Court Opinion

ID: 9907871
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-12-07 16:00:23.899926+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:17:28.069034
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                        MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     SONYA GIDDINGS,                                 DOCKET NUMBER
                  Appellant,                         PH-1221-16-0474-W-1

                  v.

     SOCIAL SECURITY                                 DATE: December 6, 2023
       ADMINISTRATION,
                   Agency.

             THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           Sonya Giddings , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pro se.

           Edward C. Tompsett , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the agency.

                                           BEFORE

                               Cathy A. Harris, Vice Chairman
                                Raymond A. Limon, Member

                                       FINAL ORDER

¶1         The appellant has filed a petition for review of the initial decision, which
     denied her request for corrective action. Generally, we grant petitions such as
     this one only in the following circumstances:          the initial decision contains
     erroneous findings of material fact; the initial decision is based on an erroneous
     interpretation of statute or regulation or the erroneous application of the law to

     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        A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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 identified by the Board
     as significantly contributing to the Board’s case law. See 5 C.F.R. § 1201.117(c).
                                                                                         2

     the facts of the case; the administrative judge’s rulings during either the course of
     the appeal or the initial decision were not consistent with required procedures or
     involved an abuse of discretion, and the resulting error affected the outcome of
     the case; or new and material evidence or legal argument is available that, despite
     the petitioner’s due diligence, was not available when the record closed. Title 5
     of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 1201.115 (5 C.F.R. § 1201.115).
     After fully considering the filings in this appeal, we conclude that the petitioner
     has not established any basis under section 1201.115 for granting the petition for
     review.   Therefore, we DENY the petition for review.          Except as expressly
     MODIFIED by this Final Order to clarify the basis of the Board’s jurisdiction and
     to find that the administrative judge erred in reaching the issue of whether the
     agency proved by clear and convincing evidence that it would not have selected
     the appellant absent her protected activity, we AFFIRM the initial decision.

                                      BACKGROUND
¶2         In March 2016, the appellant applied for a Claims Representative position
     under vacancy announcement number (VAN) SN-1640477 for positions being
     filled in three agency offices in New Jersey:      Cherry Hill, Mount Holly, and
     Trenton. VAN SN-1640477 accepted applicants from any United States citizen,
     including non-agency employees, such as the appellant. Initial Appeal File (IAF),
     Tabs 23, 26. The appellant was not selected for a position in any of the offices.
     IAF, Tabs 23, 26. On May 23, 2016, the appellant filed a complaint with the
     Office of Special Counsel (OSC) alleging that the agency did not select her for
     the positions in retaliation for a complaint that she filed with OSC on August 2,
     2014, and for an individual right of action (IRA) appeal, Giddings v. Social
     Security Administration, MSPB Docket No. PH-1221-15-0302-W-1, which she
     filed with the Board on April 13, 2015. IAF, Tab 1 at 13-27. After her complaint
     had been pending with OSC for more than 120 days, she filed the instant IRA
     appeal with the Board. Id. at 1. She did not request a hearing. Id. at 4.
                                                                                            3

¶3            Based on the written record, the administrative judge found that the
     appellant established jurisdiction over her appeal. IAF, Tab 47, Initial Decision
     (ID) at 1-2. The administrative judge also found that the appellant established
     that she engaged in protected activity under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9) that may form
     the basis of an IRA appeal. ID at 10. However, he found that the appellant failed
     to show by preponderant evidence that her protected activity was a contributing
     factor to her nonselection for any of the Claims Representative positions because
     the selecting officials did not know of her protected activity. ID at 11 -13. He
     also found that the agency established by clear and convincing evidence that it
     would not have selected the appellant absent the protected activity. ID at 14-19.
     The administrative judge denied the appellant’s request for corrective action. ID
     at 19.
¶4            In her petition for review, the appellant alleges that one of the selectees for
     the Claims Representative position in Trenton was not best qualified and should
     not have been selected over the appellant. Petition for Review (PFR) File, Tab 1
     at 4. She also contends that, in finding that she did not prove that her protected
     activity was a contributing factor in the nonselections, the administrative judge
     erred in failing to consider the “cat’s paw” theory, i.e., that the selecting officials
     had constructive knowledge of the appellant’s protected activity.            Id. at 5-9.
     Additionally, the appellant alleges that the administrative judge was biased. Id.
     at 9. After she filed her petition for review, the appellant sought anonymity by
     filing a motion for John Doe status for this appeal, her April 13, 2015 IRA appeal,
     and another previous IRA appeal, Giddings v. Department of Veterans Affairs,
     MSPB Docket No. PH-1221-15-0411-W-1.                PFR File, Tab 4.       The agency
     responded in opposition to the petition for review. PFR File, Tab 3.
                                                                                        4

