Court Opinion

ID: 9899822
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-17 19:00:26.092917+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:20:51.382027
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                        MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     ALPHONSO BROWN,                                 DOCKET NUMBER
                 Appellant,                          DC-0831-18-0238-I-1

                  v.

     OFFICE OF PERSONNEL                         DATE: November 16, 2023
       MANAGEMENT,
                   Agency.

          THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           Alphonso R. Brown , Stafford, Virginia, pro se.

           Carla Robinson , Washington, D.C., 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
     affirmed the reconsideration decision of the Office of Personnel Management
     (OPM) regarding an overpayment. 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
     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        A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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

     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 expressly
     MODIFIED to address the appellant’s Federal Erroneous Retirement Coverage
     Corrections Act (FERCCA) claim, we AFFIRM the initial decision.

                                      BACKGROUND
¶2         The appellant was a District of Columbia (DC) employee from June 6, 1976,
     to December 2, 1988, covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
     Initial Appeal File (IAF), Tab 8 at 9, 48. Effective December 4, 1988, he was
     hired as a Federal employee by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Id.
     at 9, 48, 60. The EPA originally designated the appellant as belonging in CSRS
     Offset. IAF, Tab 1 at 144. However, in May 2010, it advised the appellant that
     this designation was in error because when he was hired by the EPA he went from
     one CSRS covered position to another. Id. The EPA informed him that he was
     entitled to corrective action under FERCCA. Id. It placed the appellant in CSRS
     and corrected his retirement records. Id. at 144, 148.
¶3         The appellant retired from the EPA effective December 2011. IAF, Tab 8
     at 45. In processing the appellant’s retirement paperwork, the EPA treated both
     his DC and Federal service as CSRS-covered.        Id. at 48. In May 2012, OPM
     advised the appellant, who was then 59 years old, that his retirement annuity
     might be “subject to an offset” for Social Security benefits beginning when he
                                                                                         3

     turned 62 years of age. Id. at 21. Approximately 2 years later, OPM alerted the
     EPA to what it believed was a coverage error. Id. at 20. According to OPM, the
     EPA should have placed the appellant in CSRS Offset rather than CSRS. Id.
¶4        In September 2017, OPM advised the appellant that it was reducing his
     monthly annuity payments to offset for Social Security benefits, and also
     assessing an overpayment due to its failure to begin the offset when the appellant
     turned age 62. Id. at 12. The appellant requested reconsideration, disagreeing
     with his placement in CSRS Offset, and asserting that he had not applied for
     Social Security, which he intended to delay until age 66.      Id. at 34-36. OPM
     issued a reconsideration decision in December 2017, denying the appellant’s
     request. Id. at 7-11. In pertinent part, it found that the appellant belonged in
     CSRS Offset upon his appointment to the Federal Government because that
     employment began after 1983, and therefore he was “covered by Social Security.”
     Id. at 9-10. The appellant asserted below, and OPM does not dispute, that its
     reconsideration decision was the first notification he received that his placement
     in CSRS was in error. IAF, Tab 6 at 5.
¶5        The appellant filed the instant appeal, arguing that he does not owe an
     overpayment because his placement in CSRS Offset was incorrect. IAF, Tab 1
     at 8, Tab 6 at 4. He also requested a waiver of the overpayment. IAF, Tab 6 at 6,
     Tab 10 at 5-6. The administrative judge issued an initial decision in which he
     affirmed OPM’s determination that the appellant owed an overpayment.           IAF,
     Tab 14, Initial Decision (ID) at 3. He also concluded that although the appellant
     was not at fault for the overpayment, he was not entitled to a waiver. ID at 3-5.
¶6        The appellant has filed a petition for review. Petition for Review (PFR)
     File, Tab 1. He argues that the EPA and OPM are to blame for the creation of the
     overpayment. PFR File, Tab 1 at 4-6. He also argues that he is entitled to a
     financial hardship waiver of the overpayment. Id. at 6. OPM has not responded
     to the petition for review. The Acting Clerk of the Board issued an order to OPM
     to provide evidence and argument supporting its conclusion that the appellant
                                                                                       4

     belongs in CSRS Offset, to which OPM has responded. PFR File, Tab 3 at 3,
     Tab 5.

