The Merit Systems Protection Board is the legacy of the efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt.  In 1889, under the administration of President Benjamin Harrison, Roosevelt served as a civil-service commissioner. He worked to eliminate the practice of awarding Federal jobs under the "spoils system" and championed the concept  that Federal job selection and promotion are to be based on individual merit.

 About MSPB

     The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the Executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. The Board was established by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1978, which was codified by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA), Public Law No. 95-454. The CSRA, which became effective January 11, 1979, replaced the Civil Service Commission with three new independent agencies: Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which manages the Federal work force; Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), which oversees Federal labor-management relations; and, the Board.

     The Board assumed the employee appeals function of the Civil Service Commission and was given new responsibilities to perform merit systems studies and to review the significant actions of OPM. The CSRA also created the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) which investigates allegations of prohibited personnel practices, prosecutes violators of civil service rules and regulations, and enforces the Hatch Act. Although originally established as an office of the Board, the OSC now functions independently as a prosecutor of cases before the Board. (In July 1989, the Office of Special Counsel became an independent Executive branch agency.)

     For an explanation of your rights as a Federal employee, and for an in-depth review of the Board's jurisdiction and adjudication process, please review the MSPB publication, An Introduction to the MSPB.

     The Board's mission is to ensure that Federal employees are protected against abuses by agency management, that Executive Branch agencies make employment decisions in accordance with the merit systems principles, and that Federal merit systems are kept free of prohibited personnel practices. The Board accomplishes its mission by:

     The Board does not:

• Hear and decide discrimination complaints except when allegations of discrimination are raised in appeals from agency personnel actions brought before Board. That responsibility belongs to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
• Negotiate and resolve disputes, unfair labor practice complaints, and exceptions to arbitration awards. That responsibility belongs to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA). 
• Provide advice on employment, examinations, staffing, retirement, and benefits. That responsibility belongs to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 
• Investigate allegations of activities prohibited by civil service laws, rules, or regulations. That responsibility belongs to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
• Have jurisdiction over non-Federal appeals from private industry, local, city, county, or state employees.