                                          ANALYSIS

     The appellant’s motion for John Doe status is denied.
¶5         The Board has not adopted a rigid, mechanical test for determining whether
     to grant anonymity in cases, but instead applies certain general principles in
     making such determinations. Ortiz v. Department of Justice, 103 M.S.P.R. 621,
     ¶ 10 (2006).     Those factors include whether identification creates a risk of
     retaliatory physical or mental harm, whether anonymity is necessary to preserve
     privacy in a matter of a sensitive and highly personal nature, or whether the
     anonymous party is compelled to admit her intention to engage in illegal acts,
     thereby risking criminal prosecution. Pinegar v. Federal Election Commission,
     105 M.S.P.R. 677, ¶ 10 (2007). The Board also considers whether anonymity is
     necessary to prevent a clearly unwarranted invasion of a third party’s privacy or
     whether anonymity is necessary to preserve the appellant’s physical safety. Id.
     Other potentially relevant factors include whether the appellant requested
     anonymity at the beginning of the proceeding before the Board versus
     immediately after the need for anonymity became apparent, and which party
     placed the sensitive matter in question at issue in the appeal. Id.
¶6         A party seeking anonymity must overcome the presumption that parties’
     identities are public information.   Id., ¶ 11.   Anonymity should be granted to
     litigants before the Board only in unusual circumstances, and determining
     whether to grant anonymity must depend on the particular facts of each case. Id.
     A litigant seeking anonymity before the Board must present evidence establishing
     that harm is likely, not merely possible, if her name is disclosed. Even if some
     harm is likely, the Board grants anonymity only when the likelihood and extent of
     harm to the appellant significantly outweighs the public interest in the disclosure
     of the parties’ identities. Id.
¶7         We require parties requesting anonymity to make an actual evidentiary
     showing that “harm is likely, not merely possible, if his or her name is disclosed.”
     Ortiz, 103 M.S.P.R. 621, ¶ 10. The appellant has offered nothing more than a
                                                                                        5

     bare allegation that her cases being public creates an “unwarranted invasion of
     privacy”; she has not explained why “harm is likely,” and she has not offered any
     evidence to support her allegation. PFR File, Tab 4 at 4. Thus, we conclude that
     she has not rebutted the presumption that parties’ identities are public information
     in Board cases, and we deny her motion.

     The appellant failed to show that the administrative judge was biased.
¶8        In making a claim of bias or prejudice against an administrative judge, a
     party must overcome the presumption of honesty and integrity that accompanies
     administrative adjudicators. Smets v. Department of the Navy, 117 M.S.P.R. 164,
     ¶ 15 (2011), aff’d, 498 F. App’x 1 (Fed. Cir. 2012); Oliver v. Department of
     Transportation, 1 M.S.P.R. 382, 386 (1980). An administrative judge’s conduct
     during the course of a Board proceeding warrants a new adjudication only if his
     comments or actions evidence “a deep-seated favoritism or antagonism that would
     make fair judgment impossible.” Bieber v. Department of the Army, 287 F.3d
     1358, 1362-63 (Fed. Cir. 2002) (quoting Liteky v. United States, 510 U.S. 540,
     555 (1994)); Smets, 117 M.S.P.R. 164, ¶ 15.        The appellant’s allegations on
     review, which do not relate to any extrajudicial conduct by the administrative
     judge, neither overcome the presumption of honesty and integrity that
     accompanies an administrative judge nor establish that he showed a deep-seated
     favoritism   or   antagonism   that   would    make   fair   judgment    impossible.
     Accordingly, she has failed to show bias.

