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1. |
What
is the responsibility of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS),
Office of Civil Rights?
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The OCR provides leadership and comprehensive protection
against discrimination in FNS employment practices
and delivery of programs to the public. |
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2.
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What
is the difference between a Civil Rights (CR) complaint and an Equal Employment
Opportunity (EEO) complaint?
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A
CR complaint is a verbal or written allegation of
discrimination that an FNS program is administered or operated in a
manner that results in disparate treatment or services being
provided to persons or groups of persons because of their protected
class.
An EEO complaint involves any employee or applicant for
employment who believes that he or she has been
discriminated
against based on one of the covered protected classes when
applying for a job or currently working for FNS. |
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3.
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How
do you know if you’ve been a victim of discrimination?
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Any time you believe that you’ve been treated differently
than
another person based on one of
the covered protected classes. |
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4.
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What
are the protected classes for filing a discrimination complaint against an FNS
program?
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The protected classes for filing a discrimination
complaint against
an FNS program is race, color, national origin, age, sex,
disability,
religion, and political beliefs (not all bases apply to
all programs) |
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5.
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How
do you file a discrimination complaint against one of
FNS programs?
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Follow the procedures listed at this link |
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6.
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How
long does it take to process a complaint against FNS programs?
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All program discrimination
complaints must be filed within 180
days of alleged discriminatory action. FNS will determine within
10 working days of receipt whether USDA has jurisdiction
based on civil rights laws and regulations.
If USDA has
jurisdiction,
the FNS Office of Civil Rights will process all discrimination
complaints within 90 days of receipt.
If
there is insufficient information available, or special circumstances or accommodations are involved, some cases
may take more than the established timeframe to reach an
agreement or final decision.
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7.
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How
do I file an EEO complaint and who should I contact?
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Follow the procedures listed at this link |
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8.
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What
are the protected classes for filing an EEO complaint?
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The
protected classes for filing an EEO complaint are race,
color,
sex, religion, national origin, age (if over 40),
disability and
reprisal. Complaints may also be filed based on marital or familial
status, sexual orientation, and political beliefs, but are
not
appealable outside of USDA. |
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9.
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What
is the difference between EEO counseling and a formal complaint?
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EEO
counseling is an informal process where the EEO counselor will:
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Address your concerns and
questions and inform you of your rights;
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Inquire into the facts and
attempt resolution;
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Issue a Notice of
Right to File a formal complaint if the matter is not
resolved; and
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Submit a report of the inquiry, if
a formal complaint is filed.
Formal complaints are
filed with the USDA Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
OCR will acknowledge receipt and accepts or dismisses the complaint. OCR will provide other
information concerning the EEO complaint process and will
inform the complainant of his/her rights and
responsibilities. If the complaint is accepted, an investigation is
conducted within 180. When the
investigation is completed, the complainant and/or their representative, is provided with a
copy of the Report of Investigation as well as further
appeal rights or the right to withdraw the complaint.
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10.
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How
long does it take to process an EEO complaint?
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The informal counseling period lasts 30 days. The
counselor will
and must explain other options. The timeframe for
processing a formal complaint begins when a complaint is filed until
the
complaint is resolved or all appeal rights have been
exhausted.
If
there is insufficient information available, or special circumstances or accommodations are involved, some cases
may take more than the established timeframe to reach an
agreement or final decision. |
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11.
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What
is Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)?
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ADR
involves a variety of techniques and approaches to achieve
consensual resolution of disputes, in a manner which avoids the
cost, delay, and unpredictability of more traditional adversarial
and adjudicative processes.
These techniques may include mediation, facilitation,
neutral
evaluation, conciliation, fact finding, use of an
ombudsman,
settlement conferences, minitrials, and peer review.
For
additional information regarding ADR, please contact the
Agency's ADR Program Manager at (703) 305-2215
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12.
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What
are the benefits of ADR?
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The use of ADR can benefit FNS, its customers
and employees by achieving effective and mutually satisfactory
resolutions of disputes; decreasing time, cost and other
resources
expended in resolving employment and program disputes;
fostering a culture of respect and trust between FNS and its
customers and employees; and increasing customer satisfaction
and employee morale. |
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13.
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Who
should I contact about a civil rights program discrimination
complaint?
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To file a program discrimination
complaint, program beneficiaries should write or call:
USDA,
Director, Office of Civil Rights
Room 326-W, Whitten Building
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D. C. 20250-9410
(202) 720-5964
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