In response to feedback received from participants and to better support the changes in the Board's filing requirements, we have implemented several enhancements to leverage existing party data in EFS and streamline the request for access to appeals. Specifically, appealers now have the ability to search for parties within the EFS user database. To facilitate this process, the Board highly recommends utilizing this search feature to locate and automatically add the needed party information on your appeal, which eliminates the need for manual data entry.

However, if a party does not have an existing account in EFS at the time of filing, the appealer will still need to enter all relevant information about the party. However, electronic access will not be granted until the party registers in EFS and requests access. It's worth noting that existing EFS users will be identified as electronic parties when the appeal is sent to the Boards for docketing and processing. Be sure the review the party list prior to submission.

To complement these new system changes, we have also updated our initial filing email notifications to provide greater clarity and transparency throughout the process.

Additionally, it's worth noting that existing EFS users are flagged as electronic parties when the appeal is submitted to the Boards for docketing and processing. Once the initial appeal submission is approved and docketed/processed by Board staff, electronic parties with EFS accounts are automatically granted access to the appeal. This allows them to file motions and briefs related to the appeal and receive eService immediately upon docketing with the Boards' appeal number.

For more detailed instructions and information, please refer to the user guide, which can be accessed through this link.