45 C.F.R. PART 1225—VOLUNTEER DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT PROCEDURE
Title 45 - Public Welfare
Authority: Secs. 417, 402(14), 420, Pub. L. 93–113, 87 Stat. 398, 407, and 414; Sec. 5(a), Pub. L. 87–293, 75 Stat. 613; Executive Order 12137, issued May 16, 1979.
Source: 46 FR 1609, Jan. 6, 1981, unless otherwise noted.
The purpose of this part is to establish a procedure for the filing, investigation, and administrative determination of allegations of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, handicap or political affiliation, which arise in connection with the recruitment, selection, placement, service, or termination of Peace Corps and ACTION applicants, trainees, and Volunteers for full-time service. It is the policy of Peace Corps and ACTION to provide equal opportunity in all its programs for all persons and to prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, handicap or political affiliation, in the recruitment, selection, placement, service, and termination of Peace Corps and ACTION Volunteers. It is the policy of Peace Corps and ACTION upon determining that such prohibited discrimination has occurred, to take all necessary corrective action to remedy the discrimination, and to prevent its recurrence. Unless the context requires otherwise, in this Part: (a) Director means the Director of Peace Corps for all Peace Corps applicant, trainee, or Volunteer complaints processed under this part, or the Director of ACTION for all domestic applicant, trainee, or Volunteer complaints processed under this part. The term shall also refer to any designee of the respective Director. (b) EO Director means the Director of the Equal Opportunity Division of the Office of Compliance, ACTION. The term shall also refer to any designee of the EO Director. (c) Illegal discrimination means discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, handicap or political affiliation as defined in section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504); section 717 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000–16); Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791, et seq.); and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101, et seq.). Further clarification of the scope of matters covered by this definition may be obtained by referring to the following regulations: Sex Discrimination: 29 CFR part 1604; Religious Discrimination: 29 CFR part 1605; National Origin Discrimination: 29 CFR part 1606; Age Discrimination: 45 CFR part 90; Handicap Discrimination: 29 CFR 1613.701 through 1613.707. (d) Applicant means a person who has submitted to the appropriate agency personnel a completed application required for consideration of eligibility for Peace Corps or ACTION volunteer service. “Applicant” may also mean a person who alleges that the actions of agency personnel precluded him or her from submitting such an application or any other information reasonably required by the appropriate personnel as necessary for a determination of the individual's eligibility for volunteer service. (e) Trainee means a person who has accepted an invitation issued by Peace Corps or ACTION and has registered for Peace Corps or ACTION training. (f) Volunteer means a person who has completed successfully all necessary training; met all clearance standards; has taken, if required, the oath prescribed in either section 5(j) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504), or section 104(c) of the Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended (42 U.S.C. 104(c)) and has been enrolled as a full-time Volunteer by the appropriate agency. (g) Complaint means a written statement signed by the complainant and submitted to the EO Director. A complaint shall set forth specifically and in detail: (1) A description of the Peace Corps or ACTION management policy or practice, if any, giving rise to the complaint; (2) A detailed description including names and dates, if possible, of the actions of the Peace Corps or ACTION officials which resulted in the alleged illegal discrimination; (3) The manner in which the Peace Corps or ACTION action directly affected the complainant; and (4) The relief sought. A complaint shall be deemed filed on the date it is received by the appropriate agency official. When a complaint does not conform with the above definition, it shall nevertheless be accepted. The complainant shall be notified of the steps necessary to correct the deficiencies of the complaint. The complainant shall have 30 days from his or her receipt of notification of the complaint defects to resubmit an amended complaint. (h) Counselor means an official designated by the EO Director to perform the functions of conciliation as detailed in this part. (i) Agent means a class member who acts for the class during the processing of a class complaint. In order to be accepted as the agent for a class complaint, in addition to those requirements of a complaint found in §1225.3(g) of this part, the complaint must meet the requirements for a class complaint as found in subpart C of these regulations. (a) These procedures apply to all Peace Corps or ACTION applicants, trainees, and Volunteers throughout their term of service with the Peace Corps or ACTION. When an applicant, trainee, or Volunteer makes a complaint which contains an allegation of illegal discrimination in connection with an action that would otherwise be processed under a grievance, early termination, or other administrative system of the agency, the allegation of illegal discrimination shall be processed under this part. At the discretion of the appropriate Director, any other