The Defense Logistics Agency is headquartered at Fort Belvoir, and its employees work in a department that announced civilian workforce reductions in 2025. A reduction in force, or RIF, is the formal process an agency uses to release or demote employees when positions are eliminated, and it follows detailed rules that are easy to get wrong. For DLA employees, Virginia federal employee law questions about a RIF usually come down to how retention was calculated and what options remain. Below are six things to know, followed by five law firms that represent federal employees.
What should DLA employees know about RIFs?
1. How does the Defense Department decide who stays?
Employees compete only within their competitive area, usually an organization and location, and their competitive level, meaning positions similar enough to be interchangeable. Within that group, a 2016 change in federal law requires the Defense Department to give primary weight to performance ratings, with tenure, veterans’ preference, and length of service also counting. That makes your rating of record more important in a DoD RIF than at many other agencies.
2. Can you move into another position instead of being separated?
Often, yes, through bump and retreat rights. Under OPM rules at 5 C.F.R. § 351.701, bumping lets you displace an employee with lower retention standing in a lower group, and retreating lets you move to a position held by someone in your group with lower standing. Both are generally limited to positions up to three grades below yours, or five grades for veterans with a service-connected disability of 30 percent or more.
3. How much notice will you receive?
At least 60 days of specific written notice before a RIF separation or demotion, under 5 C.F.R. § 351.801. Read it carefully. Check your service computation date, the ratings used, your competitive level, and whether the positions offered match your qualifications. Errors in any of these can change the outcome.
4. Can you appeal a RIF?
Yes. Most employees separated or demoted by RIF can appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board within 30 days of the effective date. Common grounds include miscalculated retention standing, an improperly drawn competitive level, and failure to offer a position you were entitled to. If your position was abolished and you were moved out without RIF procedures, ask whether the agency avoided rules it was required to follow.
5. What placement help is available?
The Defense Department’s Priority Placement Program gives displaced DoD employees priority consideration for vacancies within the department. OPM’s career transition programs can also give priority for vacancies at your own agency and at other agencies. Register as soon as you receive notice, since the priority usually depends on timely registration.
6. What happens to your pay and retirement if you are separated?
Employees separated by RIF who are not eligible for an immediate annuity can generally receive severance pay under 5 U.S.C. § 5595. It is based on one week of pay for each year of service up to 10 years and two weeks for each year after that, adjusted for age, with a lifetime cap of 52 weeks. If you are at least 50 with 20 years of service, or any age with 25 years, you may qualify for discontinued service retirement instead. Before a RIF, agencies may also offer voluntary early retirement or separation incentive payments, which can be worth comparing to your other options.
Which law firms help federal employees facing a RIF?
- The Mundaca Law Firm
- Federal Practice Group
- HKM Employment Attorneys
- The Lipp Law Firm
- Old Towne Associates
1. The Mundaca Law Firm: Virginia Federal Employee Law
The Mundaca Law Firm is led by Francisco E. Mundaca, Esq., Founding Partner, with a Virginia office at 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, Suite 1350-1338, in Tysons. The firm represents federal employees from agencies across Virginia, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and intelligence, civilian, and military branches.
Its federal practice covers MSPB appeals of removals and other adverse employment decisions, EEO discrimination and retaliation complaints, responses to proposed disciplinary actions, security clearance defense, and whistleblower retaliation complaints before the Office of Special Counsel. The firm also negotiates settlements and litigates when necessary. Consultations are confidential.
2. Federal Practice Group
A Washington, D.C. firm that focuses on federal employment matters.
3. HKM Employment Attorneys
An employment law firm with an office in Arlington.
4. The Lipp Law Firm
A Fairfax, Virginia firm that handles employment matters.
5. Old Towne Associates
An Alexandria, Virginia firm whose practice includes employment law.
What should DLA employees do when a RIF is announced?
Gather your SF-50s, ratings of record, and any records of military service now, before notices go out. When you receive a specific notice, check every number in it, register for placement programs right away, and compare severance, retirement, and incentive options before choosing a path. Calendar the 30-day appeal deadline the day you are separated or demoted. If you work at DLA and have received a RIF notice, an attorney who focuses on Virginia federal employee law can review your retention standing and help you decide whether to appeal.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.