Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints

At a glance

CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are committed to nondiscrimination in all personnel practices. This ensures equal opportunity for employment, promotion, and training for all segments of the workforce.

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About

Equal Employment Opportunity asserts that all people should have the right to work and advance based on merit and ability. This principle applies regardless of race, sex, color, religion, disability, national origin, or age.

Mission

Our mission is to:

  • Eradicate employment discrimination.
  • Improve diversity in the workplace.
  • Create an environment where all CDC employees are valued, respected, and free to develop and perform to their fullest potential.

Vision

To build A Model Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Diversity Program that

  • Demonstrates commitment from agency leadership.
  • Integrates EEO into the Agency 's strategic mission.
  • Ensures management and program accountability.
  • Is efficient.
  • Is proactive in preventing of unlawful discrimination.
  • Ensures responsiveness and legal compliance.

Complaint process

For a visual overview of the complaint process, view the EEO Complaint Process Flowchart.

Employees, former employees, and applicants who feel they have been discriminated against based on:

  • Race or color
  • Religion
  • Sex (including gender identity, gender stereotyping, sexual orientation, and pregnancy)
  • National origin
  • Age 40 or older
  • Disability (mental or physical) or genetic information
  • Reprisal

Present the complaint as outlined below:

  1. Contact OEEOWE within 45 calendar days of the alleged discrimination or from when you became aware of it. The pre-complaint process will then begin, and you will be assigned an EEO counselor.
    1. The OEEOWE may extend the 45-day limit if circumstances beyond an individual's control prevent contact. Extensions are decided case-by-case.
  2. The counselor has 30 calendar days to investigate discrimination allegations and attempt to resolve the complaint.
  3. You can elect between traditional counseling and the alternative dispute resolution process (ADR).
    1. If you choose ADR at the pre-complaint stage, the complaint period can be extended by up to 90 calendar days.
  4. If unresolved in the pre-complaint process, the complainant will be issued a Notice of Rights to File a Discrimination Complaint.
  5. The final counseling report will be issued along with the Acknowledgement Letter after a formal complaint is filed.
    1. An aggrieved person may choose to withdraw their complaint, or they may file a formal complaint of discrimination.
  6. A formal complaint must be filed within 15 calendar days of receipt of the Notice of Rights to File a Discrimination Complaint.
Keep Reading: Types of Discrimination

Mail the formal complaint to:

MS US11-1EEO

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027

For information related to Commissioned Corps complaints, visit Commissioned Corps Complaint Process.

Top questions

When an employee contacts the OEEOWE to initiate a complaint, this commences the pre-complaint process. A counselor has 30 days to complete the pre-complaint inquiry and reach resolution.

If the counselor anticipates not meeting the 30-day requirement, the aggrieved person can agree in writing to extend the counseling period. The extension can be up to a maximum of 60 days.

If an aggrieved person chooses to use the ADR process, the counseling period may be extended up to 90 days. The maximum timeframe for the Counseling/ADR processing period is 90 days.

An investigator has 180 calendar days from the date of filing formal to complete the investigation.

Who to contact

EEO hotline: 770-488-1225

Email: EEOComplaints@cdc.gov

Mailing address:

MS US11-1EEO

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1600 Clifton Road NE

Atlanta, GA 30329-4027

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About the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Equity (OEEOWE)