issues raised may be consolidated with the discrimination complaint for processing under these regulations. Any issues which are not so consolidated shall continue to be processed under those procedures in which they were originally raised. (b) The submission of class complaints alleging illegal discrimination as defined above will be handled in accordance with the procedure outlined in subpart C. Any aggrieved party may be represented and assisted in all stages of these procedures by an attorney or representative of his or her own choosing. An aggrieved party must immediately inform the agency if counsel is retained. Attorney fees or other appropriate relief may be awarded in the following circumstances: (a) Informal adjustment of a complaint. An informal adjustment of a complaint may include an award of attorney fees or other relief deemed appropriate by the EO Director. Where the parties agree on an adjustment of the complaint, but cannot agree on whether attorney fees or costs should be awarded, or on their amount, this issue may be appealed to the appropriate Director to be determined in the manner detailed in §1225.11 of this part. (b) Final Agency Decision. When discrimination is found, the appropriate Director shall advise the complainant that any request for attorney fees or costs must be documented and submitted for review within 20 calendar days after his or her receipt of the final agency decision. The amount of such awards shall be determined under §1225.11. In the unusual situation in which it is determined not to award attorney fees or other costs to a prevailing complainant, the appropriate Director in his or her final decision shall set forth the specific reasons thereof. Aggrieved parties, their representatives, and witnesses will be free from restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal at any stage in the presentation and processing of a complaint, including the counseling stage described in §1225.8 of this part, or any time thereafter. An aggrieved party, his or her representative, or a witness who alleges restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal in connection with the presentation of a complaint under this part, may, if covered by this part, request in writing that the allegation be reviewed as an individual complaint of discrimination subject to the procedures described in Subpart B or that the allegation be considered as an issue in the complaint at hand. (a) An aggrieved person who believes that he or she has been subject to illegal dicrimination shall bring such allegations to the attention of the appropriate Counselor within 30 days of the alleged discrimination to attempt to resolve them. The process for notifying the appropriate Counselor is the following: (1) Aggrieved applicants, trainees or Volunteers who have not departed for overseas assignments, or who have returned to Washington for any administrative reason shall direct their allegations to the EO Director for assignment to an appropriate Counselor. (2) Aggrieved trainees or Volunteers overseas shall direct their allegations to the designated Counselor for that post. (3) Aggrieved applicants, trainees, and Volunteers applying for, or enrolled in ACTION domestic programs shall direct their allegations to the designated Counselor for that Region. (b) Upon receipt of the allegation, the Counselor or designee shall make whatever inquiry is deemed necessary into the facts alleged by the aggrieved party and shall counsel the aggrieved party for the purpose of attempting an informal resolution agreeable to all parties. The Counselor will keep a written record of his or her activities which will be submitted to the EO Director if a formal complaint concerning the matter is filed. (c) If after such inquiry and counseling an informal resolution to the allegation is not reached, the Counselor shall notify the aggrieved party in writing of the right to file a complaint of discrimination with the EO Director within 15 calendar days of the aggrieved party's receipt of the notice. (d) The Counselor shall not reveal the identity of the aggrieved party who has come to him or her for consultation, except when authorized to do so by the aggrieved party. However, the identity of the aggrieved party may be revealed once the agency has accepted a complaint of discrimination from the aggrieved party. (a) EO Director. (1) The EO Director must accept a complaint if the process set forth above has followed, and the complaint states a charge of illegal discrimination. The agency will extend the time limits set herein (a) when the complainant shows that he or she was not notified of the time limits and was not otherwise aware of them, or (b) the complainant shows that he or she was prevented by circumstances beyond his or her control from submitting the matter in a timely fashion, or (c) for other reasons considered sufficiently by the agency. At any time during the complaint procedure, the EO Director may cancel a complaint because of failure of the aggrieved party to prosecute the complaint. If the complaint is rejected for failure to meet one or more of the requirements set out in the procedure outlined in §1225.8 or is cancelled, the EO Director shall inform the aggrieved party in writing of this Final Agency Decision; that the Peace Corps or ACTION will take no further action; and of the right, to file a civil action as described in §1225.21 of this part. (2) Upon acceptance of the complaint and receipt of the Counselor's report, the EO Director shall provide for the prompt investigation of the complaint. Whenever possible, the person assigned to investigate the