Court Opinion

ID: 9391058
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-04-29 06:00:11.760891+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:18:39.308116
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                        MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     CINDY DABNER,                                   DOCKET NUMBERS
                         Appellant,                  CH-4324-17-0458-I-1
                                                     CH-0752-17-0398-I-1
                  v.

     ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
       AGENCY,                                       DATE: April 28, 2023
                 Agency.

             THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           Chungsoo J. Lee, Feasterville, Pennsylvania, for the appellant.

           Debra K. Smith, Esquire, Chicago, Illinois, 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
     sustained an agency action suspending her for 30 days and found that she failed to
     prove her affirmative defenses. Generally, we grant petitions such as this one
     only in the following circumstances:       the initial decision contains erroneous

     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      A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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

     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
     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 expre ssly
     MODIFIED to correct errors in the administrative judge’s analysis of the
     appellant’s claims of retaliation for prior equal employment opportunity (EEO)
     activity and her claims of reprisal for whistleblowing and to VACATE the
     administrative judge’s finding that the agency would have taken the same
     personnel action absent the appellant’s protected disclosures , we AFFIRM the
     initial decision.

                         DISCUSSION OF ARGUMENTS ON REVIEW
¶2         The agency suspended the appellant from her GS-13 Physical Scientist
     position for 30 days based on three charges: (1) failure to follow instructions
     (four specifications); (2) conduct unbecoming (two specifications); and (3) failure
     to comply with leave procedures (nine specifications).              MSPB Docket
     No. CH-0752-17-0398-I-1, Initial Appeal File, Tab 4 at 24-29.         The appellant
     appealed the agency action to the Board and challenged the agency’s charges and
     the reasonableness of the penalty and, among other things, raised the affirmative
     defenses of discrimination based on race, ancestry, age, and sex, and asserted
     retaliation based on prior EEO activity, a prior Board appeal, and whistleblowing.
     The appellant also claimed that the agency action violated her rights under the
                                                                                           3

     Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and
     the administrative judge docketed that claim as a separate appeal . MSPB Docket
     No. CH-4324-17-0458-I-1, Initial Appeal File (4324 IAF), Tab 3.
¶3         The administrative judge held a lengthy hearing and issued a thorough and
     well-reasoned initial decision addressing both appeals. 4324 IAF, Tab 92, Initial
     Decision (ID). The administrative judge found that the agency proved all of the
     charges and specifications and that the penalty of a 30-day suspension was
     reasonable. ID at 13-28, 46-48. The administrative judge also found that the
     appellant failed to prove her affirmative defenses. 2 ID at 28-46.
¶4         The appellant has filed a petition for review in which she challenges
     virtually all of the administrative judge’s findings regarding the charges, the
     reasonableness of the penalty, and her affirmative defenses. Petition for Review
     (PFR) File, Tab 1. The appellant also claims that the administrative judge abused
     her discretion and demonstrated bias during the hearing. Id.
¶5         After a thorough review of the record evidence, the initial decision, and the
     appellant’s claims on review, we discern no reason to disturb the initial decision
     except as discussed below. Yang v. U.S. Postal Service, 115 M.S.P.R. 112, ¶ 12
     (2010) (stating that arguments that constitute mere disagreement with the initial
     decision do not provide a basis to grant a petition for review); Broughton v.
     Department of Health and Human Services, 33 M.S.P.R. 357, 359 (1987) (finding
     no reason to disturb the administrative judge’s conclusions when the initial
     decision reflects that the administrative judge considered the evidence as a whole,
     drew appropriate inferences, and made reasoned conclusions).            Regarding the
     appellant’s arguments that the administrative judge failed to mention all of the
     record evidence, the fact that the administrative judge did not mention a

