Equal Employment Opportunity Program

The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties directs the Department’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) programs, including the development of Departmental EEO policy.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Program:

• Strives to ensure that all employees and applicants for employment enjoy equality of opportunity and employment decisions free from unlawful discrimination.

• Encourages the use of proactive measures to reduce conflicts and to resolve disputes through the use of alternative dispute resolution techniques.

• Renders Final Agency Actions on EEO complaints.  An EEO complaint may be filed when there is an allegation of unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, or reprisal for prior EEO protected activity, which are protected by statute.  Similarly, a discrimination complaint may be filed on the basis of sexual orientation, parental status, or protected genetic information, which are protected by Executive Order.  See Filing an EEO Complaint.

• Examines barriers to employment and advancement in order to create an environment that is welcoming to all individuals, regardless of the bases mentioned above.

• Identifies strategies to meet the Department’s human capital needs to recruit and maintain a world-class workforce, reflective of our nation’s diversity.

• Collaborates with the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer to ensure the Department maintains an environment that fully recognizes and utilizes the skills and abilities of people with disabilities.