Filing an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Complaint

If you – as an employee, applicant for employment, or former employee – believe you have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, or reprisal for Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) protected activity, and wish to pursue the EEO complaint process, you must first seek EEO counseling. Similarly, you must first seek EEO counseling if you wish to initiate a discrimination complaint based on sexual orientation, parental status, or protected genetic information.

You must contact an EEO counselor at the Department of Homeland Security component where the alleged discriminatory event occurred within 45 days from the date of the alleged discriminatory event, or the date you became aware of such discrimination. If you fail to contact an EEO counselor in this time frame, your complaint may be rejected as untimely.