     2
       Although she docketed it as a separate appeal, the administrative judge correctly
     considered the appellant’s claims that the agency violated her rights under USERRA as
     an affirmative defense in the appeal of the suspension. Brown v. U.S. Postal Service,
     106 M.S.P.R. 12, ¶ 19 (2007) (stating that in a removal appeal, the Board can consider a
     USERRA claim as an affirmative defense).
                                                                                            4

     particular piece of evidence does not mean that she did not consider it. 3 Marques
     v. Department of Health and Human Services, 22 M.S.P.R. 129, 132 (1984), aff’d,
     776 F.2d 1062 (Fed. Cir. 1985) (Table) (finding that an administrative judge’s
     failure to mention all of the evidence of record does not mean that he did not
     consider it in reaching his decision).
¶6         Regarding     the    appellant’s    affirmative    defenses     of   status-based
     discrimination and retaliation for prior EEO activity, the administrative judge
     explained that the Board finds unlawful discrimination when an appellant shows
     that discrimination or retaliation was a motivating factor in the contested
     personnel action, even if it was not the only reason for the actio n, but that the
     appellant here failed to prove by preponderant evidence that the agency’s
     decision to suspend her was the result of disparate treatment discrimination. ID
     at 29-32; see Gardner v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 123 M.S.P.R. 647,
     ¶¶ 28-30 (2016), clarified by Pridgen v. Office of Management and Budget ,
     2022 MSPB 31, ¶¶ 23-24.        Like the merits of the agency’s charges, except as
     explained below, the appellant has not shown a basis to disturb the administrative
     judge’s well-reasoned decision in this regard. 4 Yang, 115 M.S.P.R. 112, ¶ 12;
     Broughton, 33 M.S.P.R. at 359.

     3
       To the extent the appellant disagrees with the administrative judge’s credibility
     determinations based on the administrative judge’s observation of the demeanor of the
     witnesses, regarding the appellant’s claim of harmful procedural error for example, PFR
     File, Tab 1 at 7-9, it is well established that the Board must defer to an administrative
     judge’s credibility determinations when they are based, explicitly or implicitly, on the
     administrative judge’s observation of the demeanor of witnesses testifying at a hearing,
     Haebe v. Department of Justice, 288 F.3d 1288, 1301 (Fed. Cir. 2002). The Board may
     overturn such determinations only when it has “sufficiently sound” reasons for doing
     so. Id. The appellant has not presented such reasons.
     4
       Because we affirm the administrative judge’s finding that the appellant failed to show
     that discrimination or retaliation was a motivating factor in the agency’s action, we
     need not resolve the issue of whether the appellant proved that discrimination or
     retaliation was a “but-for” cause of the agency’s decision. See Pridgen, 2022 MSPB
     31, ¶¶ 20-22, 29-33.
                                                                                        5

¶7          As to the appellant’s claim of retaliation for prior EEO activity, the
     administrative judge failed to note that both the proposing and deciding officials
     were named in the appellant’s EEO filings. PFR File, Tab 1 at 20-21; ID at 32.
     This was error and we modify the initial decision to consider that fact.
     Nevertheless, we still agree with the administrative judge that the appellant failed
     to prove her claim.     ID at 32-35.      Among other things, we note that the
     administrative judge found that the deciding official credibly testified that the
     appellant’s prior EEO activity did not play a part in her decision and also found
     that in her own testimony the appellant did not specifically refer to a retaliatory
     animus on the part of anyone and produced no evidence that the suspension at
     issue was motivated by retaliation.     ID at 34. The administrative judge also
     observed that in her closing argument, the appellant’s assertions regarding
     retaliation for prior EEO activity consisted solely of a list of her prior activity,
     but did not point to anything supporting a finding of retaliation.        ID at 34;
     4324 IAF, Tab 90. In sum, the initial decision, as modified to acknowledge that
     the proposing and deciding officials were named in the appellant’s prior EEO
     activity, correctly found that the appellant failed to establish that retaliation for
     prior EEO activity was a motivating factor in the personnel actions taken against
     her.
¶8          The appellant next argues on review that the administrative judge erred in
     finding that she did not establish her claim of whistleblow er retaliation regarding
     eight protected disclosures allegedly made between November 2014, and
     June 2016. PFR File, Tab 1 at 9-12. As to six of the disclosures (disclosures 1,
     2, 3, 5, 6, and 8), the administrative judge found that they were not only
     extremely vague but that the appellant was merely expressing her disagreement
     with her supervisor’s opinions regarding matters that were within her supervisor’s
     appropriate exercise of her authority, and that, therefore, the appellant did not
     nonfrivolously allege any of the kind of wrongdoing listed in 5 U.S.C.
     § 2302(b)(8).   ID at 38-39.    Because this is an appeal of an adverse action,
                                                                                        6

