Court Opinion

ID: 9372780
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-22 16:00:31.741352+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:37.509229
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                       MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD
                                      2022 MSPB 20

                             Docket No. DE-3330-14-0097-I-1

                                      Gary K. Davis,
                                        Appellant,
                                             v.
                                 Department of Defense,
                                          Agency.
                                        July 8, 2022

           Joanna Friedman, Esquire, Washington, D.C., for the appellant.

           Rachael K. House, Esquire, Carson, California, for the agency.

                                         BEFORE

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

                                 OPINION AND ORDER

¶1        The appellant has filed a petition for review of the initial decision, which
     dismissed his appeal for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted,
     and alternatively, denied his request for corrective action under the Veterans
     Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA).           For the reasons discussed
     below, we DENY the petition for review. We MODIFY the initial decision to
     supplement the administrative judge’s analysis and to            clarify that the
     administrative judge should have denied corrective action, instead of dismissing
     the appeal for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted .     We
     AFFIRM the initial decision except as expressly modified herein.
                                                                                          2

                                       BACKGROUND
¶2        The appellant began working for the Defense Contract Management Agency
     (DCMA) as a Safety and Occupational Health Specialist in January 2010, and he
     resigned for personal reasons in February 2013. Initial Appeal File (IAF), Tab 8
     at 23-24, Tab 18 at 76. In June 2013, the appellant applied for the Safety and
     Occupational Health Specialist (Intern) position at the DCMA pursuant to
     vacancy announcement SWH813KS602704908202. IAF, Tab 7 at 10 -19. The
     vacancy announcement stated that the position was an “acquisition position” and
     that the agency “uses the Expedited Hiring Authority to recruit and attract
     exceptional individuals into the Federal Workforce.” Id. at 10-11. The appellant
     was placed on the certificate of eligibles, but the agency did not select him. IAF,
     Tab 1 at 7-8, Tab 7 at 9.        The appellant filed a VEOA complaint with the
     Department of Labor (DOL), and DOL notified him that it did not find evidence
     that the agency violated his rights.       IAF, Tab 1 at 9-14.          The appellant
     subsequently filed this timely Board appeal and requested a hearing. IAF, Tab 1.
¶3        The      administrative   judge   found   that   the   appellant   exhausted   his
     administrative remedies with DOL and made a nonfrivolous allegation that the
     agency violated his rights under a statute or regulation relating to veterans’
     preference.    IAF, Tab 9 at 2.    The parties had an opportunity to develop the
     record, IAF, Tabs 9-11, 18-19, 22, and the administrative judge issued an initial
     decision, IAF, Tab 25, Initial Decision (ID). The administrative judge found that
     the appellant failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted because
     the position was not subject to veterans’ preference laws , owing to the agency’s
     use of the expedited hiring authority found at 10 U.S.C. § 1705. ID at 5-11.
     Alternatively, he found that, even if veterans’ preference laws were applicable to
     the position at issue, the appellant did not establish a genuine dispute of material
     fact regarding whether the agency violated his veterans’ preference rights, and he
     denied the appellant’s request for corrective action. ID at 11-14.
                                                                                              3

¶4         The appellant has filed a petition for review and the agency has responded
     in opposition to the appellant’s petition.          Petition for Review (PFR) File,
     Tabs 3, 5.

                                           ANALYSIS
     We deny the appellant’s request for corrective action because he did not prove by
     preponderant evidence that the agency violated a statute or regulation relating to
     veterans’ preference.
¶5         Neither party challenges the administrative judge’s conclusions that the
     appellant exhausted his administrative remedies with DOL, he made a
     nonfrivolous allegation that he was a preference eligible, and he nonfrivolously
     alleged that the agency violated a statute or regulation relating to veterans’
     preference. 1 IAF, Tab 1 at 12-14, Tab 9 at 2, Tab 18 at 78. We affirm those
     findings herein. To be entitled to corrective action under VEOA, the appellant
     must prove by preponderant evidence, among other things, that the agency
     violated one or more of his statutory or regulatory veterans’ preference rights in

