What law applies and what forum can provide you relief? The question can be difficult to answer. For some claims, more than one agency may have jurisdiction, or remedies first are exhausted by visiting one agency before appealing to another agency, or to court.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
U.S. Department of Labor; see Office of Workers Compensation; USERRA; wage and hour; some discrimination law
U.S. Office of Personnel Management; see retirement, suitability, and classifications
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board
Office of Special Counsel
Central Adjudication Authorities (CAF), Panels, Security Officers, DOHA AJs. and other forums within DOD and other Executive Branch agencies relevant to security clearances
Foreign Service Grievance Board
Collective bargaining and agency grievance systems
Adverse action processes at Department of Home Land Security.
U.S. District Court.
United States Court of Federal Claims. Rare to see a federal civilian before this Court. Military members sometimes go here.
BCMR, DRB, DCAF (clearance, not pay taking per se).
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
ADR and Other specialized forums not listed.
NOT local or State Courts for federal employment issues.
Employer agency or its parent agency. See Executive Order 12968 of August 2, 1995. In a few cases, statutory rights.
Office of Security (get experienced attorney fast - at some agencies may be only personal appearance given to you); Central Adjudication Authorities, Panels (within Agency), Other authorities within Agency. DOHA for contractors; DOHA AJ recommended decision for some others. Other forums not listed here.
U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (if MSPB already has jurisdiction but MSPB will not review the merits of clearance decision)
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC will not determine the merits of the clearance. EEOC looks for discrimination in the process)
EXHAUSTION AND JURISDICTION
Do not shotgun. Sometimes more than one forum has jurisdiction and the first filing becomes your choice. Sometimes you must or may file with one forum, e.g., OSC or DOL for certain claim, before filing elsewhere, e.g., MSPB. Sometimes you have a right to Court but the doctrine of exhaustion of administrative remedies applies, meaning that administrative steps are completed before filing in federal court.
Most jurisdictional problems concern the pertinent statute and the administrative forum's authority or lack of authority to decide your claim, missed time limits, failure to state a proper claim, failure to take the right steps before appealing, and questions (which can get complex) whether the enabling statute gives a person in your employee "class" with that claim appeal rights. Examples of this last are a probationary with suitability issue jurisdiction, "yes." Same person with a conduct issue, probably not. DHS employee with suitability issues, in one case, first "no" jurisdiction and then "yes", jurisdiction held the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.