     however, and not an individual right of action (IRA) appeal, the whistleblower
     retaliation claim should be treated as an affirmative defense.            Ayers v.
     Department of the Army, 123 M.S.P.R. 11, ¶ 12 (2015). The appellant is required
     to prove by preponderant evidence that she made disclosures protected under
     5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8), and that a disclosure was a contributing factor in an
     agency personnel action.    Campbell v. Department of the Army, 123 M.S.P.R.
     674, ¶ 11 (2016).    Whether a claim is nonfrivolous does not come into play
     because jurisdiction is not at issue. Therefore, to the extent the administrative
     judge found that the appellant’s six disclosures were insufficient to qualify as
     nonfrivolous allegations to establish IRA jurisdiction, she erred. ID at 38-39.
     However, any such error did not prejudice the appellant’s substantive rights
     because establishing a protected disclosure requires proof by preponderant
     evidence, a higher burden of proof distinct from the lower burden of proof
     necessary to make a nonfrivolous allegation.           5 C.F.R. § 1201.4(s) (a
     nonfrivolous allegation is a claim under oath or penalty of perjury or supported
     by evidence relevant to the matter at issue that, if proven, could establish the
     matters it asserts); Panter v. Department of the Air Force, 22 M.S.P.R. 281, 282
     (1984) (finding that an adjudicatory error that is not prejudicial to a party’s
     substantive rights provides no basis for reversal of an initial decision). In any
     event, we agree with the administrative judge that the appellant’s disclosures are
     not protected under the whistleblower protection statutes.     Lachance v. White,
     174 F.3d 1378, 1382 (Fed. Cir. 1999) (stating that the statutory protection for
     whistleblowers “is not a weapon in arguments over policy or a shield for
     insubordinate conduct.     Policymakers and administrators have every right to
     expect loyal professional service from subordinates”); Salerno v. Department of
     the Interior, 123 M.S.P.R. 230, ¶ 6 (2016) (stating that to be protected,
     disclosures must be specific and detailed, not vague allegations of wrongdoing).
¶9        As to the remaining two disclosures (disclosures 4 and 7), a purported
     violation of the statute regarding the privacy of individual health care information
                                                                                             7

      and a requirement regarding the safeguarding of business information, the
      administrative judge found that the appellant failed to allege how and under what
      circumstances these alleged violations occurred and, because they were so vague,
      the appellant did not establish that they were protected disclosures. ID at 39.
      The appellant has not shown how the administrative judge erred in this regard.
      Salerno, 123 M.S.P.R. 230, ¶ 6.
¶10         Even though he found that the appellant’s purported disclosures were not
      protected under the whistleblower protection statutes, the administrative judge
      went on to consider whether the appellant established the contributing factor
      criterion. ID at 39. One way to establish this criterion is the knowledge/timing
      test by showing that the official who took the personnel action knew of the
      disclosure and that the personnel action occurred within a period of time such that
      a reasonable person could conclude that the disclosure was a contributing factor
      in the personnel action.         Bradley v. Department of Homeland Security,
      123 M.S.P.R. 547, ¶ 13 (2016). The Board has held that disclosures that occurred
      up to two years prior to the personnel action meet the timing prong of the test.
      Mastrullo v. Department of Labor, 123 M.S.P.R. 110, ¶ 21 (2015).              Here, the
      administrative judge found that, with respect to the disclosures that met the
      timing prong, the appellant failed to meet the knowledge prong of the analysis;
      the administrative judge noted that the appellant did not testify that either the
      proposing or deciding officials knew of the protected activity and there is not any
      evidence linking the protected activity and the 30 -day suspension. 5 ID at 39.

