How Does a Federal Employee File an EEO Complaint?
A Federal employee who believes that he has been discriminated against (or faced retaliation for participating in the EEO process or for opposing discriminatory practices) on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability status or age must contact an Equal Employment Opportunity counselor for the purposes of precomplaint counseling before the formal EEO process can begin. The three reasons given for the so-called informal counseling period are as follows:
- To give the agency notice of the employee's claim
- To assist the employee in defining the complaint against the agency
- To resolve the complaint informally (if possible)
The aggrieved employee must contact an EEO counselor within 45 days of the discriminatory or retaliatory action to comply with 29 CFR Section 1614.105(a)(1).
