Court Opinion

ID: 9965799
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-05-03 15:01:51.681585+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:25:45.859114
License: Public Domain

Case: 24-1042    Document: 16     Page: 1    Filed: 05/03/2024

           NOTE: This order is nonprecedential.

   United States Court of Appeals
       for the Federal Circuit
                  ______________________

                    VICKIE L. JONES,
                        Petitioner

                             v.

      DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS,
                   Respondent
             ______________________

                        2024-1042
                  ______________________

    Petition for review of the Merit Systems Protection
 Board in No. PH-1221-23-0055-W-1.
                 ______________________

      Before CHEN, LINN, and HUGHES, Circuit Judges.
 PER CURIAM.
                         ORDER
     In response to this court’s show cause order, the re-
 spondent urges dismissal of this petition for review. Vickie
 L. Jones submits a “brief summary of [her] complaint” re-
 garding the “review of [her] case.” ECF No. 15 at 1–2.
     Ms. Jones filed an Individual Right of Action appeal
 with the Merit Systems Protection Board. Due to the up-
 grade of the Board’s network and e-Appeal filing system,
 the administrative judge, with agreement by the parties,
 issued an initial decision on August 24, 2023, dismissing
Case: 24-1042    Document: 16      Page: 2     Filed: 05/03/2024

 2                                                JONES v. DVA

 the case without prejudice for a period of 60 days, subject
 to automatic refiling by the Board. Ms. Jones filed a peti-
 tion for review from that decision, even though her Board
 appeal was refiled, docketed as PH-1221-23-0055-W-2, and
 is pending with the administrative judge.
     This court only has jurisdiction to review final deci-
 sions and orders from the Board.             See 28 U.S.C.
 § 1295(a)(9); Weed v. Soc. Sec. Admin., 571 F.3d 1359, 1361
 (Fed. Cir. 2009). The administrative judge’s decision,
 merely dismissing Ms. Jones’s appeal without prejudice
 subject to automatic reinstatement, is not final. See
 Strausbaugh v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 401 F. App’x 524, 526
 (Fed. Cir. 2010). Because there is no final order or decision
 from the Board, this court lacks jurisdiction and must dis-
 miss. Ms. Jones may petition this court for review after
 issuance of a final decision.
     Accordingly,
     IT IS ORDERED THAT:
     (1) The petition for review is dismissed.
     (2) Each side shall bear its own costs.
                                                 FOR THE COURT

 May 3, 2024
    Date