Carlos Julemiste v. Department of Veterans Affairs ( 2024 )

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD
CARLOS JULEMISTE, DOCKET NUMBER
Appellant, AT-1221-20-0032-W-1
v.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS DATE: July 5, 2024
AFFAIRS,
Agency.
THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1
Carlos Julemiste , Miami, Florida, for the appellant.
Joved Gonzalez-Rivera , Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, for the agency.
BEFORE
Cathy A. Harris, Chairman
Raymond A. Limon, Vice Chairman
Henry J. Kerner, Member*
*Member Kerner did not participate in the adjudication of this appeal.
FINAL ORDER
The appellant has filed a petition for review of the initial decision, which
dismissed his individual right of action (IRA) appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
Generally, we grant petitions such as this one only in the following
circumstances: the initial decision contains erroneous findings of material fact;
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A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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
the initial decision is based on an erroneous interpretation of statute or regulation
or the erroneous application of the law to the facts of the case; the administrative
judge’s rulings during either the course of the appeal or the initial decision
were not consistent with required procedures or involved an abuse of discretion,
and the resulting error affected the outcome of the case; or new and material
evidence or legal argument is available that, despite the petitioner’s due
diligence, was not available when the record closed. Title 5 of the Code of
Federal Regulations, section 1201.115 (5 C.F.R. § 1201.115). After fully
considering the filings in this appeal, we conclude that the petitioner has not
established any basis under section 1201.115 for granting the petition for review.
Therefore, we DENY the petition for review. Except as expressly MODIFIED to
clarify the jurisdictional analysis, we AFFIRM the initial decision.
On review, the appellant states that there was a misunderstanding about the
purpose of his complaint, which concerns an alleged prohibited personnel practice
under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(2). Petition for Review File, Tab 1 at 3-4. It appears
that the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) may have misconstrued his complaint as
a claim of whistleblowing reprisal, and that his claim is rather that the selecting
official for a Staff Assistant position violated § 2302(b)(2) and/or (b)(4) when she
contacted his supervisor without his consent. Initial Appeal File (IAF), Tab 6
at 7-10, Tab 7 at 3, Tab 9 at 5. If that is in fact the sole basis of this appeal,
we must dismiss it, as the Board lacks jurisdiction to consider alleged violations
of 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(2) or (b)(4) in the absence of an otherwise appealable
action. See Wren v. Department of the Army, 2 M.S.P.R. 1, 2 (1980), aff’d,
681 F.2d 867, 871-73 (D.C. Cir. 1982) (stating that the prohibited personnel
practices under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b) are not an independent source of Board
jurisdiction). Moreover, there is no law, rule, or regulation that would grant the
Board authority to review a possible error by OSC in interpreting the appellant’s
complaint. Maddox v. Merit Systems Protection Board, 759 F.2d 9, 10 (Fed. Cir.
3
1985) (stating that the Board’s authority is limited to those matters over which it
has been given jurisdiction by law, rule, or regulation).
If the appellant’s claim is one of reprisal for whistleblowing, we find that
the appellant did not meet his burden of establishing jurisdiction over his IRA
appeal. To establish jurisdiction over an IRA appeal, an appellant must exhaust
his administrative remedies with OSC and make nonfrivolous allegations 2 that
(1) he made a disclosure described under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) or engaged in
protected activity under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D); and (2) the
disclosure or activity was a contributing factor in the agency’s decision to take or
fail to take a personnel action as defined at 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(a). Salerno v.
Department of the Interior, 123 M.S.P.R. 230, ¶ 5 (2016).
Here, the closeout letter and notice of appeal rights issued by OSC indicate
that the appellant—intentionally or not—exhausted his remedies with OSC with
respect to two disclosures: (1) disclosing to a union official that his supervisor
had first directed him not to initiate a payment ratification, and then directed him
to initiate it outside the authorized time frame; and (2) disclosing to the agency’s
Office of General Counsel that his supervisor was distributing gift cards and
asking him to make purchases in violation of agency policy. 3 IAF, Tab 1 at 7, 10.
The OSC correspondence also identifies two alleged retaliatory actions: (1) the
appellant’s nonselection for a Staff Assistant position, and (2) the creation of a
hostile work environment. 4 Id.2
A nonfrivolous allegation is an assertion that, if proven, could establish the matter at
issue. 5 C.F.R. § 1201.4(s). An allegation generally will be considered nonfrivolous
when, under oath or penalty of perjury, an individual makes an allegation that (1) is
more than conclusory, (2) is plausible on its face, and (3) is material to the legal issues
in the appeal. Id.3
While the appellant did allege that he engaged in these communications, it is
doubtful that he intended to characterize them as protected disclosures under 5 U.S.C.
§ 2302(b)(8).
4
Under the circumstances of this case, we need not decide whether appellant
nonfrivolously alleged that the disclosures were protected under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8),
or whether the alleged hostile work environment constituted a “personnel action” as
4
Under the statute governing IRA appeals, an employee may demonstrate
that a disclosure or protected activity was a contributing factor in the contested
personnel action through circumstantial evidence, such as evidence that the
official taking the personnel action knew of the disclosure or protected activity
and that the personnel action occurred within a period of time such that a
reasonable person could conclude that the disclosure or protected activity was a
contributing factor in the personnel action. 5 U.S.C. § 1221(e)(1);
Salerno, 123 M.S.P.R. 230, ¶ 13. The knowledge-timing test is only one way
of establishing contributing factor, and if an appellant fails to satisfy the
knowledge-timing test, other evidence must be considered, such as that pertaining
to the strength or weakness of the agency’s reasons for taking the personnel
action, whether the whistleblowing was personally directed at the responsible
agency officials, and whether those individuals had a desire or motive to retaliate
against the appellant. Dorney v. Department of the Army, 117 M.S.P.R. 480,
¶¶ 14-15 (2012).
Here, the administrative judge found that the appellant did not make a
nonfrivolous allegation that his disclosures were a contributing factor in his
nonselection, because there was no evidence that the selecting official knew of
the appellant’s disclosures. IAF, Tab 13, Initial Decision at 4-5. However, lack
of knowledge is not dispositive of the contributing factor issue. Thus, it was
error for the administrative judge to rely solely on the selecting official’s lack of
knowledge.
Nonetheless, the appellant has not at any point alleged—nonfrivolously or
otherwise—that the disclosures identified by OSC were a contributing factor in
his nonselection or his alleged hostile work environment. Accordingly, we affirm
the administrative judge’s conclusion that the appellant did not establish
jurisdiction. Because we lack jurisdiction over his case, we do not reach the
appellant’s remaining arguments.
defined at 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a)(2)(A).
5
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.
6
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
7
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
8
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.
9
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: ______________________________
Gina K. Grippando
Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.