      5
        The knowledge/timing test is not the only way for an appellant to satisfy the
      contributing factor criterion. Stiles v. Department of Homeland Security, 116 M.S.P.R.
      263, ¶ 24 (2011). Even if the appellant fails to satisfy the knowledge/timing test, other
      evidence, such as that pertaining to the strength or weakness of the agency’s reasons for
      taking the personnel action, whether the whistleblowing was personally directed at the
      proposing or deciding officials, and whether those individuals had a desire or motive to
      retaliate against the appellant should be considered. Id. Here, even if the appellant
      made protected disclosures, which we find that she did not, considering the factors for
      determining contributing factor independent of the knowledge/timing test, we find th at
                                                                                            8

¶11         After addressing the appellant’s failure to prove that she made protected
      disclosures that were a contributing factor in the personnel action, the
      administrative judge went on to find that the agency proved by clear and
      convincing evidence that it would have taken the same personnel action absent
      the appellant’s purported disclosures. ID at 40. However, the Board has held that
      it may not proceed to the clear and convincing evidence test unless it has first
      made a finding that the appellant has shown by preponderant evidence that a
      protected disclosure was a contributing factor in a personnel action. Clarke v.
      Department of Veterans Affairs, 121 M.S.P.R. 154, ¶ 19 n.10 (2014), 6 aff’d,
      623 F. App’x 1016 (Fed. Cir. 2015); Belyakov v. Department of Health and
      Human Services, 120 M.S.P.R. 326, ¶ 7 n.3 (2013).            Thus, the administrative
      judge erred in this regard and we vacate her finding that the agency met its clear
      and convincing burden.
¶12         The appellant argues on review that the administrative judge failed to
      consider her claim that she made additional protected disclosures for which she
      was suspended, principally, signing documents “under protest” and “under
      duress,” actions which formed the basis of the conduct unbecoming charge. PFR
      File, Tab 1 at 9-10. Because the administrative judge did not consider this claim
      and the record is complete, we do so now and modify the initial decision
      accordingly.
¶13         The administrative judge found that the appellant’s signing internal
      documents and communications with state partners as she did, after being told not
      to do so, constituted conduct unbecoming. ID at 23-27. There is no requirement
      under 5 U.S.C. § 1221(e)(2) that the adverse personnel action be based on facts

      the appellant failed to establish contributing factor. We modify the initial decision to
      include this analysis.
      6
        We acknowledge that, in Delgado v. Merit Systems Protection Board, 880 F.3d 913,
      923 (7th Cir. 2018), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit called into question
      some of the reasoning in Clarke. The court did not, however, question this principle.
                                                                                       9

      completely separate and distinct from protected whistleblowing disclosures.
      Watson v. Department of Justice, 64 F.3d 1524, 1528 (Fed. Cir. 1995). Wrongful
      or disruptive conduct is not shielded by the presence of a protected disclosure,
      and the character and nature of a disclosure can still be a legitimate basis for
      discipline. Greenspan v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 464 F.3d 1297, 1305
      (Fed Cir. 2006); Hamilton v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 115 M.S.P.R. 673, ¶
      12 (2011). The Whistleblower Protection Act was n ot meant to shield employees
      from their own misconduct.     Carr v. Social Security Administration, 185 F.3d
      1318, 1326 (Fed. Cir. 1999).        Therefore, even if the appellant’s signing
      documents as she did could be considered a disclosure of information and
      therefore protected under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8), her inappropriate conduct
      surrounding any such disclosures does not preclude discipline. Furthermore, the
      appellant notations with her signature do not explain how she was disclosing one
      of the types of wrongdoing set forth in 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8).        See Salerno,
      123 M.S.P.R. 230, ¶ 6 (stating that to be protected, disclosures must be specific
      and detailed, not vague allegations of wrongdoing, and must evidence one of the
      types of wrongdoing set forth in 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8)).
¶14        Lastly, the appellant argues on review that the administrative judge abused
      her discretion and exhibited a lack of judicial temperament during the third day of
      the hearing when the administrative judge directly questioned the agency
      representative as to the location of certain documents in the record, and when the
      appellant’s representative objected, “went into a tirade,” and “in an angry
      outburst and in extremely loud yelling,” warned him that, if he said another word,
      he would be expelled from the hearing and be held in contempt. PFR File, Tab 1
      at 6-7.   The appellant argues that she was thereby denied the opportunity to
      cross-examine the agency representative, that the administrative judge was
                                                                                            10