     1
       The Board and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit have held that VEOA
     appeals have an additional jurisdictional element, i.e., a nonfrivolous allegation that the
     action at issue took place on or after the October 30, 1998 enactment date of VE OA.
     E.g. Lazaro v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 666 F.3d 1316, 1319 (Fed. Cir. 2012);
     Gingery v. Office of Personnel Management, 119 M.S.P.R. 43, ¶ 13 (2012). Without
     purporting to overrule this case law, we observe that nearly 25 years have now passed
     since VEOA was enacted and that this jurisdictional issue will seldom, if ever, be
     dispositive in future cases. We therefore find that, going forward, an accurate
     exposition of the VEOA jurisdictional elements may omit reference to the date that the
     action at issue took place. The Board has similarly held that it lacks jurisdiction over
     individual right of action (IRA) appeals in which the contested personnel action
     occurred prior to the July 9, 1989 effective date of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
     E.g., Marshall v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 44 M.S.P.R. 28, 32 (1990).
     Nevertheless, the Board generally does not list the date of the personnel action as a
     separate jurisdictional element for IRA appeals. E.g., Salerno v. Department of the
     Interior, 123 M.S.P.R. 230, ¶ 5 (2016). We find it appropriate to adopt the same
     practice in VEOA appeals.
                                                                                              4

     its selection process. 2 Boston v. Department of the Army, 122 M.S.P.R. 577, ¶ 6
     (2015).
¶6         Below, the appellant asserted that the agency violated 5 U.S.C. § 3309 by
     failing to add the required points for preference-eligible candidates, violated
     5 U.S.C. § 3313 by failing to appropriately move 10-point preference eligibles to
     the top of the certificate, and violated 5 U.S.C. § 3318 by failing to make a
     selection from the top three preference-eligible veterans and by failing to notify
     him or the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that he was being passed over
     for the selection. IAF, Tab 18 at 16-18. In the initial decision, the administrative
     judge considered the agency’s assertion that the cited statutory provisions were
     inapplicable to the selection process because it filled the position using the
     expedited hiring authority at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f). 3 ID at 6 (citing IAF, Tab 7
     at 6-8). 4 The administrative judge found that the agency utilized the expedited

     2
       In the initial decision, the administrative judge assumed for purposes of his analysis
     that the appellant held a 90% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs
     and that he qualified as a 10-point preference eligible. ID at 11.
     3
       Although the administrative judge cited to 10 U.S.C. § 1705(g) and (h) in the initial
     decision, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (NDAA of
     2018), Pub. L. No. 115-91, § 1051(a)(7), 131 Stat. 1283, 1560 (2017), subsequently
     redesignated these provisions as section 1705(f) and (g), respectively. Because the
     changes are nonsubstantive, we have referred to the provisions at their current locations
     for the ease of the reader. We also have reviewed other relevant legislation enacted
     during the pendency of this appeal and have concluded that it does not af fect the
     outcome of the appeal.
     4
       Because the administrative judge considered the agency’s documentary submissions in
     the initial decision, ID at 6 (citing IAF, Tab 7 at 6-8), he should not have dismissed the
     appeal for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, Haasz v.
     Department of Veterans Affairs, 108 M.S.P.R. 349, ¶ 8 (2008) (stating that dismissal for
     failure to state a claim is appropriate only if, taking the appellant’s allegations as true
     and drawing all reasonable inferences in his favor, he cannot prevail as a matter of law);
     Williamson v. U.S. Postal Service, 106 M.S.P.R. 502, ¶ 9 n.* (2007). We therefore
     modify the initial decision in this regard. Because we find that the administrative judge
     erred in analyzing this matter under the failure to state a claim standard, we need not
     address the appellant’s assertion on review that the administrative judge failed to draw
                                                                                         5

