Procedure for appeals of discrimination or reprisal to human resource management services

1. A probationary or regular employee shall file the properly completed prescribed appeal form with the director, human resource management services. The appeal form must be delivered, mailed, or transmitted by electronic means and must be received in the human resource management services office by five p.m. within fifteen working days of service of the notice of results of the agency grievance procedure or within fifteen working days from the date of the waiver. An additional fifteen working days is not available if the requested waiver is denied. The date of service of the notice shall be considered to be the date the notice was mailed or the date transmitted by electronic means, or absent proof of the date of mailing or delivery through electronic means, the date of actual delivery. The agency shall prepare a certificate of service, or provide reliable means, to show proof of the date of mailing, transmittal by electronic means, or hand delivery. 2. An applicant shall file the appeal form by delivery, mail, or transmittal by electronic means, and the form must be received in the human resource management services office by five p.m. within fifteen working days of the service of notice of the agency appointing authority's response to the alleged discriminatory or reprisal action. The date of service of the notice shall be considered to be the date the notice was mailed or the date transmitted by electronic means, or absent proof of the date of mailing or delivery through electronic means, the date of actual delivery. The agency shall prepare a certificate of service, or provide reliable means, to show proof of the date of mailing, transmittal by electronic means, or hand delivery. 3. An employee in a nonclassified position may appeal claims of reprisal by filing the properly completed prescribed appeal form with the director, human resource management services. The appeal form must be delivered, mailed, or transmitted by electronic means and must be received in the human resource management services office by five p.m. within fifteen working days of service of the notice of results of the agency grievance procedure, or within fifteen working days of the date of the reprisal action if an agency does not have an established grievance process. When an employee is using an agency internal grievance procedure, the date of service of the notice shall be considered to be the date the notice was mailed or the date transmitted by electronic means, or absent proof of the date of mailing or delivery through electronic means, the date of actual delivery. The agency shall prepare a certificate of service, or provide reliable means, to show proof of the date of mailing, transmittal by electronic means, or hand delivery. 4. The director, human resource management services, shall within two working days submit a written request to the director, office of administrative hearings, to conduct a hearing on behalf of human resource management services and shall forward a copy of the appeal form to the affected appointing authority. 5. The administrative law judge shall initially consider whether the appeal was filed within required time limitations. If the administrative law judge determines the time limitations have not been met, the administrative law judge shall prepare an appropriate order dismissing the appeal, which shall be final, and provide a copy of it to the parties. The administrative law judge may, for good cause shown, waive the time limitations for filing an appeal. Good cause means those circumstances that reasonably and without any fault on the part of the appellant prevented the filing of an appeal in a timely fashion. In no event may an appeal be deemed timely after sixty days have elapsed from the date of the employer action. 6. The administrative law judge shall consider whether human resource management services has jurisdiction over the subject matter of the appeal and whether all rules and regulations were followed in the internal agency grievance process. If the administrative law judge is unable to establish whether human resource management services has jurisdiction over the subject matter of the appeal or whether the appropriate rules were followed, a hearing may be conducted to ascertain the facts related to those issues. 7. If the administrative law judge determines that human resource management services does not have jurisdiction in the matter of the appeal, the administrative law judge shall prepare findings of fact and conclusions of law, if appropriate; issue a final decision dismissing the appeal; and provide a copy of them to the parties. 8. If it is determined that human resource management services has jurisdiction over the appeal, the administrative law judge shall schedule a hearing. The administrative law judge shall conduct the hearing and related proceedings, receive evidence related to the issues, prepare findings of fact and conclusions of law, and issue a final decision. 9. The administrative law judge shall notify the employee or the applicant and the affected appointing authority of the final decision by sending each of them the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and final decision. Notification shall be accomplished in the same manner as for notification of final orders required by subsection 3 of North Dakota Century Code section 28-32-39. The parties shall implement the final decision within any time periods specified by the administrative law judge. 10. The administrative law judge shall return the completed appeal file to human resource management services. 11. Any party to the appeal may review the recordings of the hearing by making a request to human resource management services.