
Previously,
in order to file a charge with the EEOC, an individual needed to visit an EEOC
office in person, visit a state or local fair employment practice agency to
file a charge, submit a letter by mail, or initiate the process over the
telephone. Clearly, having an alternative online process will make it substantially
easier to begin the charge process.
According
to the EEOC, the online portal enables individuals to carry out the first steps
necessary to filing a charge in an online format, ask questions of EEOC
representatives about whether their rights have been violated, and go through
the standard complaint intake process. The EEOC has stated that, in fiscal year
2017, it responded to more than 550,000 calls to the toll-free number and
140,600 inquiries in field offices, reflecting a significant public demand for
EEOC’s services. EEOC Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic called the new online system
“a giant leap forward” in providing online services. “This secure online system
makes the EEOC and an individual's charge information available wherever and
whenever it is most convenient for that individual,” Lipnic said.
The
new system does not permit individuals to file charges of discrimination not
prepared by the EEOC, but does allow individuals to digitally sign and file a
charge prepared by the EEOC after the intake process is complete. After a charge
has been filed, the charging party can use the portal to provide and update their
contact information, agree to mediate the charge, upload documents to the
charge file, receive documents and messages related to the charge from the EEOC,
and check on the status of the charge. These features are available for newly
filed charges and for charges that were filed on or after Jan. 1, 2016, that
are currently in investigation or mediation.
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