Which statement about the appeals process is true?

• A. Appeals may be filed without fear of retaliation.
• B. Appeals must be filed within 30 days.
• C. Appeals may be filed with fear of retaliation.
• D. Appeals require approval from the FSIS Administrator.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the appeals process protects you from retaliation when you raise concerns. FSIS policies ensure that someone who files an appeal cannot be subjected to retaliation, so the statement that appeals may be filed without fear of retaliation is the correct one. The other options either imply retaliation is allowed, impose a single fixed deadline as the defining rule, or require approval from the Administrator for every appeal, which does not reflect how the process is designed to function.