U.S. Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger has asked the Merit Systems Protection Board to temporarily reinstate six federal employees fired from their jobs and is considering ways to seek relief for others.

A federal watchdog indicated that he is examining the broader legality of the mass terminations that have rippled through the federal government.

On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs fired another 1,400 employees amid outcry over a lack of transparency from the agency after 1,000 workers were axed earlier this month. The VA said the individuals dismissed were “non-mission critical” probationary employees who have served less than two years.