Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca13-19-01986/USCOURTS-ca13-19-01986-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Terry A. Cochran
Petitioner
Merit Systems Protection Board
Respondent
Office of Personnel Management
Respondent

Document Text:

NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

United States Court of Appeals 

for the Federal Circuit ______________________

TERRY A. COCHRAN,

Petitioner

v.

MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD,

Respondent

______________________

2019-1986

______________________

Petition for review of the Merit Systems Protection 

Board in No. PH-0841-19-0023-I-1.

______________________

Decided: March 11, 2020

______________________

TERRY A. COCHRAN, Odenton, MD, pro se. 

 SARA B. REARDEN, Office of General Counsel, United 

States Merit Systems Protection Board, Washington, DC, 

for respondent. Also represented by KATHERINE MICHELLE 

SMITH, TRISTAN LEAVITT. 

 ______________________

Before MOORE, REYNA, and TARANTO, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM.

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2 COCHRAN v. MSPB

Terry Cochran appeals a decision of the Merit Systems

Protection Board dismissing her appeal for lack of jurisdiction. Because the Board correctly determined that it 

lacked jurisdiction over Ms. Cochran’s appeal, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

Ms. Cochran filed a Federal Employees Retirement 

System application with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) seeking disability retirement benefits. In a 

letter dated April 6, 2018, OPM approved Ms. Cochran’s 

application. S.A. 72–75. Ms. Cochran requested reconsideration of OPM’s decision, challenging its calculation of her 

annuity. In October 2018, before OPM had rendered a decision on the request for reconsideration, Ms. Cochran appealed OPM’s initial decision to the Board. S.A. 66–80. 

OPM moved to dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction. 

S.A. 53–56. The administrative judge granted OPM’s motion on March 1, 2019, holding that the Board lacked jurisdiction over Ms. Cochran’s appeal because OPM had not 

rendered a final appealable decision. J.A. 1–10. The administrative judge determined that the six months Ms. 

Cochran’s reconsideration request was pending does not 

constitute inordinate delay. J.A. 2. Because neither party 

petitioned the full Board for review, the administrative 

judge’s decision became the final decision of the Board on 

April 5, 2019. Ms. Cochran timely appeals. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(9).

DISCUSSION

We will uphold a Board decision unless it is (1) arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not 

in accordance with the law; (2) obtained without procedures required by law, rule, or regulation having been followed; or (3) unsupported by substantial evidence. 5 U.S.C. 

§ 7703(c). We review the Board’s dismissal for lack of jurisdiction de novo. Johnson v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 518 

F.3d 905, 909 (Fed. Cir. 2008). The Board’s jurisdiction is 

limited to those actions made appealable to it by law, rule, 

Case: 19-1986 Document: 30 Page: 2 Filed: 03/11/2020
COCHRAN v. MSPB 3

or regulation. See 5 U.S.C. § 7701(a). The Board has jurisdiction over appeals from final decisions of OPM affecting the rights or interests of an individual. 5 C.F.R. 

§ 831.110; 5 U.S.C. § 8347(d)(1). OPM decisions are final 

when they are rendered on reconsideration or are expressly 

issued as final decisions with a right to appeal. 5 C.F.R. 

§ 831.109. An exception to the final decision requirement 

exists where OPM refuses or improperly fails to render a 

final decision. See Okello v. Office of Pers. Mgmt., 120 

M.S.P.R. 498, 502–504 (2014). 

Ms. Cochran does not dispute that OPM had not rendered a decision on reconsideration at the time of her appeal, or that OPM has not rendered a final decision 

expressly providing a right to appeal. And there is no evidence that OPM has refused to issue a final decision. Ms. 

Cochran contended below that the Board should review

OPM’s initial decision because OPM delayed in processing 

her reconsideration request. We agree with the government that under the circumstances of this case, the fact 

that OPM had not ruled on Ms. Cochran’s reconsideration 

request did not amount to unreasonable delay. Unlike 

Okello, OPM made no false promises regarding the timing 

for the final decision. Under the totality of the circumstances, we see no basis upon which to disagree with the 

administrative judge’s dismissal for lack of jurisdiction. At 

least as of the filing of Ms. Cochran’s appeal to the Board, 

six months after her request for reconsideration, OPM’s 

failure to act was not unreasonable. 

Ms. Cochran contends that the Board nonetheless has 

jurisdiction over her appeal because she purportedly alleged a mixed case claim of constructive discharge. She argues she put the Board on notice of an equal employment 

opportunity (EEO) complaint she filed against her supervisor and therefore provided non-frivolous allegations of constructive discharge. Ms. Cochran’s passing reference to an 

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4 COCHRAN v. MSPB

EEO complaint she filed against her supervisor, however,

is insufficient to render her annuity case a mixed case. See

Perry v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 137 S. Ct. 1975 (2017). Her 

appeal contained no allegation that she had been constructively discharged, nor did she allege discrimination or retaliation. S.A. 11–13. Her reference to the EEO complaint 

appeared in the context of alleged errors in OPM’s annuity 

calculations, supporting her belief that the employment 

record submitted by her agency did not accurately reflect 

her performance. S.A. 12–13. Ms. Cochran’s appeal to the 

Board is therefore not a mixed case, but rather is limited 

to challenging the accuracy of OPM’s annuity calculation. 

Accordingly, in the absence of a final appealable decision, 

we agree the Board lacks jurisdiction over Ms. Cochran’s 

appeal.

CONCLUSION

Because the Board lacks jurisdiction, we affirm.

AFFIRMED

COSTS

No costs.

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