Federal Employees & Job Applicants

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces Federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. These laws protect you against employment discrimination when it involves:

• Unfair treatment because of your race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
• Harassment by managers, co-workers, or others in your workplace, because of your race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
• Denial of a reasonable workplace accommodation that you need because of your religious beliefs or disability.
• Retaliation because you complained about job discrimination, or assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.

In addition to laws that EEOC enforces, there are federal protections from discrimination on other bases including sexual orientation, status as a parent, marital status, political affiliation, and conduct that does not adversely affect the performance of the employee.

If you believe that you have been discriminated against by a federal agency, you have a right to file a complaint with that agency. The first step is to contact an EEO Counselor at the agency within 45 days of the discriminatory action. The individual may choose to participate in either counseling, or in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) when the agency offers ADR. Ordinarily, counseling must be completed within 30 days and ADR within 90 days. At the end of counseling, or if ADR is unsuccessful, the individual may then file a complaint with the agency.

The Federal Sector Complaint Process

• Overview of Complaint Process
• Contacting an EEO Counselor
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Filing a Formal Complaint
• Requesting a Hearing
• Requesting an Appeal
• Requesting Reconsideration of an Appeal
• Filing a Lawsuit in Federal Court

Types of discrimination (facts and guidance)

• Age
• Disability
• Equal Compensation
• Genetic Information
• National Origin
• Pregnancy
• Race / Color
• Religion
• Retaliation
• Sex
• Sexual Harassment

Other types of discrimination prohibited in the Federal government (not enforced by EEOC)

Prohibited Practices (What can't an employer do?)

Using the EEOC Public Portal for Hearings and Appeals

The EEOC Public Portal is a secure, web-based application developed for individuals to interact with the EEOC regarding a complaint of employment discrimination. The EEOC Public Portal allows individuals who have already filed complaints and who are in the EEO complaint process to:

• Create an account
• Request a hearing - have a formal EEO Complaint heard by an Administrative Judge.
• File an appeal of an agency's final decision or final action on a formal EEO Complaint.
• Identify a representative and provide their contact information
• Submit and receive documents supporting their complaint or appeal

For instructions on how to access and use the Public Portal, see the EEOC Public Portal User's Guides.