Court Opinion

ID: 9384809
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-04-05 06:00:17.713811+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:56.604869
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                        MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     GUY K. BOYD,                                    DOCKET NUMBER
                         Appellant,                  NY-3330-14-0345-I-1

                  v.

     DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS                          DATE: April 3, 2023
       AFFAIRS,
                 Agency.

             THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           Nathaniel Watty, Saint Albans, New York, for the appellant.

           Kathleen J. Tulloch, Esquire, Brooklyn, New York, for the agency.

                                           BEFORE

                               Cathy A. Harris, Vice Chairman
                                Raymond A. Limon, Member
                                Tristan L. Leavitt, Member 2

                                       FINAL ORDER

¶1         The appellant has filed a petition for review and the agency has filed a cross
     petition for review of the initial decision, which granted the appellant’s request

     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        A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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
       Member Leavitt’s name is included in decisions on which the three -member Board
     completed the voting process prior to his March 1, 2023 departure.
                                                                                     2

     for corrective action under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998
     (VEOA) and dismissed his request for corrective action under the Uniformed
     Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (codified as
     amended at 38 U.S.C. §§ 4301-4335) (USERRA).            For the reasons discussed
     below, we DENY the appellant’s petition for review, GRANT the agency’s cross
     petition for review, and REVERSE the initial decision regarding the appellant’s
     VEOA claim. His request for corrective action under VEOA is DENIED, and his
     request for corrective action under USERRA is DISMISSED.

                                      BACKGROUND
¶2         The agency advertised to fill a GS-7 Detective position. Initial Appeal File
     (IAF), Tab 7, Subtab 4k.        The vacancy announcement , filled under merit
     promotion procedures, was open to both internal and external candidates.       Id.
     The appellant, an outside candidate who was an agency employee but not an
     employee of the hiring healthcare system, was found qualified and placed on the
     certificate of eligibles.   He was not interviewed, and the agency selected an
     internal candidate for the position.   IAF, Tab 7, Subtabs 4b, 4c, 4d, 4f.     On
     appeal, the appellant challenged his nonselection and requested a hearing. IAF,
     Tab 1 at 2. In an initial decision based on the written record, the administrative
     judge found that the appellant failed to make a nonfrivolous allegation that his
     uniformed service was a substantial or motivating factor in his nonselection and
     dismissed the USERRA part of the appeal. IAF, Tab 16, Initial Decision (ID) at
     13. However, regarding the VEOA claim, the administrative judge found that the
     agency denied the appellant the right to compete under 5 U.S.C. § 3304(f)(1) and
     ordered the agency to reconstruct the selection pro cess. ID at 7-10.
¶3         The appellant has filed a petition for review, and the agency has filed a
     cross petition for review. Petition for Review (PFR) File, Tabs 1-2.
                                                                                        3

                                        ANALYSIS
     Because the appellant was a current Federal employee, he is not entitled to
     corrective action for his claim that he was denied an opportunity to compete
     under 5 U.S.C. § 3304(f)(1).
¶4        Section 3304(f)(1) of Title 5 of the U.S. Code expressly provides preference
     eligibles with a right to compete for vacant positions when the agency issuing the
     vacancy announcement indicates that it will accept applications from individuals
     outside its own workforce. Harellson v. U.S. Postal Service, 113 M.S.P.R. 534,
     ¶ 8 (2010). In its cross petition, the agency argues that it met its obligations by
     placing the appellant’s name on the certificate of eligibles, along with other
     well-qualified candidates, and that it was not legally required to consider him at
     every stage of the selection process, PFR File, Tab 2 at 6, including the interview
     stage, id. at 9. However, in Oram v. Department of the Navy, 2022 MSPB 30,
     ¶ 17, the Board found that, as a matter of law, current Federal employees are not
     entitled to corrective action based on a claim of denial of an opportunity to
     compete under 5 U.S.C. § 3304(f). In reaching that result, the Board relied on the
     decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) in
     Kerner v. Department of the Interior, 778 F.3d 1336, 1338-39 (Fed. Cir. 2015).
     There, the court found that, because the appellant was already employed in the
     Federal civil service, 5 U.S.C. § 3304(f)(1) was inapplicable in his case. After
     reviewing the text and legislative history of VEOA and its precursor, the
     Veterans’ Preference Act, the Federal Circuit concluded that nothing in the
     statutory language, the legislative history, or case law supports a presumption that
     section 3304(f)’s “opportunity to compete” provisions apply in instances in which
     an applicant already was employed in the Federal civil service, but rather that the
     intent of those provisions was to assist veterans in obtaining an initial
     appointment to the Federal service—not subsequent promotions or other
     intra-agency movement. Kerner, 778 F.3d at 1338. The court continued that,
     because veterans currently employed in a competitive -service position are already
                                                                                           4

