§ 731.503 Form and content of suitability action appeals and agency response.
(a) Appeal. An appeal must be in writing and shall state the basis of the appellant's appeal; the name, address, and email address or phone number of the appellant and appellant's representative, if any; and any documentation supporting the appellant's appeal.
(b) Agency response. (1) Upon receipt of the appeal, OPM will notify the agency responsible for the suitability action (responsible agency) of the appeal. Unless the OPM adjudicator processing the appeal provides otherwise, the responsible agency must file its response to an appeal within 30 calendar days of notification of the appeal; include all documents contained in the agency record of the action; include a designation of and signature by the authorized agency representative; and include any other documents or responses requested by OPM.
(2) For purposes of this subpart, responsible agency means the employing agency or, when OPM took, directed, or made the suitability action under review, the OPM office or component responsible for that action. When OPM is the responsible agency, the adjudicative function must be separated from any OPM office or official that participated personally and substantially in the suitability determination or action.
(3) When OPM is the responsible agency and is not the appellant's employing agency, OPM will also notify the employing agency of the appeal. The employing agency must furnish to OPM, within the time OPM specifies, any documents or information in its possession that are within the scope of the record of the action or that OPM otherwise requests, and must otherwise participate in the response to the appeal to the extent OPM directs.
(c) Record of the action. The responsible agency must file a complete, indexed, paginated, and certified record of the action with OPM. The record of the action includes all documents considered, relied upon, generated, received, issued, or served in investigating, proposing, deciding, directing, or effectuating the unfavorable suitability determination and consequent suitability action, regardless of whether such documents are maintained by the employing agency, OPM, an OPM investigative or adjudicative component, or another authorized investigative or personnel-vetting entity. When the responsible agency is not the employing agency, the employing agency must furnish to the responsible agency or to OPM, within the time OPM specifies, any documents within the scope of the record of the action that are in the employing agency's possession; OPM will identify for the employing agency the records the employing agency must furnish and the records OPM will provide. The record must include, as applicable:
(1) Documents establishing the appellant's status, position, appointment or application, and the legal authority under which the action was taken or directed;
(2) All investigative, vetting, personnel, application, and adjudicative materials considered or relied upon by the office or component that took or directed the action;
(3) The charge-by-charge analysis, suitability-factor analysis, consideration of mitigating, rehabilitative, contradictory, or exculpatory evidence, and rationale for the action selected;
(4) The written final decision, proof of service, effective-date documentation, appeal-rights notice, and documents implementing the action;
(5) Any direction from OPM to an employing agency to effectuate the action and any employing-agency implementation documents; and
(6) A certification that the submitted record is complete.
The responsible agency must serve the appellant with the agency record. The responsible agency must identify any withheld, redacted, or protectively handled document in an index or privilege log, unless identifying the document itself is prohibited by law. OPM may require a summary, substitute disclosure, protective order, in camera submission, or other procedure sufficient to provide the appellant a meaningful opportunity to respond, consistent with applicable law. No nondisclosed material may be relied upon to affirm the suitability action unless the appellant has received notice of the substance of the material and a meaningful opportunity to respond, except as otherwise authorized by law.
(d) Reply. Unless the OPM adjudicator provides otherwise, the appellant may file a reply to an agency response to an initial appeal utilizing the electronic filing system within 15 calendar days of the agency response. The reply may not raise new allegations of error unless the basis rests on information first disclosed in the agency response or unless OPM grants leave for good cause.
(e) Inspection of OPM's appellate record. The parties may inspect OPM's appellate record on request, subject to the Privacy Act, applicable legal privileges, classified information or national security requirements, protective orders issued by OPM, and any other applicable limitation on disclosure required by law.
(f) Service of documents. The parties will serve on each other copies of any and all information submitted to OPM with respect to an appeal, subject to the Privacy Act, applicable privileges, classified information or national security requirements, protective orders issued by OPM, and any other applicable limitation on disclosure required by law. Such information must be served on all other parties at the same time the information is submitted to OPM and must be accompanied by a certificate of service stating how and when service was made.
(g) Untimely filings. Untimely filings may be accepted upon a party's showing of good cause at the sole and exclusive discretion of OPM.
[91 FR 49065, Aug. 3, 2026; 91 FR 54798, Aug. 25, 2026]