     hiring authority, and therefore, the selection process at issue was not subject to
     the veterans’ preference laws that the appellant claims the agency violated. ID
     at 6-11.
¶7         On review, the appellant reiterates his argument regarding how the agency
     violated 5 U.S.C. §§ 3309, 3313, and 3318. PFR File, Tab 3 at 30-32. He also
     generally challenges the administrative judge’s analysis and findings. To resolve
     the issues raised on review, we must examine the circumstances surrounding the
     creation of the expedited hiring authority at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f), determine
     whether the agency properly invoked the expedited hiring authority to fill the
     Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position, and if so, ascertain whether
     the agency’s using this expedited hiring authority had an impact on the
     appellant’s entitlement to veterans’ preference during the selection process.
¶8         In 2003, Congress authorized creating an advisory panel “to review laws
     and regulations regarding the use of commercial practices, performance -based
     contracting, the performance of acquisition functions across agency lines of
     responsibility, and the use of Governmentwide contracts.”         National Defense
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-136, § 1423, 117 Stat.
     1392, 1669 (2003). Subsequently, the panel issued a more than 400-page report,
     finding that the “existing federal acquisition workforce falls seriously short of the
     capacity needed to meet the demands that have been placed on it.” Report of the
     Acquisition Advisory Panel to the Office of Federa l Procurement Policy and the
     U.S. Congress (January 2007), at 372-73, https://www.acquisition.gov/sites
     /default/files/page_file_uploads/ACQUISITION-ADVISORY-PANEL-2007-
     Report_final.pdf. In that report, the panel recommended, among other things, that
     the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and agencies “need to identify and

     reasonable inferences in his favor or otherwise misapplied the standard of failure to
     state a claim upon which relief can be granted. PFR File, Tab 3 at 19-25.
                                                                                          6

      eliminate obstacles to speedy hiring of acquisition workforce personnel.”          Id.
      at 339.
¶9          Based in part on the panel’s findings and recommendations, Congress
      created the Department of Defense (DOD) Acquisition Workforce Development
      Fund in 2008 “to provide funds, in addition to other funds that may be available,
      for the recruitment, training, and retention of acquisition personnel” and “to
      ensure that the [DOD] acquisition workforce has the capacity, in both personnel
      and skills, needed to properly perform its mission, provide appropriate oversight
      of contractor performance, and ensure that [DOD] receives the best value for the
      expenditure of public resources.” National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
      Year 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-181, § 852, 122 Stat. 3 (2008) (codified at 10 U.S.C.
      § 1705(a)-(b)); see 153 Cong. Rec. S12365-67 (daily ed. Oct. 1, 2007) (statement
      of Sen. Levin).     Congress subsequently amended 10 U.S.C. § 1705 to add
      subsection (h), which created an expedited hiring authority to allow the Secretary
      of Defense to designate any category of acquisition positions within DOD as
      “shortage category positions” and to “recruit and appoint highly qualified persons
      directly to such designated positions.”         Duncan Hunter National Defense
      Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, Pub. L. No. 110-417, § 833, 122 Stat.
      4356 (2008).
¶10         The relevant version of the expedited hiring authority, found at 10 U.S.C.
      § 1705(f), 5 states that, for purposes of 5 U.S.C. § 3304 (and other statutes that are
      not implicated in this matter), the Secretary of Defense “may . . . designate any
      category of positions in the acquisition workforce as positions for which there
      exists a shortage of candidates or there is a critical hiring need” and “utilize the

      5
        Subsection (h) of 10 U.S.C. § 1705 was later redesignated as section 1705(g) in the
      National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, Pub. L. No. 112-239, § 803,
      126 Stat. 1632, 1825 (2013), and then as subsection (f) by the NDAA of 2018, as
      indicated above.
                                                                                             7

      authorities in such sections to recruit and appoint qualified persons directly to
      positions so designated.”       10 U.S.C. § 1705(f)(1)-(2).         In turn, 5 U.S.C.
      § 3304(a)(3) provides that the President may prescribe rules providing agencies
      with authority “without regard to the provisions of sections 3309 through 3318,” 6
      to appoint candidates directly to positions for which “public notice has been
      given” and OPM has determined that there exists “a severe shortage of
      candidates” or that there is “a critical hiring need.”         Therefore, if properly
      invoked, the agency’s use of the expedited hiring authority at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f)
      would allow it to recruit and appoint individuals to categories of positions in the
      acquisition workforce that the Secretary of Defense has designated as having a
      shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need without regard to the veterans’
      preference rights and benefits identified in 5 U.S.C. §§ 3309 through 3318. 7
¶11         The appellant contends on review that the agency did not give notice of its
      use of the expedited hiring authority found at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f), nor did OPM
      make any of the requisite determinations pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(3);
      therefore, he asserts that the agency could not have properly used the expedited
      hiring authority to fill the position at issue. PFR File, Tab 3 at 14-15. These
      arguments are not persuasive. The administrative judge found, and the appellant
      does not dispute, that the vacancy announcement for the Safety and Occupational
      Health Specialist position was publicly advertised and posted on USAJOBS. ID
      at 7-8; IAF, Tab 22 at 26-35.       On review, the appellant references a DCMA
      webpage, which he included below, that provides public notice for expedited

