If you are a Department of Energy (DOE) federal employee, former employee, or applicant for employment with the DOE, you may initiate the DOE EEO complaint process if you believe that you have been discriminated against based on one or more of these factors:  race; color; religion; sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation); national origin; age (40 and over); disability (physical and/or mental); genetic information; or retaliation for prior EEO activity.

INFORMAL STAGE

To initiate the EEO process, you must first contact an EEO Counselor at the DOE Office of Civil Rights/Equal Employment Opportunity office where you work or where you applied for a job, to file an informal EEO complaint. You must do so within 45 days of the alleged discriminatory act (limited exceptions apply). At the initial counseling session, you may select either traditional EEO counseling or mediation, a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

EEO COUNSELING

The EEO Counselor will provide you with information about your rights and responsibilities in the EEO complaint process. You have the right to request confidentiality during the informal stage of the process. With your permission, the EEO Counselor will attempt to informally resolve the dispute. If the dispute is not resolved, you will be given a Notice of Right to File a Formal Complaint. The EEO Counselor will inform you of where to file your formal complaint.

FILING A FORMAL COMPLAINT

Your formal complaint must be specific, and limited only to those matters previously discussed with the EEO Counselor. The complaint will then be accepted or dismissed, based on timeliness and whether the alleged discrimination affects a term or condition of your employment, among other factors. If your complaint is accepted for processing, an investigation will be conducted. When the investigation has been completed, you will receive a copy of the Report of Investigation. In most cases, you may then request a hearing, or a Final Agency Decision without a hearing.*  If your complaint is dismissed, you may generally appeal that decision to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), or file a civil action in U.S. District Court.*

HEARING*

If you request a hearing, that hearing will be held by an EEOC Administrative Judge (AJ). After the hearing, the EEOC AJ will issue a decision on the complaint. The Department will then issue a Final Order, informing you of whether DOE agrees with the AJ, and whether DOE will grant any relief in your case. If you are dissatisfied with the DOE Final Order, you may appeal it to the EEOC, or file a civil action in U.S. District Court.

FINAL AGENCY DECISION WITHOUT A HEARING*

If you request a Final Agency Decision without a hearing, DOE will issue a decision on your complaint. If you are dissatisfied with the DOE Final Agency Decision, you may appeal it to the EEOC, or file a civil action in U.S. District Court.

MEDIATION

You may request mediation at any time during the complaint process. If you select mediation and management agrees to participate, a neutral third party will work with you and management in an effort to reach a settlement. If you choose to enter into mediation, the office will continue to process your EEO complaint.

*If your case is a mixed-case complaint, you do not have a right to a hearing or to appeal a DOE decision to the EEOC. However, you do have the right to appeal a DOE decision in a mixed-case complaint to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

Equal Employment Opportunity and Harassment Prevention Policy Statement

Equal Employment Opportunity Intake Form

Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Points of Contact

To learn more about the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint process or to speak with (EEO) Counselor, please see the contact information for EEO Counselors below.

DOE Headquarters Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (OCR-EEO) Contact Information

Deputy Director

Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity

Patricia Zarate202-586-2248patricia.zarate@hq.doe.gov

Chief

External Civil Rights Compliance and Enforcement Division

Jody TallBear202-287-5362jody.tallbear@hq.doe.gov

Chief

EEO, Assessment, and Compliance Division

Jaime Claudio202-586-9332jaime.claudio@hq.doe.gov

Chief

EEO Corporate Services and Oversight Division

Moses Madera240-477-9462moses.madera@hq.doe.gov 
Headquarters Special Emphasis Program ManagerKaren Lerma karen.lerma@hq.doe.gov
Chief EEO Formal Complaints Division Allyson Jozwik 202-586-2218allyson.jozwik@hq.doe.gov 

Headquarters EEO Counseling Services:

For Headquarters EEO Counseling services, please contact the main phone line for the DOE Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity at (202) 586-2218, or email the OCR-EEO at civilrights@hq.doe.gov

DOE Field Site/Power Marketing Administration EEO Counseling Services

To speak with an EEO Counselor, employees or applicants for employment at DOE Field Sites or Power Marketing Administrations may contact the DOE OCR-EEO by phone at (202) 586- 2218 or by email at civilrights@hq.doe.gov.

As an alternative, employees or applicants for employment at DOE Field Sites or Power Marketing Administrations may contact the designated points of contact identified below for their respective locations. 

Bonneville Power AdministrationShana Kuhn503-230-3836slkuhn@bpa.gov
EM Consolidated Business CenterNancy Hemphill240-961-8179nancy.hemphill@hq.doe.gov
Golden Field OfficeBrian Sutherland240-562-1320brian.sutherland@hq.doe.gov
Idaho Operations OfficeRicardo Zaldana240-404-8357ricardo.zaldana@hq.doe.gov
National Energy Technology LaboratoryDenise Huenefeld240-306-7830denise.huenefeld@hq.doe.gov
National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA) - Albuquerque
Bonnie Baisden505-845-6668bonnie.baisden@nnsa.doe.gov
Office of Scientific and Technical InformationRicardo Zaldana240-404-8357ricardo.zaldana@hq.doe.gov
Richland Operations OfficeTamara L. Moland240-252-8983tamara.moland@hq.doe.gov 
Savannah River OperationsDorothy Famber803-646-4862dorothy.famber@hq.doe.gov
 Giovanni Cole803-845-9146giovanni.cole@hq.doe.gov
SC Consolidated Service CenterDarvin Bennett202-355-8925darvin.bennett@hq.doe.gov
Southeastern Power AdministrationOrlando Sepulveda240-686-9686orlando.sepulveda@hq.doe.gov 
Southwestern Power AdministrationOrlando Sepulveda918-595-6635orlando.sepulveda@hq.doe.gov 
Strategic Petroleum ReserveRicardo Zaldana240-404-8357ricardo.zaldana@hq.doe.gov
Western Area Power AdministrationOrlando Sepulveda240-686-9686orlando.sepulveda@hq.doe.gov