Information on the Administrative Processing of Discrimination Complaints

Background

It is the policy of the federal government to provide equal employment opportunity for all persons and to prohibit discrimination in employment. Any employee or applicant for employment who believes that they have been discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, parental status, protected genetic information and/or reprisal in an employment matter may file a complaint of discrimination.

What is the Legal Foundation for Filing an EEO Complaint?

Several statutes have been enacted to enforce the obligation of equal employment opportunity and protect the rights of employees and applicants:

• Title VII of the of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended) prohibits individual and class discrimination in the federal government on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act specifically prohibits discrimination in the federal government on the basis of age when the complainant is 40 years of age or older
• The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and
• The Equal Pay Act prohibits sex-based wage discrimination.

Retaliation prohibited by the above statutes is also prohibited.
Pursuant to 29 CFR § 1614, this organization has adopted procedures for processing individual and class complaints of discrimination.