      6
        Sections 3309 through 3318 of title 5 concern examinations, registers, certifications,
      and selections of individuals in the competitive service and the additional benefits
      provided to preference eligibles competing for such positions.
      7
        In its implementation procedures for the expedited hirin g authority, the agency stated
      that it would “[m]ake employment offers to qualified candidates with veterans’
      preference whenever practicable.” IAF, Tab 7 at 21. The certificate of eligibles
      reflects that the selectee was entitled to veterans’ preference. IAF, Tab 7 at 9, Tab 19
      at 23.
                                                                                       8

      hiring authority for acquisition positions. PFR File, Tab 3 at 14-15 (citing IAF,
      Tab 22 at 13-15). The appellant contends that, because the webpage does not list
      the position at issue or the 0018 series, the agency did not intend to include the
      position at issue in its public notice. PFR File, Tab 3 at 14-15. The appellant’s
      reference to a single DCMA webpage, which appears to have been updated in
      February 2014, IAF, Tab 22 at 15, after the relevant events in this matter, does
      not warrant a different outcome in this case. Instead, we find that the agency’s
      posting the vacancy announcement for the Safety and Occupational Health
      Specialist position on USAJOBS, coupled with its announcing that it would use
      the expedited hiring authority to fill the position and designating the position as
      an acquisition position, IAF, Tab 22 at 26-35, constitutes sufficient public notice
      pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(3). We modify the initial decision accordingly.
¶12        The administrative judge also addressed the absence of a determination by
      OPM that there was a shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need. In pertinent
      part, the administrative judge noted that he was not aware of, nor did the parties
      cite, any binding precedent that addressed the interaction of 10 U.S.C. § 1705 and
      5 U.S.C. § 3304. ID at 8. The administrative judge further noted that the Board
      relies on precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court, which states that a court being
      confronted with statutes capable of coexistence has a duty to regard each as
      effective. ID at 8-9; Isabella v. Department of State, 109 M.S.P.R. 453, ¶ 12
      (2008) (citing Morton v. Mancari, 417 U.S. 535, 551 (1974)).        Applying this
      precedent, the administrative judge found that lacking an OPM determination in
      this regard was not dispositive because Congress specifically gave the Secretary
      of Defense, through 10 U.S.C. § 1705, direct authority to make determinations
      about the agency’s acquisition workforce.        ID at 9.     We supplement the
      administrative judge’s analysis because the statutory provision at 5 U.S.C.
      § 3304(a)(3) became effective several years before the expedited hiring authority
      at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f) was created.     See Dean v. Department of Agriculture,
      104 M.S.P.R. 1, ¶ 15 n.4 (2006).     Congress is presumed to be knowledgeable
                                                                                            9

      about existing laws pertinent to the legislation it enacts.        Special Counsel v.
      Mahnke, 54 M.S.P.R. 13, 17 n.5 (1992); Allen v. U.S. Postal Service, 2 M.S.P.R.
      420, 431 (1980).       Accordingly, we presume that when Congress enacted
      10 U.S.C. § 1705(f), it was aware of 5 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(3) and intended to depart
      from its general requirements. Thus, we agree with the administrative judge that
      OPM need not determine if there exists a shortage of candidates or a critical
      hiring need before the Secretary of Defense can use the expedited hiring authority
      at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f) to recruit and appoint qualified persons to fill certain
      positions in the acquisition workforce for which there exists a shortage of
      candidates or a critical hiring need.
¶13         We also have considered the appellant’s assertion that the authority to
      designate acquisition workforce positions was not properly delegated and that the
      Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position at issue was not an
      “acquisition workforce” position. PFR File, Tab 3 at 15 & n.4, 31. The record
      reflects that the Secretary of Defense delegated the authority of the statute at
      10 U.S.C. § 1705(f) to DOD Component Heads, Directors of the Defense
      Agencies, and Directors of the DOD Field Activities “with independent
      appointing authority for themselves and their serviced organizations,” and the
      authority may be further redelegated. IAF, Tab 7 at 21. Moreover, the Director
      of the DCMA Contract Safety Group (Director) declared, under penalty of
      perjury, that guidance from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in 1994 advised
      that Safety and Occupational Health Specialist positions were to be included in
      the acquisition workforce. 8 IAF, Tab 19 at 12, 19. He further declared there was
      a “critical hiring need and a shortage of qualified candidates” for the Safety and

