WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 28, 2022) – Since the restoration of its quorum on March 4, 2022, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has recommitted itself to issuing high-quality decisions on petitions for review (PFRs) as efficiently as possible. As part of this effort, on October 3, 2022, MSPB will launch a pilot program targeting particular categories of PFRs for rapid mediation. The program will be called the PFR Rapid Assessment Mediation Program (PFR RAMP) and will be offered in cases in which changed case law or other factors suggest a likely path for mediated resolution. PFR RAMP will be staffed by two full-time mediators, including an experienced mediator on detail to MSPB from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). MSPB’s long-standing PFR settlement program will continue to operate alongside the pilot program and will focus on cases in which a more prolonged settlement approach is favored.
Like MSPB’s other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs, PFR RAMP will be voluntary, confidential, and free to the parties. The program will be invitation-only, based on a determination by the assigned mediators that cases have rapid settlement potential under the factors listed above. Parties seeking ADR of their PFRs may contact the standard PFR settlement program at 1-800-209-8960. If, after such contact, MSPB’s mediators determine that a case has potential for rapid mediation, the parties may be contacted by PFR RAMP.