     The Board has jurisdiction over this appeal.
¶9        Although the administrative judge found that the appellant established
     Board jurisdiction over her appeal, ID at 1, he erred in failing to provide any
     reasoning for his finding. An initial decision must identify all material issues of
     fact and law, summarize the evidence, resolve issues of credibility, and include
     the administrative judge’s conclusions of law and his legal reasoning, as well as
     the authorities on which that reasoning rests. Spithaler v. Office of Personnel
                                                                                            6

      Management, 1 M.S.P.R. 587, 589 (1980). Because the record is complete, we
      have considered whether the Board has jurisdiction over this appeal.
¶10         The Board has jurisdiction over an IRA appeal if the appellant establishes
      by preponderant evidence that she exhausted her administrative remedies before
      OSC and makes nonfrivolous allegations that (1) she made a disclosure described
      under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) or engaged in protected activity described under
      5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D); and (2) the disclosure or protected
      activity was a contributing factor in the agency’s decision to take or fail to take a
      personnel action as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a).           5 U.S.C. §§ 1214(a)(3),
      1221(e)(1); Yunus v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 242 F.3d 1367, 1371 (Fed.
      Cir. 2001); Linder v. Department of Justice, 122 M.S.P.R. 14, ¶ 6 (2014). Here,
      the appellant exhausted her administrative remedies with OSC concerning her
      allegations that she was not selected for various Claims Representative positions
      in retaliation for her August 2, 2014 OSC complaint and April 13, 2015 IRA
      appeal. 2 IAF, Tab 1 at 17-18. In addition, she made a nonfrivolous allegation
      that her August 2, 2014 OSC complaint, in which she alleged that her supervisor
      violated 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(4) by providing a false reference, constitutes
      protected activity under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(C). That section provides that an
      employee engages in protected activity when she cooperates with or discloses
      information to OSC in accordance with applicable provisions of law.                 See
      5 U.S.C. § 1214 (authorizing OSC to receive and investigate allegations of
      prohibited personnel practices). 3

      2
        To the extent the appellant alleges retaliation in connection with vacancies that were
      filled after she filed her May 23, 2016 OSC complaint, IAF, Tab 1 at 12, she has not
      shown that she exhausted her administrative procedures with OSC regarding those
      nonselections. Thus, the Board does not have jurisdiction to address whether those
      nonselections were retaliatory. See Linder, 122 M.S.P.R. 14, ¶ 6.
      3
        The appellant’s April 13, 2015 IRA appeal, in which she also alleged retaliation for
      filing her August 2, 2014 OSC complaint, appears to constitute protected activity under
      5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(A)(ii), which covers “the exercise of any appeal, complaint, or
      grievance right granted by any law, rule, or regulation . . . other than with regard to
      remedying a violation of paragraph (8).” Because the Board has not been granted
                                                                                             7

¶11         We further find that the appellant nonfrivolously alleged that this protected
      activity was a contributing factor in a personnel action taken against her. One
      way to establish the contributing factor criterion is through the knowledge/timing
      test, under which an employee may nonfrivolously allege that the protected
      activity was a contributing factor in a personnel action through circumstantial
      evidence, such as evidence that the official taking the personnel action knew of
      the protected activity and that the personnel action occurred within a period of
      time such that a reasonable person could conclude that the protected activity was
      a contributing factor in the personnel action.          See Mudd v. Department of
      Veterans Affairs, 120 M.S.P.R. 365, ¶ 10 (2013). Here, the appellant alleges that
      many of the agency employees involved in the selections for the Claims
      Representative positions were aware of her protected activity because they gave
      statements in her April 13, 2015 Board appeal, in which her August 2, 2014
      complaint to OSC was an issue, and thus, they knew of her protected activity.
      IAF, Tab 13 at 4-5. We therefore find that the appellant made a nonfrivolous
      allegation satisfying the knowledge prong of the knowledge/timing test.
      Regarding the timing prong of the knowledge/timing test, the nonselections at
      issue occurred by May 23, 2016, within 22 months after the appellant filed her
      August 2, 2014 OSC complaint, and the Board has held that a personnel action
      that occurs within 2 years of the appellant’s protected activity satisfies the timing
      prong of the knowledge/timing test.        See Agoranos v. Department of Justice,
      119 M.S.P.R. 498, ¶ 23 (2013).
¶12         Finally, we find that the appellant made a nonfrivolous allegation that the
      agency failed to take a personnel action as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a) by not
      selecting her for a Claims Representative position. A nonselection is a “personnel