      8
       The Director in his declaration explained that the DCMA was part of the DLA prior to
      2000. IAF, Tab 19 at 11-12, 19; see O’Connor v. United States, 308 F.3d 1233, 1236
      n.1 (Fed. Cir. 2002) (noting that the DCMA was once part of the DLA). The appellant
      has not persuaded us that there was any error in the agency’s reliance on this guidance.
                                                                                       10

      Occupational Health position at issue because it required a specific set of skills
      with a background in aviation ground safety, munitions and explosives, and
      industrial safety, and those skills were difficult to find in Utah, the geographic
      area where the agency was filling the position. Id. at 12-13.
¶14        We also agree with the administrative judge that the position at issue was
      properly designated as an “acquisition workforce” position .             The term
      “acquisition workforce” is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 1705(g) as, among other things,
      “[p]ersonnel in positions designated under section 1721 of this title as acquisition
      positions.” The statute at 10 U.S.C. § 1721(b)(3) identifies several categories of
      acquisition-related positions, including in the areas of “[p]rocurement, including
      contracting.” ID at 10-11. The Director declared that the position at issue was in
      the Contract Safety Group, the mission of which is to perform safety assessments
      and surveillance of defense contractors; that employees of the Group act as agents
      of the Administrative Contracting Officer and are responsible for ensuring that
      Government contractors comply with contractual requirements ; and that the duties
      of contract administration surveillance fall within the acquisition category of
      “Production, Quality, and [Manufacturing (PQM)].”        IAF, Tab 19 at 12.     The
      agency’s implementation procedures for the expedited hiring authority indicate
      that the PQM category was designated as a category of acquisition positions
      pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 1721.     IAF, Tab 7 at 22-23.      Moreover, the position
      description for the Safety and Occupational Health position at issue and the job
      announcement both explicitly state that the position is an acquisition position .
      IAF, Tab 7 at 10-12, Tab 19 at 17.
¶15        Because we find that the authority to designate positions in the acquisition
      workforce was properly delegated, the Safety and Occupational Health position in
      question was in the “acquisition workforce,” and the agency determined that there
      was a critical need and a shortage of candidates for the position, the agency
      properly utilized the expedited hiring authority found at 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f) to
      fill the vacancy. The agency’s properly invoking the expedited hiring authority
                                                                                           11

      means that the position in question was not subject to the veterans’ preference
      statutes that the appellant claims were violated. Thus, we find that the appellant
      did not prove by preponderant evidence that the agency violated a statute or
      regulation related to veterans’ preference. 9
¶16         The Board may decide a VEOA appeal on the merits without a hearing if
      the record on a dispositive issue has been fully developed and the appellant had a
      full and fair opportunity to dispute the agency’s evidence. Williamson v. U.S.
      Postal Service, 106 M.S.P.R. 502, ¶ 9 (2007); see Haasz v. Department of
      Veterans Affairs, 108 M.S.P.R. 349, ¶ 9 (2008) (explaining that the Board’s
      regulations allow for dismissing a VEOA claim on the merits without a hearing).
      The record in this matter has been developed sufficiently, and the appellant has
      had an opportunity to present evidence and attempt to refute the agency’s
      evidence.   E.g., IAF, Tabs 9, 12, 18-19, 22.         We discern no error with the
      administrative judge’s decision not to hold the requested hearing , and we deny
      the appellant’s request for corrective action. See, e.g., Boston, 122 M.S.P.R. 577,
      ¶¶ 8-9 (finding that title 5 veterans’ preference laws did not apply to the
      Intelligence Specialist positions to which the appellant applied because the
      agency used the hiring authority under 10 U.S.C. § 1601); see also 5 C.F.R.
      § 1208.23(b) (“A hearing may be provided to the appellant once the Board’s
      jurisdiction over the appeal is established and it has been determined that the
      appeal is timely.”) (emphasis added).

