Based on the language in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) that applies to federal employees, the United States Supreme Court has ruled federal employees have a discrimination claim if age discrimination played “any part” in an adverse employment decision. The opinion was issued in Babb v. Wilkie, where a former employee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center alleged she was denied opportunities due in part to her age. The opinion is a departure from the court’s usual “but for” standard which is applied in discrimination cases and requires the plaintiff to prove that “but for” the discrimination an adverse employment decision would not have taken place. Read more about the case here.