Court Opinion

ID: 9373228
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-22 16:03:34.302963+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:40.429153
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                        MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     JOHN PAUL JONES, III,                           DOCKET NUMBERS
                   Appellant,                        DE-4324-16-0239-X-1
                                                     DE-3330-16-0151-X-1
                  v.

     DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
       HUMAN SERVICES,                               DATE: November 15, 2022
                 Agency.

             THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           John Paul Jones, III, Albuquerque, New Mexico, pro se.

           Laura VanderLaan, Esquire, Kansas City, Missouri, for the agency.

                                           BEFORE

                               Cathy A. Harris, Vice Chairman
                                Raymond A. Limon, Member
                                 Tristan L. Leavitt, Member

                                       FINAL ORDER

¶1         On November 25, 2016, the administrative judge issued a compliance initial
     decision finding the agency in noncompliance with an August 17, 2016 settlement
     agreement, which had been entered into the record for enforcement by the Board

     1
        A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add
     significantly to the body of MSPB case law. Parties may cite nonp recedential orders,
     but such orders have no precedential value; the Board and administrative judges are not
     required to follow or distinguish them in any future decisions. In contrast, a
     precedential decision issued as an Opinion and Order has been identi fied by the Board
     as significantly contributing to the Board’s case law. See 5 C.F.R. § 1201.117(c).
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     in the joined underlying appeals, MSPB Docket Nos. DE-0432-16-0239-I-1 (lead)
     and DE-3330-16-0151-I-1. Jones v. Department of Health & Human Services,
     MSPB Docket No. DE-4324-16-0239-C-1, Compliance File (CF), Tab 10,
     Compliance Initial Decision (CID).       Accordingly, the admini strative judge
     granted the appellant’s petition for enforcement and ordered the agency to comply
     with its obligations under the settlement agreement. CID at 5 -6. For the reasons
     discussed below, we now find the agency in compliance and DISMISS the
     petition for enforcement.

        DISCUSSION OF ARGUMENTS AND EVIDENCE ON COMPLIANCE
¶2           On August 17, 2016, the parties entered into a settlement agreement
     resolving the appellant’s joined appeals, in which he had challenged under the
     Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and the Veterans
     Employment Opportunities Act the agency’s determination that he was not
     qualified for a Public Health Advisor position at either the GS -13 or the GS-14
     level because he failed to demonstrate the required fluency in Fr ench.        CID
     at 1-3. The settlement agreement provided that the agency would reconsider its
     qualification determination, including the language requirement, for the
     appellant’s application for the vacancy announcement at issue in the appeal s.
     CID at 2.     The reconsideration would be based on the appellant’s original
     application package, and a written decision of the reconsideration would be
     issued to him no later than 10 calendar days after the effective date of the
     settlement agreement. CID at 2. The settlement agreement further provided that,
     if the reconsideration resulted in a finding that the appellant was qualified for a
     position under the vacancy announcement, he would receive a one -time priority
     consideration for the next appropriate vacancy for which he was qualified. CID
     at 3.
¶3           Pursuant to the settlement agreement, an agency Supervisory Human
     Resources Specialist reconsidered the appellant’s qualification for the Public
                                                                                       3

     Health Advisor position at the GS-13 and the GS-14 levels. CF, Tab 1 at 22-23.
     By letter dated October 3, 2016, he informed the appellant that he concurred with
     the agency’s original determination that he was not qualified because his résumé
     did not demonstrate French fluency in both oral and written communications. Id.
     The appellant filed a petition for enforcement with the Board, alleging that the
     agency had acted in bad faith because his application clearly demonstrated oral
     and written fluency in French. CF, Tab 1.
¶4         In the compliance initial decision, the administrative judge disagreed with
     the Supervisory Human Resources Specialist’s determination that the appellant
     did not demonstrate French fluency in his application, finding instead that the
     appellant’s résumé demonstrated both written and oral fluency in French. CID
     at 3-4.   The administrative judge rejected the appellant’s contention that the
     agency acted in bad faith in reviewing the fluency demonstrated in his
     application, noting that the appellant had not con cisely set forth this information
     as would normally be expected. CID at 4. However, the administrative judge
     found that good faith required the agency to engage in a more complete review of
     the application than it had when it originally found that the ap pellant had not
     demonstrated the required French fluency. CID at 4-5. The administrative judge
     therefore found that the agency had breached the settlement agreement and
     directed the agency to reconstruct the hiring process by addressing whether the
     appellant was otherwise qualified for the position. CID at 5. The administrative
     judge directed the agency to communicate any other reasons for finding the
     appellant unqualified to the appellant, so he could elect whether to file a second
     petition for enforcement. Id. The administrative judge also strongly suggested
     that the agency have a subject matter expert review the appellant’s application to
     determine whether he was otherwise qualified for the position. Id. The matter
     was then referred to the Board for consideration. See 5 C.F.R. § 1201.183.
¶5         The agency submitted a response to the administrative judge’s compliance
     initial decision on December 14, 2016, indicating that it would rev iew the
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     appellant’s application package, as required by the compliance initial decision.
     Jones v. Department of Health & Human Services, MSPB Docket No. DE-4324-
     16-0239-X-1, Compliance Referral File (CRF), Tab 1 at 6.            The appellant
     submitted a “Motion for a Deadline for the Agency’s Compliance” on
     December 19, 2016, requesting that the agency be ordered to comply with the
     initial decision by December 21, 2016. CRF, Tab 2.
¶6         The agency submitted its statement of compliance on January 13, 2017.
     CRF, Tab 6.      In that statement, the agency reported that it had assigned a
     Supervisory Human Resources Specialist and a subject matter expert to review
     the appellant’s application. Id. at 4-5. The Human Resources Specialist found
     that the appellant’s application package did not demonstrate the specialized
     experience required for the Public Health Advisor position at the GS-13 and
     GS-14 grade levels. Id. at 5. She explained that the appellant’s experience was
     not directly related to the specialized experience required for the position in the
     area of public health service. Id. She also found that the specialized experience
     reported by the appellant that spanned a 30-year time frame did not show that the
     work he performed was done in a public health environment or public health
     program area. Id.
¶7         The agency’s subject matter expert was an individual who had worked as a
     Public Health Advisor for the past 18 years, and who had served as a subject
     matter expert for public health positions twice before . Id. The subject matter
     expert also found the appellant unqualified for the position, stating that his
     résumé was hard to follow and did not clearly identify his employer, dates of
     employment, and job-specific experience.      Id. at 6.   He stated that the work
     experience the appellant described lacked any link to Public Health Advisor
     competencies and that the chronological work experience detailed did not certify
     the necessary years of specialized experience to qualify for the GS -13 or GS-14
     levels of the position. Id.
                                                                                        5

