(a) An appellant must file a written notice of appeal in the office of the official whose decision is being appealed. The appellant must also send a copy of the notice of appeal to the official who will decide the appeal and to all known interested parties. The notice of appeal must be filed in the office of the official whose decision is being appealed within 30 days of receipt by the appellant of the notice of administrative action described in §2.7. A notice of appeal that is filed by mail is considered filed on the date that it is postmarked. The burden of proof of timely filing is on the appellant. No extension of time shall be granted for filing a notice of appeal. Notices of appeal not filed in the specified time shall not be considered, and the decision involved shall be considered final for the Department and effective in accordance with §2.6(b).

(b) When the appellant is an Indian or Indian tribe not represented by counsel, the official who issued the decision appealed shall, upon request of the appellant, render such assistance as is appropriate in the preparation of the appeal.

(c) The notice of appeal shall:

(1) Include name, address, and phone number of appellant.

(2) Be clearly labeled or titled with the words “NOTICE OF APPEAL.”

(3) Have on the face of any envelope in which the notice is mailed or delivered, in addition to the address, the clearly visible words “NOTICE OF APPEAL.”

(4) Contain a statement of the decision being appealed that is sufficient to permit identification of the decision.

(5) If possible, attach either a copy of the notice of the administrative decision received under §2.7, or when an official has failed to make a decision or take any action, attach a copy of the appellant's request for a decision or action under §2.8 with a written statement that the official failed to make a decision or take any action or to establish a date by which a decision would be made upon the request.

(6) Certify that copies of the notice of appeal have been served on interested parties, as prescribed in §2.12(a).