EEO- Anti-Discrimination Laws

An agency cannot discriminate against an employee or applicant with respect to the terms, conditions or privileges of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status or political affiliation. Discrimination on these bases is prohibited by one or more of the following statutes: 5 USC 2302(b) (1), 29 USC 206(d), 29 USC 631, 29 USC 633a, 29 USC 791 and 42 USC 2000e-16.

If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (to include pregnancy, sexual orientation, sex stereotyping, and gender identity), national origin, disability, or genetic information, you must contact an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counselor within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory action, or, in the case of a personnel action, within 45 calendar days of the effective date of the action, before you can file a formal complaint of discrimination with the Agency. See, e.g., 29 CFR 1614. If you believe that you have been the victim of unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, you must either contact an EEO counselor as noted above or give the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) notice of intent to sue within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory action. If you are alleging discrimination based on marital status or political affiliation, you may file a written complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). In the alternative (or in some cases, in addition), you may pursue a discrimination complaint by filing a grievance through the agency’s administrative or negotiated grievance procedures, if such procedures apply and are available.