complaint shall occupy a position in the agency which is not, directly or indirectly, under the jurisdiction of the head of that part of the agency in which the complaint arose. The investigation shall include a thorough review of the circumstances under which the alleged discrimination occurred, and any other circumstances which may constitute, or appear to constitute discrimination against the complainant. The investigator shall compile an investigative file, which includes a summary of the investigation, recommended findings of fact and a recommended resolution of the complaint. The investigator shall forward the investigative file to the EO Director and shall provide the complainant with a copy. (3) The EO Director shall review the complaint file including any additional statements provided by the complainant, make findings of fact, and shall offer an adjustment of the complaint if the facts support the complaint. If the proposed adjustment is agreeable to all parties, the terms of the adjustment shall be reduced to writing, signed by both parties, and made part of the complaint file. A copy of the terms of the adjustment shall be provided the complainant. If the proposed adjustment of the complaint is not acceptable to the complainant, or the EO Director determines that such an offer is inappropriate, the EO Director shall forward the complaint file with a written notification of the findings of facts, and his or her recommendation of the proposed disposition of the complaint to the appropriate Director. The aggrieved party shall receive a copy of the notification and recommendation and shall be advised of the right to appeal the recommended disposition to the appropriate Director. Within ten (10) calendar days of receipt of such notice, the complainant may submit his or her appeal of the recommended disposition to the appropriate Director. (b) Appeal to Director. If no timely notice of appeal is received from the aggrieved party, the appropriate Director or designee may adopt the proposed disposition as the Final Agency Decision. If the aggrieved party appeals, the appropriate Director or designee, after review of the total complaint file, shall issue a decision to the aggrieved party. The decision of the appropriate Director shall be in writing, state the reasons underlying the decision, shall be the Final Agency Decision, shall inform the aggrieved party of the right to file a civil action as described in §1225.21 of this part, and, if appropriate, designate the procedure to be followed for the award of attorney fees or costs. When it has been determined by Final Agency Decision that the aggrieved party has been subjected to illegal discrimination, the following corrective actions may be taken: (a) Selection as a Trainee for aggrieved parties found to have been denied selection based on prohibited discrimination. (b) Reappointment to Volunteer service for aggrieved parties found to have been early-terminated as a result of prohibited discrimination. To the extent possible, a Volunteer will be placed in the same position previously held. However, reassignment to the specific country of prior service, or to the specific position previously held, is contingent on several programmatic considerations such as the continued availability of the position, or program in that country, and acceptance by the host country of such placement. If the same position is deemed to be no longer available, the aggrieved party will be offered a reassignment to a position in as similar circumstances to the position previously held, or to resign from service for reasons beyond his or her control. Such a reassignment may require both additional training and an additional two year commitment to volunteer service. (c) Provision for reasonable attorney fees and other costs incurred by the aggrieved party. (d) Such other relief as may be deemed appropriate by the Director of Peace Corps or ACTION. (a) When a decision of the agency provides for an award of attorney's fees or costs, the complainant's attorney shall submit a verified statement of costs and attorney's fees as appropriate, to the agency within 20 days of receipt of the decision. A statement of attorney's fees shall be accompanied by an affidavit executed by the attorney of record itemizing the attorney's charges for legal services. Both the verified statement and the accompanying affidavit shall be made a part of the complaint file. The amount of attorney's fees or costs to be awarded the complainant shall be determined by agreement between the complainant, the complainant's representative and the appropriate Director. Such agreement shall immediately be reduced to writing. If the complainant, the representative and the agency cannot reach an agreement on the amount of attorney's fees or costs within 20 calendar days of receipt of the verified statement and accompanying affidavit, the appropriate Director shall issue a decision determining the amount of attorney fees or costs within 30 calendar days of receipt of the statement and affidavit. Such decision shall include the specific reasons for determining the amount of the award. (b) The amount of attorney's fees shall be made in accordance with the following standards: The time and labor required, the novelty and difficulty of the questions, the skills requisite to perform the legal service properly, the preclusion of other employment by the attorney due to acceptance of the case, the customary fee, whether the fee is fixed or contingent, time limitation imposed by the client or the circumstances, the amount involved and the results obtained, the experience, reputation, and ability