EEOC Unveils New Webpage on Commissioner Charges and Directed Investigations

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today posted a new document on its website explaining the role and procedures of two key EEOC processes to combat employment discrimination -- Commissioner charges and directed investigations.

Federal law authorizes any Commissioner to file a discrimination charge alleging that an employer violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), after which the charge is investigated by the appropriate EEOC field office. In addition, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Equal Pay Act (EPA) authorize EEOC field offices to initiate investigations of possible violations of those two statutes even without a charge from an aggrieved individual.  These processes are in addition to the more common procedure of EEOC field offices receiving discrimination charges from individual employees or job applicants and then evaluating and investigating those charges.

The purpose of the new webpage is to explain exactly how Commissioner charges and directed investigations work – for the benefit of employers and potential job dis­crimination victims alike.

“The EEOC is strongly committed to making our processes fully transparent and useful to the public,” said EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon. “Commissioner charges and directed investigations are important tools in the Commission’s arsenal to fight employment discrimination, and it is vital that the public knows how we use them.”

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.