This was years ago but still bugs the hell out of me. I worked for a US Department of Energy Laboratory and this was something that was allowed without any disciplinary measures taken.
I went out on medical leave due to a work place injury – I was actually hospitalized and put into assisted living due to the injury. Shortly after I went on medical leave, I received notice that my security clearance re-investigation paperwork was due and I needed to turn it in by X date. I wrote back saying I was on medical leave and not allowed to do ANY work (Workman's Comp). I told them that since this was considered a work function that I would turn the paperwork in as soon as I returned to work with an expected date of return. They didn't like that and I had to get Occ Med to deal with them. My security clearance re-investigation due date was changed for the week after I returned from medical leave.
Because I didn't turn in my paperwork, my security clearance was suspended until I returned from medical leave/met with Security. No big deal – if I am not working, it doesn't matter, and if I was working, it wouldn't matter because all my work and contract that I supported was in unclassified environments. Well, so I thought.
Shortly before I was to return from medical leave, I got phone calls from teammates and customers. My Team Lead (direct supervisor) and Group Leader (Boss's boss) had a meeting where they told my team that I “lost” my security clearance and wouldn't be back. Further, they started walking around and asking my customers if they felt uncomfortable about my working for them with my security clearance was revoked (it wasn't – a big difference between suspension and revoked).
The day I came back, I was told I had to go to Security and they would meet me there. As soon as the meeting started, I confronted the TL and GL about their actions. They had the gall to tell me that “sometimes you hear things from the Lab first and other times you get it from the media” as their excuse for actions. BULLSHIT! They broke privacy law and HIPAA (they actually talked to people about my medical issues that came up as part of the investigation of my accident) along with the Administrative Manual about release of this type of information. Further, we had others that had their security clearances suspended/terminated and there was never these types of actions with others.
I reported all of this to HR and Lab Legal. They took no action against the TL or GL. While this was going on, they were pulling other things that made my life a living hell. I was in a walker when I returned to work. What did they do? They moved me in a new location that didn't have ADA-compliant restrooms and I couldn't get around some of the offices because of narrow doorways. When I complained about it, my boss told me to go home and take LWOP. I kept complaining about the issue and they had the nerve to tell me to go to Occ Med to get my restrictions lifted. Needless to say, Occ Med laid into them about “accommodation” and how they are required to move me back to my previous location that was ADA compliant.
Anyhow, all of that stress and other issues caused my blood pressure to go up to 180/140 or higher. Whenever I went to Occ Med, they would send me home with pay if my BP was that high. My TL and GL would give me hell about not working and my job performance was unsatisfactory in their views. When our yearly performance review came up, I was given the equivalent of Z's on an A to F scale. I fought that and told them that they are retaliating against me. My proof – our team (15 techs) received a total of 6 SPOT-awards from our customer during the previous year. I got 5 of them for “continuous outstanding performance” from 3 different organizations. I said that was proof that I was doing my job at a high level, that in the previous 8 years, I always was a top performer, and that I would appeal their evaluation to the Division management. I made an appointment to see the Division Leader 2 weeks later (he was gone for those 2 weeks). I also made an appointment to talk to OMBUDS about what happened and what was going on now.
I went to a follow appointment with the doctor that was treating me for my workplace injury. When they took my blood pressure, they told me to get them the short term disability paperwork from my job and they would fill it out. They said “I was a heart attack waiting to happen and it would probably be fatal.” Nice to hear, right?
I never went to talk to OMBUDS or to the Division Leader because I was on short term disability. Lab Security put me in for an administrative review of my clearance. They told me that I had to go to the review on such and such date. I told them that I was on medical leave and that I am not allowed to go any work-related activities while I am on medical leave. They didn't care – when I didn't show, they revoked my clearance. I really don't care anymore but always wonder what I should have done with what happened.
It really doesn't matter that I will have difficulty getting a security clearance in the future because I am now on Social Security Disability because the fall out of my workplace accident and the impact it has had on me. I just wonder what I could have done differently.
What would you have done with all this happening and the Laboratory didn't do anything when I reported it? What could I have done about the “Administrative Review” and their attempts to force me to go through it while I was on medical leave?