of the attorney, the undesirability of the case, the nature and length of the professional relationship with the client, and the awards in similar cases. An applicant, trainee or Volunteer who believes that he or she is among a group of present or former Peace Corps or ACTION Volunteers, trainees, or applicants for volunteer service who have been illegally discriminated against and who wants to be an agent for the class shall follow those precomplaint procedures outlined in §1225.8 of this part. (a) Upon receipt of a class complaint, the Counselor's report, and any other information pertaining to timeliness or other relevant circumstances related to the complaint, the EO Director shall review the file to determine whether to accept or reject the complaint, or a portion thereof, for any of the following reasons: (1) It was not timely filed; (2) It consists of an allegation which is identical to an allegation contained in a previous complaint filed on behalf of the same class which is pending in the agency or which has been resolved or decided by the agency; (3) It is not within the purview of this subpart; (4) The agent failed to consult a Counselor in a timely manner; (5) It lacks specificity and detail; (6) It was not submitted in writing or was not signed by the agent; (7) It does not meet the following prerequisites. (i) The class is so numerous that a consolidated complaint of the members of the class is impractical; (ii) There are questions of fact common to the class; (iii) The claims of the agent of the class are representative of the claims of the class; (iv) The agent of the class, or his or her representative will fairly and adequately protect the interest of the class. (b) If an allegation is not included in the Counselor's report, the EO Director shall afford the agent 15 calendar days to explain whether the matter was discussed and if not, why he or she did not discuss the allegation with the Counselor. If the explanation is not satisfactory, the EO Director may decide to reject the allegation. If the explanation is satisfactory, the EO Director may require further counseling of the agent. (c) If an allegation lacks specificity and detail, or if it was not submitted in writing or not signed by the agent, the EO Director shall afford the agent 30 days from his or her receipt of notification of the complaint defects to resubmit an amended complaint. The EO Director may decide that the agency reject the complaint if the agent fails to provide such information within the specified time period. If the information provided contains new allegations outside the scope of the complaint, the EO Director must advise the agent how to proceed on an individual or class basis concerning these allegations. (d) The EO Director may extend the time limits for filing a complaint and for consulting with a Counselor when the agent, or his or her representative, shows that he or she was not notified of the prescribed time limits and was not otherwise aware of them or that he or she was prevented by circumstances beyond his or her control from acting within the time limit. (e) When appropriate, the EO Director may determine that a class be divided into subclasses and that each subclass be treated as a class, and the provisions of this section then shall be construed and applied accordingly. (f) The EO Director may cancel a complaint after it has been accepted because of failure of the agent to prosecute the complaint. This action may be taken only after: (1) The EO Director has provided the agent a written request, including notice of proposed cancellation, that he or she provide certain information or otherwise proceed with the complaint; and (2) Within 30 days of his or her receipt of the request. (g) An agent must be informed by the EO Director in a request under paragraph (b) or (c) of this section that his or her complaint may be rejected if the information is not provided. The EO Director may consolidate the complaint if it involves the same or sufficiently similar allegations as those contained in a previous complaint filed on behalf of the same class which is pending in the agency or which has been resolved or decided by the agency. (a) Upon acceptance of a class complaint, the agency, within 30 calendar days, shall use reasonable means, such as delivery, mailing, distribution, or posting, to notify all class members of the existence of the class complaint. (b) A notice shall contain: (1) The name of the agency or organizational segment thereof, its location and the date of acceptance of the complaint; (2) A description of the issues accepted as part of the class complaint; (3) An explanation that class members may remove themselves from the class by notifying the agency within 30 calendar days after issuance of the notice; and (4) An explanation of the binding nature of the final decision or resolution of the complaint. The complaint shall be processed promptly after it has been accepted. Once a class complaint has been accepted, the procedure outlined in §1225.9 of this part shall apply. (a) If an adjustment of the complaint cannot be made the procedures outlined in §1225.9 shall be followed by the EO Director except that any notice required to be sent to the aggrieved party shall be sent to the agent of the class or his or her representative. (b) The Final Agency Decision on a class complaint shall be binding on all members of the class. Class members shall be notified by the agency of the final agency decision and corrective action, if any, using at the minimum, the same media employed to give notice of the existence of the class complaint. The notice, where