The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Permanent Workforce: 136,200 Temporary Workforce: 26,743 Total Workforce: 162,944

Workforce Composition

Employee Pool Total # Men Women Hispanics Whites Blacks Asian Americans / Pacific Islanders American Indians / Alaskan Natives
Permanent Workforce 136,200 66.21% 33.79% 16.6% 63.68% 14.5% 4.42% 0.78%
Major Occupations                
Gen. Inspect., Invest. & Compliance 15,692 75.45% 24.55% 16.34% 67.78% 10.22% 4.86% 0.8%
Criminal Investigating 9,665 86.5% 13.5% 14.24% 76.04% 6.21% 2.86% 0.66%
Border Patrol Agent 10,731 94.3% 5.7% 50.42% 46.74% 1.32% 1.03% 0.48%
GS-14 and GS-15* 8,125 69.76% 30.24% 7.74% 80.49% 8.59% 2.55% 0.63%
Senior Pay Level* 477 79.04% 20.96% 5.03% 86.58% 5.66% 2.3% 0.41%
First-Level Officials/Managers 4,688 71.57% 28.43% 28.65% 57.83% 9.36% 3.46% 0.7%
Mid-Level Officials/Managers 5,493 73.37% 26.63% 13.93% 74.09% 8.36% 2.93% 0.69%
Senior Level Officials/Managers 2,137 74.12% 25.88% 6.22% 85.31% 6.27% 1.82% 0.37%

*Does not include pay-banded employees

Targeted Disabilities

Employees with targeted disabilities represented 0.99% of the total government workforce in FY 2004, and of agencies with a permanent workforce of 500 or more, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, at 2.23%, had the highest percentage of employees with targeted disabilities. At DHS, employees with targeted disabilities represented 0.45% of the total workforce.

EEO Complaint Processing

  1. Counseling

    There were 2,447 instances of pre-complaint counseling (performed by EEO counselors and/or ADR intake officers). DHS timely processed 75.92% of the total number of counselings. Following counseling, 1,254 formal complaints of discrimination were filed.

  2. Alternative Dispute Resolution

    Of DHS' 2,447 instances of counseling, ADR was offered 85.7% of the time; the parties elected to participate in 31.4% of the completed counselings; and 51.2% of the ADR closures were resolved through settlements or withdrawals.

    At the formal complaint phase, DHS offered ADR 18.1% of the time; the parties elected to participate in1.5% of the complaint workload; and 44.1% of the ADR closures were resolved through settlements or withdrawals.

  3. Processing Times

    DHS completed 44% of its investigations within the regulatory time frames, with an average processing time of 257 days for all investigations. In most instances, the

    regulations require investigations within 180 days. Of the agencies completing 25 or more investigations, the Tennessee Valley Authority was the only agency to complete 100% of their investigations within the regulatory time frames, with an average processing time of 117 days.

    DHS' average processing time for all complaint closures was 534 days in FY 2004. The government-wide average was 469 days.

  4. Pending Inventory

    DHS had a total of 2,485 complaints pending at the end of FY 2004, with 137 pending acknowledgment for an average of 66 days; 802 pending investigation for an average of 165 days; and 900 pending the issuance of final decisions for an average of 577 days.

  5. Costs

    DHS agreed to pay $47,054 for 234 counseling settlements with benefits, an average $201.09 per counseling settled.

    DHS agreed to pay a total of $1,953,893 for 229 complaint closures through settlement agreement, final agency decision, and final agency orders fully implementing AJ decisions. For complaint closures with benefits, the average award (including back/front pay, compensatory damages, attorney's fees, and lump sum payments) was $8,532.

    DHS expended a total of $1,666,496 for 750 complaint investigations, for an average expenditure of $2,222.

Outcome of Counselings Completed in FY 2004

Counseling Outcomes Completed by EEO Counselor Completed Using ADR All Completed Counselings
# % # % # %
Total Instances of Counseling: 1,669   778   2,447  
Settlements 46 2.75% 188 24.16% 234 9.56%
Withdrawal/no Complaint Filed 265 15.8% 210 26.9% 475 19.41%
Complaints Filed*         1,213 49.57%
Decision to File Complaint Pending at End of Fiscal Year         525 21.45%

*Includes only complaints filed in FY 2004 where counseling was also completed during FY 2004.

Agency Use of ADR for EEO Dispute Resolution

Counselings / Complaints ADR Offers ADR Participation
# # % # %
FY 2003 Pre-Complaint Counselings NA NA NA NA NA
FY 2004 Pre-Complaint Counselings 2,447 2,097 85.70% 768 31.39%
Percentage Change FY 2003 to FY 2004 NA NA   NA  
FY 2003 Complaints* NA NA NA NA NA
FY 2004 Complaints* 3,379 611 18.08% 49 1.45%
Percentage Change FY 2003 to FY 2004 NA NA   NA  

*Includes all complaints filed in the fiscal year, including those where the counseling was completed in the prior fiscal year.

Timeliness

Total # # Timely % Timely FY 2003 APD* FY 2004 APD % Change
All Counselings (minus remands) 2,446 1,857 75.91%      
All Investigations 750 331 44.13% NA 257 NA
Merit Decisions (no AJ) 114 38 33.33% NA 902 NA
Dismissal Decisions 258     NA 236 NA

*APD = Average Processing Days

Outcomes of Complaints Closed in FY 2004

Complaint Outcomes Complaint Closures Final Agency Decision (no AJ decision) Final Order (AJ Decision Fully Implemented) Final Order (AJ Decision Not Fully Implemented)
Total Closures (894) # % # % # % # %
Settlements 195 21.81%            
Withdrawals 117 13.08%            
Dismissals 258 28.85%            
Merit Decisions 324 36.24%            
Finding Discrimination 39 12.03% 20 51.28% 14 35.89% 5 12.82%
Finding No Discrimination 285 87.96% 94 32.98% 175 61.40% 16 5.61%


This page was last modified on May 3, 2005.

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