      appeal jurisdiction over allegations of retaliation for activity protected under
      § 2302(b)(9)(A)(ii), our jurisdiction over this appeal does not extend to the appellant’s
      allegation that the agency did not select her for the Claims Representative positions in
      retaliation for her April 13, 2015 appeal. See Mudd v. Department of Veterans Affairs,
      120 M.S.P.R. 365, ¶ 7 (2013).
                                                                                         8

      action” for purposes of the Whistleblower Protection Act.                5 U.S.C.
      § 2302(a)(2)(A); Reeves v. Department of the Army, 99 M.S.P.R. 153, ¶ 15
      (2005); Embree v. Department of the Treasury, 70 M.S.P.R. 79, 86 (1996); see
      also Greenspan v. Department of Veterans Affairs , 94 M.S.P.R. 247, ¶ 14 (2003)
      (finding that when the appellant makes a nonfrivolous allegation that at least one
      alleged personnel action was taken in retaliation for at least one alleged protected
      disclosure, he establishes the Board’s jurisdiction over his IRA appeal), rev’d on
      other grounds, 464 F.3d 1297 (Fed. Cir. 2006). Accordingly, we find that the
      appellant established jurisdiction over this IRA appeal. See Linder, 122 M.S.P.R.
      14, ¶ 6.

      The appellant failed to establish a prima facie case of retaliation for protected
      activity.
¶13         After establishing the Board’s jurisdiction in an IRA appeal, the appellant
      then must establish a prima facie case of retaliation by proving by preponderant
      evidence that she made a protected disclosure or engaged in protected activity
      that was a contributing factor in a personnel action taken against her. 5 U.S.C.
      § 1221(e)(1); Mattil v. Department of State, 118 M.S.P.R. 662, ¶ 11 (2012). If
      the appellant meets that burden, then the Board shall order such corrective action
      as it considers appropriate unless the agency shows by clear and convincing
      evidence that it would have taken the same personnel action absent the protected
      disclosure or activity. 5 U.S.C. § 1221(e)(1)–(2); Chambers v. Department of the
      Interior, 116 M.S.P.R. 17, ¶ 12 (2011).
¶14         In early 2016, the agency approved the hiring of Claims Representatives in
      Cherry Hill, Mount Holly, and Trenton. IAF, Tab 23 at 25. To fill the open
      positions, the agency posted two different vacancy announcements. Id. First, the
      agency internally posted VAN SN-1634926, which accepted applications from
      current agency employees only. Id. at 26. This vacancy announcement was open
      from February 24 through March 16, 2016. Id. The agency also posted a vacancy
      announcement for the Claims Representative position under VAN SN-1640477.
                                                                                          9

      Id. This vacancy announcement was open from March 1 through March 2, 2016.
      Id. As noted, the appellant applied only under VAN SN-1640477.
¶15         The district managers throughout New Jersey were given a certain number
      of Claims Representative positions to fill in their respective field offices based on
      factors such as staffing needs, the loss of any employees, and available space for
      new employees. Id. The Deputy Area Director, who had authority to approve the
      district managers’ selections, explained that, in selecting applicants for the
      Claims Representative positions, the district manager of each field office was first
      to consider only internal applicants who applied under VAN SN-1634926. Id. If
      there were remaining vacancies in the field offices after the district managers
      selected from the list of internal applicants, the district managers would then
      consider the eligible external applicants under VAN SN-1640477. Id. However,
      veteran applicants for the Claims Representative position under the external
      vacancy   announcement      were    considered   before   any   nonveterans.      Id.
      Consequently, the district managers interviewed each veteran to assess the
      veteran’s ability to “meet and deal” with the public based on the applicant’s
      responses to situational questions. Id. If a veteran “passed” the interview, the
      veteran could be selected for an open position that still existed after hiring
      occurred from the internal vacancy announcement. Id. at 27. After completing
      the veteran interviews, all field office managers conducted “meet and deal”
      interviews of the eligible nonveteran applicants, including the appellant, under
      the external vacancy. Id. The appellant presented no evidence or argument to
      dispute that Claims Representative positions were filled in the manner as set out
      by the agency in its submissions.
¶16         The Cherry Hill office had three vacancies. Id. at 28. The District Manager
      of the Cherry Hill office selected two applicants from the internal vacancy VAN.
      Id. at 37-40.     As noted, the appellant did not apply under this vacancy
      announcement, and, under the circumstances presented here—wherein she failed
      to rebut the agency’s evidence that district managers must first select from
                                                                                      10