      The appellant’s other claims of error do not warrant a different outcome.
¶17         We have considered the appellant’s assertion that the administrative judge
      should not have dismissed the appeal without allowing the appellant to further

      9
        Because we have found that the appellant did not meet his burden, we need not
      address the administrative judge’s alternative finding, i.e., that the appellant did not
      establish a genuine dispute of material fact about whether the agency violated 5 U.S.C.
      §§ 3309, 3313, 3318, or the appellant’s arguments on review concerning this finding.
      ID at 11-13; e.g., PFR File, Tab 3 at 9-10, 30-33.
                                                                                      12

      develop the record. PFR File, Tab 3 at 25-27. In particular, he asserts that the
      administrative judge improperly denied his motion to compel discovery regarding
      the top four candidates that were presented to the selecting official. Id. at 26.
      The record reflects, however, that the administrative judge denied without
      prejudice the motion to compel because it did not comport with the requirements
      of 5 C.F.R. § 1201.73(c). IAF, Tab 11. Also, although the administrative judge
      specifically advised the appellant of the deadline for refiling a motion to compel,
      he did not file a subsequent motion to compel. We agree with the administrative
      judge that the appellant’s motion to compel did not comply with 5 C.F.R.
      § 1201.73(c), and thus, he properly denied without prejudice the motion.       We
      have considered, but find unavailing, the appellant’s assertion that the
      administrative judge did not sufficiently assist him or explain to him the
      shortcomings in his motion to compel.        PFR File, Tab 3 at 26.    Rather, the
      administrative judge’s reference to 5 C.F.R. § 1201.73(c) provided the appellant
      with sufficient notice of the deficiencies in his motion.
¶18         Finally, the appellant asserts that he did not have a “full and fair”
      opportunity to dispute the agency’s evidence. PFR File, Tab 3 at 26-29.         He
      argues that, if given the opportunity to rebut this evidence, he could have
      demonstrated that the position at issue was subject to veterans’ preference laws.
      Id. at 29.   We disagree.    The record reflects that the appellant was given an
      opportunity to respond to the agency’s brief, and he did so. IAF, Tab 12 at 1,
      Tab 22. Moreover, we have considered his arguments regarding, among other
      things, the agency’s withdrawing the job offer to the selectee in March 2014, the
      agency’s decision to issue a vacancy announcement in April 2014 , for a Safety
      and Occupational Health Specialist position (which the appellant alleges was
      “virtually identical” to the 2013 announcement), and the fact that the selecting
      official for the 2014 vacancy announcement indicated that the appellant requested
      that his application be withdrawn from further consideration, when he did not
      make such a request.     PFR File, Tab 3 at 13, 16-17, 28-29.     The events that
                                                                                           13

      occurred after the nonselection do not warrant a different outcome because they
      do not change our analysis of the interplay between 10 U.S.C. § 1705(f) and
      5 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(3), our findings, or our conclusion that the appellant did not
      meet his burden to prove by preponderant evidence that the agency violated a
      statute or regulation relating to veterans’ preference when it did not select him for
      the Safety and Occupational Health Specialist position in 2013 . 10

                                             ORDER
¶19         This is the final decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board in this
      appeal. Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 1201.11 3 (5 C.F.R.
      § 1201.113).

                               NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 11
            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.

      10
        To the extent that the appellant is challenging the nonselection for the position
      described in the 2014 vacancy announcement, there is no evidence that he exhausted his
      administrative remedy with DOL regarding this claim, and we do not consider it herein.
      11
        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

      Please read carefully each of the three main possibl e 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
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
                                                                                15

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
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:
                                                                                     16

                            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. 12 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).

12
   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 wit h 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

      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:

/s/
Jennifer Everling
Acting Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.