      attempting to intimidate her representative, and that the representative felt
      verbally attacked. 7
¶15         The next day, the appellant filed a motion to strike the entire exchange from
      the record, arguing that she was denied the opportunity to state the basis for her
      objection to the administrative judge’s questioning of the agency representative.
      4324 IAF, Tab 85. The administrative judge denied the motion, explaining that
      the agency representative was not a witness and was not offering testimonial
      evidence, and that she (the administrative judge) could not and would not
      consider anything the agency representative said as evidence. Id., Tab 86. She
      acknowledged, however, that, to the extent the appellant was unable to make a
      full record of her argument on the matter, she had erred, and that if the appellant
      felt that, through the motion, she had made her position clear, the matter would be
      closed, but that if she was not satisfied, she could submit further argument within
      a week. Id. The appellant did not submit anything further.
¶16         We first find that the appellant has not shown that the administrative judge
      abused her discretion in questioning the agency representative regarding the
      location of documents in the record. The administrative judge was not, as she
      explained, eliciting testimony from the agency representative, and there is no
      indication in the initial decision that she considered what the representative said
      as testimony. Rather, the administrative judge was attempting to assure that she
      understood the agency’s position on a particular issue, which is part of her
      obligation as an adjudicator.       Moreover, an administrative judge has broad
      discretion to control the proceedings.       Grubb v. Department of the Interior,
      96 M.S.P.R. 361, ¶ 27 (2004). Further, the administrative judge acknowledged
      that she may have erred in not allowing the appellant to explain her position

      7
        The appellant argues, without citation to the record, that this was the third or fourth
      time during the hearing that the administrative judge had angrily cut off her
      representative and denied her the opportunity to place into the record objections to
      rulings. PFR File, Tab at 6.
                                                                                          11

      regarding the questioning, but the error was cured when she afforded the
      appellant an opportunity to further explain and she failed to do so.
¶17         Next, we consider the appellant’s claim that the administrative judge
      demonstrated a lack of judicial temperament and, based on a careful review of the
      exchange, find there was no “tirade” by the administrative judge, as the appellant
      alleges, and the administrative judge did not engage in any “extremely loud
      yelling.” In fact, she did not yell at all. 8 Rather, she spoke with authority and
      exhibited appropriate control.
¶18         Construing the appellant’s assertion as one of bias, she has not proven her
      claim. 9   An administrative judge’s conduct during the course of a Board
      proceeding warrants a new adjudication only if the administrative judge’ s
      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)). Although the administrative judge’s tone was sharp in the exchange
      at issue, we do not believe that her statements or the record as a whole in any way
      reflect bias on her part in favor of the agency. Deleon v. U.S. Postal Service,
      7 M.S.P.R. 640, 643 (1981). Nor has the appellant, by her claim, overcome the
      presumption     of   honesty   and   integrity   that   accompanies    administrative
      adjudicators.   Oliver v. Department of Transportation, 1 M.S.P.R. 382, 386
      (1980).

      8
       We have reviewed both the written hearing transcript and the audio recording of the
      hearing.
      9
        The appellant notes that the administrative judge denied many of her representative’s
      objections during the hearing, but she has not shown with regard to any particular
      ruling how the administrative judge erred or how her substantive rights were
      prejudiced.
                                                                                     12

                         NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 10
      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
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).

10
  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.
                                                                                       13

      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
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
                                                                                14

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

      (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
                                                                                     15

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 Cir cuit or any court
of appeals of competent jurisdiction. 11 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.
      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

11
   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 Appeal s
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.
                                                                           16

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.