How to File an MSPB e-Appeal Online for Disability Retirement

The Merit Systems Protection Board's e-Appeal Online system is the primary filing portal for disability retirement appeals — and the method that gives you the cleanest proof of a timely submission. After OPM upholds its denial on reconsideration, you have 30 calendar days to file your appeal, and e-Appeal at e-appeal.mspb.gov eliminates the risk that postal delays push you past the deadline.

Creating Your e-Appeal Account

Visit e-appeal.mspb.gov and register for an account using a personal email address — not your agency email, which you may lose access to after separation. The registration process takes a few minutes and requires basic identifying information. Once registered, you can file appeals, upload documents, receive orders from your assigned Administrative Judge, and track your case status through the portal.

Filing the Initial Appeal

The e-Appeal system walks you through the filing with a structured form. You'll need to provide:

• Your personal information — name, current mailing address, phone number, and email
• Agency information — the federal agency where you worked (or last worked if separated)
• Type of appeal — follow the portal prompts for an appeal of an OPM decision
• OPM's final reconsideration decision — upload the denial letter as a PDF attachment
• Your statement of appeal — a brief explanation of why OPM's decision should be reversed

The system automatically routes your appeal to the MSPB Regional or Field Office with jurisdiction over your last duty station or current residence. Electronic filings are time-stamped at the moment of submission, so there's no ambiguity about whether you filed within the 30-day window under 5 C.F.R. § 1201.22(b).

What to Include in Your Initial Filing

Your initial appeal doesn't need to be a fully developed legal brief. The critical thing is getting the appeal filed on time. At minimum, include:

1. A clear statement that you're appealing OPM's final reconsideration denial of your FERS disability retirement
2. OPM's denial letter (both the initial denial and the reconsideration denial)
3. A brief summary of your medical condition and how it prevents performance of your position's essential functions
4. Your preference for hearing format — telephone, video conference, or in-person

You can supplement your filing with additional medical evidence, legal arguments, and witness lists after the Administrative Judge issues the Acknowledgment Order and sets case deadlines. Don't let the desire to file a perfect brief cause you to miss the deadline.

After Filing: The Acknowledgment Order

After your filing, the assigned AJ issues an Acknowledgment Order through e-Appeal. This order confirms your case is docketed, provides your case number (you'll reference this on everything going forward), and orders OPM to submit the complete administrative record — the Rule 4(b) file containing the documents OPM reviewed in making its decision.

The Acknowledgment Order also sets initial deadlines for both parties and may schedule a prehearing conference. All subsequent filings, motions, and correspondence go through the e-Appeal portal unless the AJ directs otherwise.

Paper Filing Alternatives

If you can't use e-Appeal — the system has had occasional outages, including during the October–November 2025 government shutdown — you can file by postal mail, commercial delivery, or fax to the appropriate MSPB regional office. Paper filings sent by mail are date-stamped by the postmark date. Keep copies of everything and use a tracked delivery method so you can prove when the filing was received.

Common Filing Mistakes

The most frequent errors in MSPB disability appeal filings: filing at the wrong regional office (the system handles routing automatically if you use e-Appeal), failing to attach OPM's final decision letter, and missing the 30-day deadline because the applicant confused calendar days with business days. Every day counts — weekends and holidays are included in the 30-day calculation, with the exception that a deadline falling on a non-business day extends to the next business day.

The FERS Disability Denial Appeal Guide includes a pre-filing checklist for the MSPB e-Appeal portal and walks through each stage from initial filing through the hearing — so you're not figuring out the process from scratch under deadline pressure.

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