¶8         Based on the review of the appellant’s application by these two individuals,
      the agency asserted that it had complied with the administrative judge’s order to
      review the appellant’s application for the Public Health Advisor position at the
      GS-13 and GS-14 levels to determine his qualifications, aside from French
      fluency. Id. The agency attached declarations from both of the individuals who
      reviewed the application, setting forth their conclusions. Id. at 12-23.
¶9         The appellant submitted a statement in opposition to the agency’s evidence
      of compliance, arguing that his veterans’ preference rights were violated in prior
      cases he brought before the Board and that the agency’s review of his application
      in the instant case was inadequate. CRF, Tab 8. He also alleged that the agency
      offered him money to settle his case, requested that the individuals who reviewed
      his application be removed from their positions, and stated that he wished to be
      placed in a Public Health Advisor position, be compensated under the Back Pay
      Act, and receive compensatory and consequential damages. Id. at 16-17.
¶10        In response, the agency filed a motion to strike, stating that the appellant
      had filed 184 cases with the Board since December 2009 and requesting that
      references to previous settlement offers and discussions be stricken and not
      considered. CRF, Tab 9 at 4-5. The appellant filed a response to the agency’s
      motion, arguing that the agency violated the confidentiality of settlement
      discussions and reiterating his allegation that the agency violated veterans’
      preference regulations. CRF, Tab 10.
¶11        We find that the agency has submitted sufficient evidence to establish its
      compliance with the terms of the parties’ settlement agreement. As discussed
      above, the agency produced evidence indicating that it reconstructed the hiring
      process by having a Human Resources Specialist and a subject matter expert
      review the appellant’s application package to determine his qualifications for the
      position at issue.   Because the agency has now demonstrated compliance, we
      dismiss the appellant’s motion for a compliance deadline.        Any references to
      previous cases or settlement discussions in prior cases or in the instant case have
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      not been considered in this decision; therefore, the age ncy’s motion to strike the
      appellant’s references to those cases or discussions is denied as moot. Based on
      the evidence of compliance submitted by the agency, we find the agency in
      compliance and dismiss the petition for enforcement.
¶12         This is the final decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board in this
      compliance proceeding.         Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations,
      section 1201.183(c)(1) (5 C.F.R. § 1201.183(c)(1)).

                               NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 2
            You may obtain review of this final decision. 5 U.S.C. § 7703(a)(1). By
      statute, the nature of your claims determines the time limit for seeking such
      review and the appropriate forum with which to file.              5 U.S.C. § 7703(b).
      Although we offer the following summary of available appeal rights, the Merit
      Systems Protection Board does not provide legal advice on which option is most
      appropriate for your situation and the rights described below do not represent a
      statement of how courts will rule regarding which case s fall within their
      jurisdiction.   If you wish to seek review of this final decision, you should
      immediately review the law applicable to your claims and carefully follow all
      filing time limits and requirements. Failure to file within the applicable time
      limit may result in the dismissal of your case by your chosen forum.
            Please read carefully each of the three main possible choices of review
      below to decide which one applies to your particular case. If you have questions
      about whether a particular forum is the appropriate one to review your case, you
      should contact that forum for more information.

            (1) Judicial review in general. As a general rule, an appellant seeking
      judicial review of a final Board order must file a petition for review with the U.S .

