5, there will still be opportunities to defend against disciplinary actions and proposed removals—and FEDS members will be provided high-quality legal representation to defend against such actions. 

FEDS also provides up to $1 or $2 million in civil liability protection and up to $100,000 for criminal defense costs, all for a premium cost starting at $290 a year.  Many of the positions that seem at risk of being classified Schedule F are also eligible for agency reimbursement of up to ½ the cost of a FEDS policy.  To learn more about how a FEDS PLI policy can provide protection for your career, visit our website or call 866.955.FEDS today.