You've Got Mail -- From the EEOC!

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Keep an eye on your email inboxes and spam folders.  The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently announced that it has begun a pilot program to send electronic notices of discrimination charges.  The program is called "ACT Digital" and is intended to make responding to charges more efficient and cost effective.

The pilot program is beginning in 11 EEOC offices, centered in North Carolina and the Southeast, and moving to larger offices in Midwestern and Western states.  They are the following: Charlotte; Greensboro; Greenville; Norfolk; Raleigh; Richmond; Detroit, Indianapolis; Phoenix; Denver; and San Francisco. 

The EEOC states that the system is secure, and that documents and information will be accessible only by password.  Using the system, employers will be able to download charges, submit a position statement, and communicate with the EEOC.  The Commission has published a Q&A document for ACT Digital, which can be found here.

Employers in the pilot areas have already begun receiving email notifications of charges.  The email is sent from the EEOC, informs the company that a charge has been filed and by whom, and includes password and login information for the employer to access the ACT Digital system.  The system allows employers to inform the EEOC if it has legal counsel, and to provide attorney contact information.

The EEOC states that will use the results of the pilot program to refine the program, with the goal to have a nationwide digital charge filing system.


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