      internal candidates to fill Claims Representative positions—any selections under
      that announcement could not be considered nonselections of the appellant. Thus,
      we find that the appellant failed to establish by preponderant evidence that the
      Cherry Hill District Manager took a personnel action as defined by 5 U.S.C.
      § 2302(a) regarding the appellant under VAN SN-1634926.
¶17        The Cherry Hill District Manager also made a selection under VAN
      SN-1640477.     Id.   She selected a veteran, pursuant to the selection sequence
      prescribed by higher agency managers. Notwithstanding the selection sequence,
      because the Cherry Hill District Manager made a selection under VAN
      SN-1640477, and did not select the appellant, she established by preponderant
      evidence that one nonselection under VAN SN-1640477 for a Claims
      Representative position in the agency’s Cherry Hill office was a personnel action
      taken against her under § 2302(a). However, the District Manager of the Cherry
      Hill office declared under penalty of perjury that she “was unaware of [the
      appellant’s] Office of Special Counsel complaints concerning her former
      supervisor or her prior Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeal.” IAF,
      Tab 23 at 40.   The appellant presented no evidence or argument to rebut this
      declaration, and thus, she failed to prove by preponderant evidence under the
      knowledge prong of the knowledge/timing test that her protected activity was a
      contributing factor to her nonselection for a Claims Representative position in the
      Cherry Hill Office.
¶18        The Mount Holly office had two vacancies.        Id. at 34-36.   The District
      Manager filled both of these vacancies from internal candidates. Id. As with the
      internal selections made by the Cherry Hill District Manager, we find that the
      appellant failed to establish by preponderant evidence that the Mount Holly
      District Manager took a personnel action as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a)
      regarding the appellant under VAN SN-1634926.
¶19        The Trenton office had three vacancies. Id. at 30-33. The District Manager
      made all of his selections from VAN SN-1640477, two veterans and one
                                                                                      11

      nonveteran.   Id.   He did not select the appellant.     Therefore, the appellant
      established by preponderant evidence that her nonselections for the Trenton office
      were personnel actions under § 2302(a). However, the District Manager of the
      Trenton office declared under penalty of perjury that when “selecting applicants
      to the Claims Representative position, I was unaware of Appellant’s complaint
      concerning her former supervisor, any Office of Special Counsel complaint, or
      Appellant’s prior Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeal.” Id. at 32. As
      explained more fully below, the appellant did not rebut this declaration, and thus,
      she failed to prove by preponderant evidence under the knowledge prong of the
      knowledge/timing test that her protected activity was a contributing factor to her
      nonselection for a Claims Representative position in the Trenton office.
¶20        As the appellant argues on review, the administrative judge did not use the
      phrase “cat’s paw” theory in his finding that the appellant failed to show that the
      Trenton District Manager’s not selecting her for the Claims Representative
      position was influenced by other agency employees who knew of the appellant’s
      protected activity. PFR File, Tab 1 at 5-9. The Supreme Court has adopted the
      term “cat’s paw” to describe a case in which a particular management official,
      acting because of an improper animus, influences another agency official who is
      unaware of the improper animus when implementing a personnel action.
      Dorney v. Department of the Army, 117 M.S.P.R. 480, ¶ 11 (2012) (citing Staub v.
      Proctor Hospital, 562 U.S. 411 (2011)). Under the cat’s paw theory, an appellant
      can establish that a prohibited animus toward a whistleblower was a contributing
      factor in a personnel action by showing by preponderant evidence that an
      individual with knowledge of the protected disclosure influenced the officials
      who are accused of taking the personnel actions.        Aquino v. Department of
      Homeland Security, 121 M.S.P.R. 35, ¶ 23 (2014).              Here, although the
      administrative judge did not use the term “cat’s paw,” he carefully considered
      whether the employees who knew of the appellant’s protected activity influenced
      the Trenton District Manager’s decision to not select the appellant, and he
                                                                                       12