                         DISCUSSION OF ARGUMENTS ON REVIEW

     The administrative judge erred in failing to address the appellant’s claim that he
     belonged in Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
¶7         The administrative judge did not address the appellant’s arguments below
     that he belonged in CSRS, not CSRS Offset. IAF, Tab 1 at 8, Tab 6 at 4. We
     modify the initial decision to address this claim. Although the appellant does not
     re-raise it on review, he questions the handling of the EPA’s error in placing him
     in CSRS and the EPA and OPM’s failure to notify him of his placement in CSRS
     Offset until September 2017. PFR File, Tab 1 at 4-6.
¶8         FERCCA, Pub. L. No. 106-265, Title II, 114 Stat. 770 (2000) (codified at
     5 U.S.C. 8331 note), addresses the problems created when employees are in the
     wrong retirement plan for an extended period.         Archer v. Office of Personnel
     Management, 120 M.S.P.R. 68, ¶ 6 (2013). An employee may seek relief under
     FERCCA if he experienced a qualifying retirement coverage error.            Id.   A
     “qualifying retirement coverage error” is “an erroneous decision by an employee
     or agent of the Government as to whether Government service is CSRS covered,
     CSRS Offset covered, FERS covered, or Social Security -Only covered that
     remained in effect for at least 3 years of service after December 31, 1986.” Id.
     (quoting 5 C.F.R. § 839.102 (defining this term for purposes of the regulations
     implementing FERCCA)). An employee who has been the subject of a qualifying
     retirement coverage error under FERCCA may be entitled to various forms of
     relief, including a choice of retirement plans. Id.
¶9         An individual subject to a decision implicating FERCCA has the right to
     appeal   to   the    Board.       5 U.S.C. §§ 8347(d)(1),    8461(e)(1);   5 C.F.R.
     §§ 839.1301(a), 839.1302(a); see Wible v. Department of the Army, 120 M.S.P.R.
     333, ¶¶ 2, 7-8 (2013) (finding that the Board has jurisdiction to review whether an
                                                                                        5

      agency correctly determined that a retirement coverage error was not covered by
      FERCCA even though it appeared that the error lasted less than 3 years). OPM’s
      determination that the EPA erred in placing the appellant in CSRS is such a
      decision. IAF, Tab 8 at 9-10. Thus, the administrative judge should have made a
      determination as to whether the appellant belonged in CSRS or CSRS Offset.
      Here, the alleged error in the appellant’s retirement coverage lasted for more than
      3 years, between his Federal appointment in 1988 and his retirement in 2011.

      We agree with OPM that the appellant belongs in CSRS Offset.
¶10        The appellant’s DC service was covered by CSRS. IAF, Tab 8 at 48. While
      he was still employed by the DC Government, in June 1986, President Ronald
      Reagan signed the Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act of 1986 (FERSA)
      into law. Pub. L. No. 99-335, 100 Stat. 514 (codified, as amended, primarily at
      5 U.S.C. chapter 84). FERSA established a new retirement system, the Federal
      Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). See 5 U.S.C. § 8402(a) (explaining that
      chapter 84 of Title 5 comprises the FERS provisions).        The definition of an
      employee subject to FERS does not include “an individual first employed by the
      government of the District of Columbia before October 1, 1987,” like the
      appellant.   IAF, Tab 8 at 48; 5 U.S.C. §§ 8331(1)(G), 8401(11); see S. Rep.
      No. 99-166, at 40 (1985) (Comm.) (reflecting that the exclusion of DC employees
      from FERS was intentional).      Rather, such an individual is an employee for
      purposes of CSRS. 5 U.S.C. § 8331(1)(G).
¶11        Federal employees whose service is subject to deductions for coverage
      under both CSRS and the Social Security Old Age, and Survivors and Disability
      Insurance program (OASDI) belong in CSRS Offset.             Taxera v. Office of
      Personnel Management, 95 M.S.P.R. 97, ¶ 2 (2003); 5 C.F.R. § 839.102. Thus, if
      the appellant’s employment with the EPA was subject to OASDI, he belongs in
      CSRS Offset.
¶12        The appellant became a Federal employee with the EPA on December 4,
      1988. IAF, Tab 8 at 48. Had he begun Federal employment earlier, he may have
                                                                                      6

