6101.6 Pleadings; amending pleadings [Rule 6].

(a) Complaint. Within 30 days after receiving the notice of docketing, the appellant shall file a complaint with a simple, concise, and direct statement of the factual basis for each claim and the amount in controversy. Alternatively, the appellant or the Board may designate as a complaint the notice of appeal, a claim submission, or any other document containing the information required in a complaint. The Board may in its discretion order a respondent asserting a claim to file a complaint.

(b) Answer. Within 30 days after receiving the complaint or a designation of a complaint, the respondent (or the appellant, if so ordered) shall file an answer stating in simple, concise, and direct terms its responses to the allegations of the complaint and any affirmative defenses it chooses to assert.

(c) Amendments. A party may amend a pleading once, before a responsive pleading is filed, with permission of the other party. Amending a pleading restarts the time to respond, if any. The Board may allow a party to amend a pleading in other circumstances.

(d) Motion in lieu of answer. The Board may allow a party to file a dispositive motion or to move for a more definite statement in lieu of filing an answer.

[83 FR 41010, Aug. 17, 2018, as amended at 91 FR 3791, Jan. 28, 2026]