      2
        Since the issuance of the initial decision in this matter, the Board may have updated
      the notice of review rights included in final decisions. As indicated in the notice, the
      Board cannot advise which option is most appropriate in any matter.
                                                                                          7

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which must be received by the court
within 60 calendar days of the date of issuance of this decision.                 5 U.S.C.
§ 7703(b)(1)(A).
      If you submit a petition for review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Federal   Circuit,   you   must   submit    your   petition    to   the   court    at   the
following address:
                              U.S. Court of Appeals
                              for the Federal Circuit
                             717 Madison Place, N.W.
                             Washington, D.C. 20439

      Additional information about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit is available at the court’s website, www.cafc.uscourts.gov. Of particular
relevance is the court’s “Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants,” which is
contained within the court’s Rules of Practice, and Forms 5, 6, 10, and 11.
      If you are interested in securing pro bono representation for an appeal to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, you may visit our website at
http://www.mspb.gov/probono for information regarding pro bono representation
for Merit Systems Protection Board appellants before the Federal Circuit. The
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.

      (2) Judicial   or    EEOC    review     of   cases      involving    a   claim     of
discrimination. This option applies to you only if you have claimed that you
were affected by an action that is appealable to the Board and that such action
was based, in whole or in part, on unlawful discrimination. If so, you may obtain
judicial review of this decision—including a disposition of your discrimination
claims—by filing a civil action with an appropriate U.S. district court ( not the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit), within 30 calendar days after you
receive this decision.      5 U.S.C. § 7703(b)(2); see Perry v. Merit Systems
Protection Board, 582 U.S. ____ , 137 S. Ct. 1975 (2017).                 If you have a
                                                                                  8

representative in this case, and your representative receives this decision before
you do, then you must file with the district court no later than 30 calendar days
after your representative receives this decision. If the action involves a claim of
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or a disabling
condition, you may be entitled to representation by a court-appointed lawyer and
to waiver of any requirement of prepayment of fees, costs, or other security. See
42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(f) and 29 U.S.C. § 794a.
      Contact information for U.S. district courts can be found at their respective
websites, which can be accessed through the link below:
      http://www.uscourts.gov/Court_Locator/CourtWebsites.aspx.
      Alternatively, you may request review by the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of your discrimination claims only, excluding
all other issues. 5 U.S.C. § 7702(b)(1). You must file any such request with the
EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations within 30 calendar days after you receive
this decision. 5 U.S.C. § 7702(b)(1). If you have a representative in this case,
and your representative receives this decision before you do, then you must file
with the EEOC no later than 30 calendar days after your representative receives
this decision.
      If you submit a request for review to the EEOC by regular U.S. mail, the
address of the EEOC is:
                         Office of Federal Operations
                  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                               P.O. Box 77960
                          Washington, D.C. 20013

      If you submit a request for review to the EEOC via commercial delivery or
by a method requiring a signature, it must be addressed to:
                         Office of Federal Operations
                  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                              131 M Street, N.E.
                                Suite 5SW12G
                          Washington, D.C. 20507
                                                                                      9

      (3) Judicial    review     pursuant    to   the    Whistleblower      Protection
Enhancement Act of 2012. This option applies to you only if you have raised
claims of reprisal for whistleblowing disclosures under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) or
other protected activities listed in 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D).
If so, and your judicial petition for review “raises no challenge to the Board’s
disposition of allegations of a prohibited personnel practice described in
section 2302(b) other than practices described in section 2302(b)(8), or
2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D),” then you may file a petition for judicial
review either with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or any court
of appeals of competent jurisdiction. 3 The court of appeals must receive your
petition for review within 60 days of the date of issuance of this decision.
5 U.S.C. § 7703(b)(1)(B).
      If you submit a petition for judicial review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit, you must submit your petition to the court at the
following address:
                                U.S. Court of Appeals
                                for the Federal Circuit
                               717 Madison Place, N.W.
                               Washington, D.C. 20439

      Additional information about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit is available at the court’s website, www.cafc.uscourts.gov. Of particular
relevance is the court’s “Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants,” which is
contained within the court’s Rules of Practice, and Forms 5, 6, 10, and 11.

3
   The original statutory provision that provided for judicial review of certain
whistleblower claims by any court of appeals of competent jurisdiction expired on
December 27, 2017. The All Circuit Review Act, signed into law by the President on
July 7, 2018, permanently allows appellants to file petitions for judicial review of
MSPB decisions in certain whistleblower reprisal cases with the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit or any other circuit court of appeals of competent jurisdiction.
The All Circuit Review Act is retroactive to November 26, 2017. Pub. L. No. 115 -195,
132 Stat. 1510.
                                                                             10

      If you are interested in securing pro bono representation for an appeal to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, you may visit our website at
http://www.mspb.gov/probono for information regarding pro bono representation
for Merit Systems Protection Board appellants before the Federal Circuit. The
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.
      Contact information for the courts of appeals can be found at their
respective websites, which can be accessed through the link below:
      http://www.uscourts.gov/Court_Locator/CourtWebsites.aspx.

FOR THE BOARD:                                    /s/ for
                                          Jennifer Everling
                                          Acting Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.