Drafting Winning Proposal and Decision Letters: Supporting Your Penalty, Avoiding Reversal

Proposal and decision letters are considered the most critical documents in any discipline or adverse action. Why? Because poorly drafted letters lead to penalty reversal or mitigation – dragging out the process and costing the agency more time and money.

Take advantage of one of the few training opportunities available focused solely on how to draft letters that effectively sell the agency’s penalty determination and stand up to review. Even better, you learn directly from attorney Bob Erbe, who has 17 years experience representing federal agencies, including currently representing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement before the MSPB. 

Mr. Erbe will teach you how to write proposal and decision letters that meet due process requirements and that place the employee on notice of the action and the opportunity to respond. Plus, he’ll guide you through establishing the theory of your cases, educating the arbitrator or MSPB on the agency’s mission and how it was impacted by the seriousness of the offense. 

You also benefit from Mr. Erbe’s experienced guidance on how to:

• Use specific language in your proposal and decisions letters to deal with your unique situations
• Incorporate the Douglas Factors in the proposal letter and the three Factors necessary in a removal letter
• Effectively address mitigating factors
• Place aggravating factors in the proposal letter, and determine when and how to use uncharged misconduct as an aggravating factor
• And more!

 Q&A breaks give you opportunities to ask Bob Erbe your questions!