appropriate, shall include information concerning the rights of class members to seek individual relief and of the procedures to be followed. Notice shall be given by the agency within ten (10) calendar days of the transmittal of its decision to the agent. (a) When discrimination is found, Peace Corps or ACTION must take appropriate action to eliminate or modify the policy or practice out of which such discrimination arose, and provide individual corrective action to the agent and other class members in accordance with §1225.10 of this part. (b) When discrimination is found and a class member believes that but for that discrimination he or she would have been accepted as a Volunteer or received some other volunteer service benefit, the class member may file a written claim with the EO Director within thirty (30) calendar days of notification by the agency of its decision. (c) The claim must include a specific, detailed statement showing that the claimant is a class member who was affected by an action or matter resulting from the discriminatory policy or practice which arose not more than 30 days preceding the filing of the class complaint. (d) The agency shall attempt to resolve the claim within sixty (60) calendar days after the date the claim was postmarked, or, in the absence of a postmark, within sixty (60) calendar days after the date it was received by the EO Director. (a) If the EO Director and claimant do not agree that the claimant is a member of the class, or upon the relief to which the claimant is entitled, the EO Director shall refer the claim, with recommendations concerning it to the appropriate Director for Final Agency Decision and shall so notify the claimant. The class member may submit written evidence to the appropriate Director concerning his or her status as a member of the class. Such evidence must be submitted no later than ten (10) calendar days after receipt of referral. (b) The appropriate Director shall decide the issue within thirty (30) days of the date of referral by the EO Director. The claimant shall be informed in writing of the decision and its basis and that it will be the Final Agency Decision on the issue. (a) A Volunteer, trainee, or applicant is authorized to file a civil action in an appropriate U.S. District Court: (1) Within thirty (30) calendar days of his or her receipt of notice of final action taken by the agency. (2) After one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from the date of filing a complaint with the agency if there has been no final agency action. (b) For those complaints alleging discrimination that occur outside the United States, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia shall be deemed the appropriate forum.
Title 45: Public Welfare
PART 1225—VOLUNTEER DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT PROCEDURE
Section Contents
§ 1225.1 Purpose.
§ 1225.2 Policy.
§ 1225.3 Definitions.
§ 1225.4 Coverage.
§ 1225.5 Representation.
§ 1225.6 Freedom from reprisal.
§ 1225.7 Review of allegations of reprisal.
§ 1225.8 Precomplaint procedure.
§ 1225.9 Complaint procedure.
§ 1225.10 Corrective action.
§ 1225.11 Amount of attorney fees.
§ 1225.12 Precomplaint procedure.
§ 1225.13 Acceptance, rejection or cancellation of complaint.
§ 1225.14 Consolidation of complaints.
§ 1225.15 Notification and opting out.
§ 1225.16 Investigation and adjustment of complaint.
§ 1225.17 Agency decision.
§ 1225.18 Notification of class members of decision.
§ 1225.19 Corrective action.
§ 1225.20 Claim appeals.
§ 1225.21 Statutory rights.
Subpart A—General Provisions
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§ 1225.1 Purpose.
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§ 1225.2 Policy.
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§ 1225.3 Definitions.
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§ 1225.4 Coverage.
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§ 1225.5 Representation.
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§ 1225.6 Freedom from reprisal.
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§ 1225.7 Review of allegations of reprisal.
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Subpart B—Processing Individual Complaints of Discrimination
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§ 1225.8 Precomplaint procedure.
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§ 1225.9 Complaint procedure.
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§ 1225.10 Corrective action.
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§ 1225.11 Amount of attorney fees.
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Subpart C—Processing Class Complaints of Discrimination
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§ 1225.12 Precomplaint procedure.
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§ 1225.13 Acceptance, rejection or cancellation of complaint.
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§ 1225.14 Consolidation of complaints.
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§ 1225.15 Notification and opting out.
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§ 1225.16 Investigation and adjustment of complaint.
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§ 1225.17 Agency decision.
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§ 1225.18 Notification of class members of decision.
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§ 1225.19 Corrective action.
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§ 1225.20 Claim appeals.
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§ 1225.21 Statutory rights.
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