EEOC Unveils New Webpage on Commissioner Charges & Directed Investigations into Discrimination

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 supplement the more common procedure of EEOC field offices receiving discrimination charges from individual employees or job applicants, 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.

To read more information regarding the statutory and regulatory structure for Commissioner charges and directed investigations and/or to read answers to some common questions about them, visit the EEOC website.