      been continued to be exempt from OASDI during his Federal employment with
      the EPA.       42 U.S.C. 410(a)(5) (excepting from the definition of employment
      subject to OASDI continued service by certain Federal employees previously
      covered by CSRS); 20 C.F.R. § 404.1018(a)(1) (same). However, this exception
      is only available to individuals who worked for the United States or one of its
      instrumentalities prior to December 31, 1983.      20 U.S.C. § 410(a)(5)(B)(i);
      20 C.F.R. § 404.1018(a)(1)(i). “Instrumentality” is not defined for purposes of
      the statute.
¶13         Although “instrumentality” is not defined, the statute defining employment
      for purposes of OASDI separately addresses exemptions for certain DC
      employees, including those covered by CSRS. 42 U.S.C. § 410(a)(7)(D). Thus, if
      the appellant had continued with his DC employment, he would have remained in
      CSRS without an offset. The fact that the same statute addresses DC employment
      while separately addressing employment with the United States or its
      instrumentalities indicates to us that Congress viewed those two types of
      employment to be distinct. 42 U.S.C. § 410(a)(5), (7)(D); see Brodsky v. Office
      of Personnel Management, 108 M.S.P.R. 228, ¶ 20 (2008) (inferring from the use
      of two different words in the same act that the terms are intended to have
      different meanings).     Therefore, we conclude that Congress did not view DC
      employment as equivalent to employment for the United States or its
      instrumentalities, and former DC employees entering Federal service for the first
      time after December 31, 1983, are not exempt from OASDI.            Because the
      appellant’s Federal service was not exempted from OASDI, OPM properly
      determined that he belongs in CSRS Offset. 5 U.S.C. § 410(a)(5); see Taxera,
      95 M.S.P.R. 97, ¶ 2; 5 C.F.R. § 839.102.
¶14         Both below and on review, OPM relied on its CSRS and FERS Handbook
      for Personnel and Payroll Offices (Handbook) to argue that the appellant’s
      retirement coverage for his EPA employment is CSRS Offset. IAF, Tab 8 at 23;
      PFR File, Tab 5 at 6. In particular, the Handbook states that an individual with
                                                                                             7

      5 years of CSRS creditable DC service is covered by CSRS Offset when he is first
      hired by the Federal Government. IAF, Tab 8 at 23 (Handbook, § 12A4.1-1(H)).
      Although we do not find it appropriate to defer to the Handbook, we do find that
      it lends additional support to our conclusions here.           See Roman v. Central
      Intelligence Agency, 297 F.3d 1363, 1368-69 (Fed. Cir. 2002) (finding that the
      Handbook is not entitled to the same weight as formal regulations); Hatch v.
      Office of Personnel Management, 97 M.S.P.R. 669, ¶¶ 15-16 (2004) (finding that
      an OPM letter was not entitled to the same deference as a regulations adopted
      after public notice and comment, but was entitled to deference to the extent it was
      persuasive) (citations omitted), recons. denied, 100 M.S.P.R. 204 (2005). Thus,
      we agree with OPM that the appellant belongs in CSRS Offset. In the case of an
      employee, like the appellant, who was erroneously placed under CSRS, but who
      should have been placed under CSRS Offset, the correction of such a retirement
      coverage error is mandatory. 2 FERCCA, 114 Stat. 770, 779 § 2142; Nasdahl v.
      Department of Veterans Affairs, 119 M.S.P.R. 283, ¶¶ 4, 8 (2013); see 5 C.F.R.
      § 839.701 (providing that under both CSRS Full and CSRS Offset, the employee
      may not elect their retirement coverage but rather must be placed in the correct
      plan).
¶15            OPM properly corrected the EPA’s May 2010 error by placing the appellant
      in CSRS Offset in 2014. IAF, Tab 8 at 20. Absent a retirement coverage error,
      we are unable to consider the appellant’s claims regarding the EPA and OPM’s
      delay in informing him of the error.       See 5 C.F.R. § 839.1302(a) (limiting the

      2
         The appellant alleges that OPM violated his due process rights by failing to
      communicate with him regarding the correction of his placement in CSRS Offset. PFR
      File, Tab 1 at 5; IAF, Tab 10 at 5. However, he admits that OPM refunded the amounts
      it originally collected. PFR File, Tab 1 at 5. Thus, we discern no basis to conclude that
      he was denied his due process rights of notice and an opportunity to respond before
      being required to repay the overpaid funds. See Cleveland Board of Education v.
      Loudermill, 470 U.S. 532, 542, 546-48 (1985) (“The essential requirements of due
      process . . . are notice and an opportunity to respond” prior to being deprived of a
      “constitutionally protected property interest.”).
                                                                                          8

      Board’s FERCCA jurisdiction to a decision affecting an individual’s retirement
      coverage “rights and interests”).

