Opinion ID: 63004
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Alleged Retaliatory Conduct in 2003 to 2005

Text: From January 2003 until July 7, 2004, Andrews-Willmann was on leave from work, first due to the birth of her twins and later because she developed carpal tunnel syndrome.1 In February 2003, while on leave, Andrews-Willmann sought a hardship transfer from the IRS’s Chamblee, Georgia office to an office in downtown Atlanta for family reasons relating primarily to the care of her children. Andrews-Willmann’s second level supervisor, Peggy Sue Unander, denied this request. In August 2003, while Andrews-Willmann was preparing a second hardship transfer request, she contacted the IRS’s personnel office for assistance. Afterward, Andrews-Willmann’s immediate supervisor, Davis, called her at home and in a threatening tone accused her of “causing grief in Personnel . . . .” 1 In January 2003 Andrews-Willmann was placed on bed rest during her pregnancy. After her twins were born in February 2003, Andrews-Willmann used some accrued annual leave and twelve weeks of maternity leave. In May 2003, when her paid leave was exhausted, AndrewsWillmann took leave without pay while she sought treatment for numb hands. After she received a carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis in October 2003, Andrews-Willmann obtained worker’s compensation benefits retroactive to July 2003 and was placed on partial paid leave. 3 Andrews-Willmann’s second hardship transfer request was approved. However, Andrews-Willmann was not transferred to the downtown Atlanta office because she was only eligible for a transfer to a position with a GS-4 or lower grade and there were no openings for such a position. Later, after her husband obtained a job in Columbus, Georgia, Andrews-Willmann changed her hardship transfer request to three other IRS offices closer to Columbus. However, AndrewsWilliams was not transferred to these locations because they also did not have GS- 4 or lower grade openings. In December 2003, Andrews-Willmann was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and placed on worker’s compensation leave. Andrews-Willmann received orders from her doctor not to work with a keyboard or to perform extensive work with her hands. As part of her effort to obtain light duty work, Andrews-Willmann faxed her doctor’s work restrictions to Davis. In response, Davis called Andrews-Willmann and repeatedly asked her, “Just what is it you can’t do?” Davis posed this question in a nasty tone of voice, which suggested to Andrews-Williams that Davis thought there was nothing wrong with AndrewsWillmann. On January 5, 2004, Andrews-Willmann was scheduled to return to work. Instead, Andrews-Willmann called Davis and indicated that her children were sick 4 and needed to see the doctor. During this call, Davis threatened to “give [Andrews-Willmann] AWOL,” unless Andrews-Willmann provided documentation from her children’s doctor. The next day, Andrews-Willmann provided Davis with the requested documentation, and Andrews-Willmann was not charged with being absent without leave. During this same conversation, Davis also told Andrews-Willmann that she would not provide Davis with a written offer for light duty work. Davis was unfamiliar with the process for returning an employee to work from a worker’s compensation claim and believed she was not required to provide AndrewsWillmann with a written offer for light duty work. After inquiring with the worker’s compensation office, however, Davis prepared a written offer a few days later, on January 16, 2004. According to Andrews-Willmann, this written offer, as well as several other revised offers, did not contain all the work restrictions required by Andrews-Willmann’s doctor. While the IRS and Andrews-Willmann negotiated over the wording of the written offer, the IRS repeatedly extended Andrews-Willmann’s time to report to work. In March 2004, Andrews-Willmann received an acceptable written offer for light duty work. However, Andrews-Willmann underwent surgery for her carpal tunnel syndrome in late March 2004 and again in June 2004 and was unable to 5 report to work until July 2004. Andrews-Willmann returned to work on July 7, 2004 in her previous clerk position, performing only light duty tasks. AndrewsWillmann retired in October 2005.