Merit Systems Protection Board February 26, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is adopting as a final rule the interim rule governing electronic filing (e-filing) that it promulgated in 2003, as amended the following year, and as further amended by the present notice. When first promulgated in 2003, the online application was restricted to the filing of new appeals; subsequent documents could only be delivered via electronic mail (e- mail). A year later, we modified the rule to reflect that e-Appeal Online could be used to file almost any type of pleading. As further modified in the present Notice, the rule recognizes the MSPB's online Repository of case-related documents that enables parties and their representatives to access the pleadings and MSPB issuances related to the particular employment controversies in which they are involved. The modified rule also contains a requirement that e-filers who include three (3) or more attachments with a pleading describe each attachment. Finally, although not a part of this final rule, the MSPB is giving serious consideration to making e-filing mandatory for agencies and attorneys who represent appellants in MSPB proceedings. Although any such rule could only be issued following a new Federal Register notice, we welcome comments on this issue at the present time.