     “eligible to apply” to merit promotion vacancies, such applicants could not have
     been the intended beneficiaries of section 3304(f). Id.
¶5         Here, it is undisputed that the appellant was a Federal employee at the time
     the agency did not select him for the Detective position.                IAF, Tab 7,
     Subtabs 4f-1, 4h-1; Tab 1 at 1, 3. Therefore, he could not prevail as a matter of
     law on his argument that he was denied the opportunity to compete under
     5 U.S.C. § 3304(f).      Oram, 2022 MSPB 30, ¶ 17.             For that reason, the
     administrative judge’s finding in the appellant’s favor was in error, 3 and the
     initial decision on the VEOA claim must be reversed and the appellant’s request
     for corrective action denied. 4

     The appellant has not shown error in the administrative judge’s dismissal of his
     USERRA appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
¶6         On review, the appellant makes a bare allegation that the administrative
     judge erred in finding that he did not prove his USERRA claim. PFR File, Tab 1
     at 3-4. A petition for review must contain sufficient specificity to enable the
     Board to ascertain whether there is a serious evidentiary challenge justifying a
     complete review of the record.          Tines v. Department of the Air Force,
     56 M.S.P.R. 90, 92 (1992).        Because the appellant has not explained why he

     3
       A number of cases the administrative judge relied upon to support his position,
     including Shapley v. Department of Homeland Security, 110 M.S.P.R. 31 (2008),
     Styslinger v. Department of the Army, 105 M.S.P.R. 223 (2007), Jolley v. Department of
     Homeland Security, 105 M.S.P.R. 104 (2007), and Gingery v. Department of Veterans
     Affairs, 114 M.S.P.R. 175 (2010), ID at 6-7, were specifically overruled by the Board in
     Oram, 2022 MSPB 30, ¶ 18, to the extent they are inconsistent with the Federal
     Circuit’s holding in Kerner.
     4
       As noted, the administrative judge did not convene the appellant’s requested hearing.
     The Board may decide the merits of an appeal alleging a violation of rights under
     VEOA without holding a hearing where there is no genuine dispute of material fact and
     one party must prevail as a matter of law. Montgomery v. Department of Health
     and Human Services, 123 M.S.P.R. 216, ¶ 13 (2016); Waters-Lindo v. Department of
     Defense, 112 M.S.P.R. 1, ¶ 5 (2009); 5 C.F.R. § 1208.23(b). Given our findings
     regarding the proper disposition of this appeal, the appellant’s rights were not
     prejudiced by the administrative judge’s failure to convene a hearing regarding the
     appellant’s VEOA claim.
                                                                                      5

believes the administrative judge erred and because there is no error apparent on
the face of the initial decision, we find that the appellant’s bare allegation does
not provide a basis for review. 5

                         NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 6
      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.

5
  The appellant contends on review that the administrative judge took 2 years to issue
his initial decision. However, the appellant has not shown how this error adversely
affected his substantive rights. Karapinka v. Department of Energy, 6 M.S.P.R. 124,
127 (1981).
6
  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.
                                                                                          6

      (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
were affected by an action that is appealable to the Board and that su ch 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
                                                                                  7

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:
                         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:
                                                                                      8

                            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. 7   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

7
   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.
                                                                                9

      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 particul ar
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/ for
                                          Jennifer Everling
                                          Acting Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.