      The appellant is not entitled to a waiver of his overpayment.
¶16         The parties do not dispute on review the administrative judge’s finding that
      the appellant received an overpayment. ID at 3. We discern no basis to disturb
      that finding here. The administrative judge also determined that the appellant was
      not entitled to waiver of the overpayment. ID at 3-5. We agree.
¶17         An appellant bears the burden of proving he is entitled to a waiver of an
      overpayment by substantial          evidence.   Fearon v.     Office   of Personnel
      Management, 109 M.S.P.R. 606, ¶ 5 (2008); 5 C.F.R. § 831.1407(b). Waiver of
      recovery of an overpayment may be granted when the annuitant is without fault
      and recovery would be against equity and good conscience. 5 U.S.C. § 8346(b);
      Fearon, 109 M.S.P.R. 606, ¶ 5; 5 C.F.R. § 831.1401.          Generally, recovery is
      against equity and good conscience when it would cause financial hardship, the
      annuitant can show that because of the overpayment he relinquished a valuable
      right or changed positions for the worse, or recovery could be unconscionable
      under the circumstances. Fearon, 109 M.S.P.R. 606, ¶ 5; 5 C.F.R. § 831.1403.
¶18         The administrative judge found that the appellant was without fault in the
      overpayment. ID at 4. He also found that recovery of the overpayment was not
      unconscionable.   The parties do not dispute these findings, and we decline to
      disturb them. 3 ID at 4; IAF, Tab 8 at 7, 10, 15. To the extent that the appellant is
      alleging that OPM’s delay between when he first became eligible for Social
      Security old-age benefits in December 2014 and when it notified him of the
      3
        Although the administrative judge did not address whether the appellant established
      that he relied on the overpayment to his detriment, the appellant did not make such a
      claim below or on review. IAF, Tab 10 at 5-6. Therefore, we find no need to address
      this potential basis for waiver. To the extent that the appellant alleges that his
      retirement was the result of misinformation by his employing agency, he may file a
      separate appeal regarding an alleged involuntary retirement. IAF, Tab 1 at 8; see
      Morrison v. Department of the Navy, 122 M.S.P.R. 205, ¶ 7 (2015) (explaining that
      retirement is involuntary if it is obtained by agency misinformation or deception). We
      make no findings here as to the merits or timeliness of such an appeal.
                                                                                             9

      overpayment in September 2017 was unconscionable, we disagree.                PFR File,
      Tab 1 at 6; see Spinella v. Office of Personnel Management , 109 M.S.P.R. 185,
      ¶¶ 2, 8-10 (2008) (declining to find a 79-month delay in OPM’s discovery of its
      error, which caused an overpayment, was unconscionable, even though OPM
      failed to conduct a timely audit that would have uncovered its error sooner).
¶19         As to financial hardship, the administrative judge concluded that the
      appellant failed to provide OPM with information regarding his income, assets, or
      liabilities, and therefore was not entitled to a waiver on this basis. ID at 5. On
      review, the appellant argues that financial hardship can be “assume[d]” from the
      reduction of his “fixed pension serving as the sole source income.” PFR File,
      Tab 1 at 6.   We are not persuaded.       OPM advised the appellant below of his
      ability to seek a financial hardship waiver and instructed him to submit a
      Financial Resources Questionnaire (FRQ) if he did so. IAF, Tab 8 at 16, 36. In
      seeking reconsideration of OPM’s overpayment decision, the appellant did not
      indicate he was requesting a waiver, and there is no evidence he submitted an
      FRQ or other financial statement.         Id. at 34-36.   The file is devoid of any
      information from which we can conclude that the appellant “needs substantially
      all of . . . his current income and liquid assets to meet current ordinary and
      necessary living expenses and liabilities,” as necessary to establish financial
      hardship. 5 C.F.R. § 831.1404. Thus, we agree with the administrative judge that
      the appellant is not entitled to a financial hardship waiver. 4
¶20         Accordingly, we affirm the initial decision as modified above.

      4
        OPM has advised the Board that it may seek recovery of any debt remaining upon an
      appellant’s death from the appellant’s estate or other responsible party. A party
      responsible for any debt remaining upon the appellant’s death may include an heir
      (spouse, child or other) who is deriving a benefit from the appellant’s Federal benefits,
      an heir or other person acting as the representative of the estate if, for example, the
      representative fails to pay the United States before paying the claims of other creditors
      in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 3713(b), or transferees or distributers of the appellant’s
      estate. Pierotti v. Office of Personnel Management, 124 M.S.P.R. 103, ¶ 13 (2016).
                                                                                        10

                           NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 5
      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).
      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:

5
  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.
                                                                                   11

                             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. 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
                                                                                12

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
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
                                                                                     13

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. 6   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
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.

6
   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.
                                                                       14

      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.