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Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§4137 Foreign Service Grievance Board Decisions

Title 22 › CHAPTER 52 — FOREIGN SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER XI — GRIEVANCES › § 4137

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Board must quickly decide each grievance using the record from its hearings. The decision must be written and say what facts the Board found and why it decided as it did. If the Board finds the grievance has merit, it can order the Department to fix wrong personnel records, reverse unfair denials of pay or job benefits, keep a member from being separated for the matter, reinstate the person and give back pay under section 5596(b)(1) of title 5, pay reasonable attorney fees like under section 7701(g) of title 5, or take other remedies agreed to by the Department and the exclusive representative (if any). Board decisions are final except for court review under section 4140. If the remedy involves promotion, tenure, assignment, or possible discipline, the Board makes a recommendation to the Secretary. The Secretary must reply in writing within 30 days and must carry out the recommendation unless it would break the law or harm foreign policy or national security; any rejection must explain why. While the Secretary decides, there must be no private contact about the case, but the Secretary may see the full record. If the Secretary rejects a recommendation on legal grounds, the Secretary must send the decision to the Board and ask it to reconsider; the Board then has 30 days and can only reconsider legality, and its new recommendation becomes final. The Board keeps records of favorable grievances that involve a supervisor’s gross misconduct and gives copies to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when that supervisor is nominated for a Senate-confirmed job. Materials given to the Committee are confidential, the supervisor gets copies at the same time, and may review and comment. For discrimination claims listed in section 4131(a)(1)(H), the Board must apply the same substantive law the EEOC would use.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §4137

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Record; findings of fact and statement of reasons
Upon completion of its proceedings, the Board shall expeditiously decide the grievance on the basis of the record of proceedings. In each case the decision of the Board shall be in writing, and shall include findings of fact and a statement of the reasons for the decision of the Board.
(b)Authority of Department upon finding of meritorious grievance
If the Board finds that the grievance is meritorious, the Board shall have the authority to direct the Department—
(1)to correct any official personnel record relating to the grievant which the Board finds to be inaccurate or erroneous, to have an omission, or to contain information of a falsely prejudicial character;
(2)to reverse a decision denying the grievant compensation or any other perquisite of employment authorized by laws or regulations when the Board finds that such decision was arbitrary, capricious, or contrary to laws or regulations;
(3)to retain in the Service a member whose separation would be in consequence of the matter by which the member is aggrieved;
(4)to reinstate the grievant, and to grant the grievant back pay in accordance with section 5596(b)(1) of title 5;
(5)to pay reasonable attorney fees to the grievant to the same extent and in the same manner as such fees may be required by the Merit Systems Protection Board under section 7701(g) of title 5; and
(6)to take such other remedial action as may be appropriate under procedures agreed to by the Department and the exclusive representative (if any).
(c)Finality of decisions; judicial review
Except as provided in subsection (d), decisions of the Board under this subchapter shall be final, subject only to judicial review as provided in section 4140 of this title.
(d)Recommendations
(1)If the Board finds that the grievance is meritorious and that remedial action should be taken that relates directly to promotion, tenure or assignment of the grievant or to other remedial action not otherwise provided for in this section, or if the Board finds that the evidence before it warrants disciplinary action against any employee of the Department or member of the Service, it shall make an appropriate recommendation to the Secretary. The Secretary shall make a written decision on the recommendation of the Board within 30 days after receiving the recommendation. The Secretary shall implement the recommendation of the Board except to the extent that, in a decision made within that 30-day period, the Secretary rejects the recommendation in whole or in part on the basis of a determination that implementation of the recommendation would be contrary to law or would adversely affect the foreign policy or national security of the United States. If the Secretary rejects the recommendation in whole or in part, the decision shall specify the reasons for such action. Pending the decision of the Secretary, there shall be no ex parte communication concerning the grievance between the Secretary and any person involved in the proceedings of the Board. The Secretary shall, however, have access to the entire record of the proceedings of the Board.
(2)A recommendation under paragraph (1) shall, for purposes of section 4140 of this title, be considered a final action upon the expiration of the 30-day period referred to in such paragraph, except to the extent that it is rejected by the Secretary by an appropriate written decision.
(3)(A)If the Secretary makes a written decision under paragraph (1) rejecting a recommendation in whole or in part on the basis of a determination that implementing such recommendation would be contrary to law, the Secretary shall, within the 30-day period referred to in such paragraph—
(i)submit a copy of such decision to the Board; and
(ii)request that the Board reconsider its recommendation or, if less than the entirety is rejected, that the Board reconsider the portion rejected.
(B)(i)Within 30 days after receiving a request under subparagraph (A), the Board shall, after reviewing the Secretary’s decision, make a recommendation to the Secretary either confirming, modifying, or vacating its original recommendation or, if less than the entirety was rejected, the portion involved.
(ii)Reconsideration under this subparagraph shall be limited to the question of whether implementing the Board’s original recommendation, either in whole or in part, as applicable, would be contrary to law.
(C)A recommendation made under subparagraph (B) shall be considered a final action for purposes of section 4140 of this title, and shall be implemented by the Secretary.
(e)Record of grievances; copy to committee of Congress; right of review
(1)The Board shall maintain records of all grievances awarded in favor of the grievant in which the grievance concerns gross misconduct by a supervisor. Subject to paragraph (2), the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate shall be provided with a copy of the grievance decision whenever such a supervisor is nominated for any position requiring the advice and consent of the Senate and the Board shall provide access to the entire record of any proceedings of the Board concerning such a grievance decision to any Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations upon a request by the Chairman or Ranking Minority Member of such committee.
(2)(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), all decisions, proceedings, and other records disclosed pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to Committee members and appropriate staff.
(B)Whenever material is provided to the Committee or a Member thereof pursuant to paragraph (1), the Board shall, at the same time, provide a copy of all such material to the supervisor who is the subject of such material.
(C)A supervisor who is the subject of records disclosed to the committee pursuant to this subsection shall have the right to review such record and provide comments to the Committee concerning such record. Such comments shall be treated in a confidential manner.
(f)Alleged discrimination; substantive law to be applied
The Board shall, with respect to any grievance based on an alleged violation of a law, rule, regulation, or policy directive referred to in section 4131(a)(1)(H) of this title, apply the substantive law that would be applied by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if a charge or claim alleging discrimination under such law, rule, regulation, or policy directive had been filed with the commission.1

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1991—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 102–138 added subsec. (f). 1987—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–204, § 181(a), (b), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted “, tenure” after “promotion” in first sentence, and added pars. (2) and (3). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–204, § 182, added subsec. (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1991 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 102–138 not applicable with respect to any grievance, within the meaning of section 4131 of this title, arising before Oct. 28, 1991, see section 153(f) of Pub. L. 102–138, set out as a note under section 4115 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1987 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–204 not applicable with respect to any grievance in which the Board has issued a final decision pursuant to this section before Dec. 22, 1987, see section 181(e) of Pub. L. 100–204, set out as a note under section 3946 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 4137

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110