      properly found that the appellant failed to show that they had done so.          ID
      at 12-13.   Thus, we find that appellant’s argument that the Trenton District
      Manager was aware of her OSC complaint under “cat’s paw” theory is unavailing.
¶21         Because the appellant failed to show by preponderant evidence that her
      nonselection for two positions in the Cherry Hill office under VAN SN-1634926
      and two positions in the Mount Holly office under VAN SN-1634926 were
      personnel actions, she failed to meet her burden to prove a prima facie case of
      retaliation regarding those nonselections. Further, because the appellant failed to
      demonstrate by preponderant evidence that the district managers who made the
      selections from VAN SN-1640477 knew of her protected activity, she failed to
      show by preponderant evidence that her protected activity was a contributing
      factor to those nonselections, and thus failed to prove her prima facie case of
      retaliation for those nonselections.        See Iyer v. Department of the Treasury,
      95 M.S.P.R. 239, ¶ 9 (2003), aff’d, 104 F. App’x 159 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
      Accordingly, we find that the administrative judge properly denied the appellant’s
      request for corrective action. Id., ¶ 10.
¶22         Despite the appellant’s failure to establish a prima face case of retaliation,
      the administrative judge proceeded to make findings on whether the agency had
      proved by clear and convincing evidence that it would not have selected the
      appellant for the Claims Representative position despite her protected activity.
      ID at 14-19. An administrative judge only reaches the agency’s burden to prove
      that it would have taken the same action absent the appellant’s protected activity
      after the appellant has met her burden to establish a prima facie case.         See
      Scoggins v. Department of the Army, 123 M.S.P.R. 592, ¶ 13 (2016). Given his
      correct finding that the appellant failed to prove her prima facie case, it was
      inappropriate for the administrative judge to determine whether the agency proved
      by clear and convincing evidence that it would have taken the same action absent
      the appellant’s whistleblowing. See Clarke v. Department of Veterans Affairs,
      121 M.S.P.R. 154, ¶ 19 n.10 (2014) (stating that the Board may not proceed to the
                                                                                           13

      clear and convincing evidence test unless it has first determined that the appellant
      established his prima facie case), aff’d, 623 F. App’x 1016 (Fed. Cir. 2015).
      Accordingly, we vacate the administrative judge’s findings that the agency proved
      by clear and convincing evidence that it would not have selected the appellant for
      the Claims Representative position absent her whistleblowing.

      The appellant’s allegation that she was better qualified than the selectee for the
      Claims Representative position in Trenton is beyond the scope of this appeal.
¶23         In an IRA appeal, the Board lacks the authority to adjudicate the merits of
      the underlying personnel action; rather, our jurisdiction is limited to adjudicating
      the whistleblower allegations. See Marren v. Department of Justice, 51 M.S.P.R.
      632, 639 (1991), aff’d, 980 F.2d 745 (Fed. Cir. 1992) (Table), and modified on
      other grounds by Robinson v. U.S. Postal Service, 63 M.S.P.R. 307, 323 n.13
      (1994). Thus, we do not have jurisdiction to make findings on the appellant’s
      assertion that she should have been selected for the Claims Representative
      position in the agency’s Trenton office because she was better qualified than the
      selectee.

                               NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 4
            The initial decision, as supplemented by this Final Order, constitutes the
      Board’s final decision in this matter. 5 C.F.R. § 1201.113. 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 cases fall within their jurisdiction. If you wish to seek review of

      4
        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.
                                                                                      14

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.
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
                                                                                   15

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. 420 (2017). If you have a 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
                                                                                     16

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

      (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. 5   The court of appeals must receive your petition for

5
   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.
                                                                                17

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.
      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:                        ______________________________
                                      Jennifer Everling
                                      Acting Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.