Scottsbluff Nurse Wins Step Pay Grievance

NAPE member and Western Nebraska Veterans’ Home Registered Nurse Rachel Krul had her July 1, 2021 two-step pay increase withheld because she received an unsatisfactory performance evaluation for allegedly not meeting her 2020 SMART goals. 

Our new NAPE contract provides requirements and guidelines for employee performance evaluations. Included in the contract is language that requires that goals be shared with the employee in advance of the rating period, goals cannot be changed retroactively, and they must be attainable.

Rachel contacted the NAPE office immediately after her raise was withheld and a grievance was filed on her behalf. In part, the grievance argued that Rachel’s 2020 goals were not assigned to her until November 2020, and she could not achieve them because they only applied to nurses who work the Veterans’ Home floor. Rachel is a clinic nurse and had no opportunity to actually accomplish the goals in which she was rated unsatisfactory.

Rachel’s grievance was sustained when NDVA agreed that it gave Rachel goals that she could not accomplish. Her performance evaluation was changed to satisfactory and she was advanced two steps on the step salary system retroactively to July 1, 2021.

If you find yourself in a situation where you think our contract has been violated, be sure to reach out to us right away for assistance.