EEOC Proposes Significant Changes to Federal Employee Bias Complaint Process
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has published a proposal to overhaul the process by which federal employees and job applicants pursue workplace discrimination complaints. The plan, advanced by a 2-1 vote among commissioners, seeks to eliminate guaranteed administrative hearings and bar class complaints within the agency's internal process. Under the current system, federal complainants contact an agency EEO counselor, undergo counseling, file a formal complaint, and may request a hearing before an EEOC administrative judge. The proposed changes would replace mandatory counseling with direct filing within 60 days of a discriminatory action. Agencies would then have 180 days to investigate through January 1, 2028, followed by a reduced timeline of 135 days, 15 days for additional evidence, and 30 days for a final decision. While complainants could appeal to the EEOC and request administrative-judge proceedings, the commission would only order such proceedings if deemed necessary or efficie... 
