If you are an employee, former employee, or job seeker, and you believe you have been the target of unlawful discrimination, you may file a charge of discrimination. While it is best to file your charge as soon as possible, you must file your charge no later than 300 days from the “last date of harm” – the date you believe the most recent discriminatory event occurred. You should be prepared to provide specifics about the employer, such as company name, names of persons involved, complete contact information, and details pertaining to the alleged discrimination.
Once submitted, you will be contacted by the Department within 30 days. If it is determined that the Department has jurisdiction, your charge will be assigned to an investigator who will review and investigate your complaint, which may include additional interviews with yourself, the employer, witnesses, etc. Supporting documents may also be requested and reviewed.
We emphasize and encourage the parties to “conciliate” at any point in the process, that is, reach an informal resolution to the dispute. If no resolution can be reached, upon the conclusion of the investigation we will determine whether there is “probable cause” to believe unlawful discrimination occurred. If the allegation is not supported by evidence, the charge will be dismissed. If a probable cause finding is issued, we will attempt to eliminate the alleged unlawful practices by informal methods of conciliation. If we are unable to resolve the charge through informal negotiations or conciliation, we will provide for an administrative hearing to determine what remedy is necessary to correct the effect of the discrimination.