Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights

A.  USDA Civil Rights Policy Statement

President Abraham Lincoln founded the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1862 to serve the people of this Nation.  Today, nearly 150 years later, USDA employees are among the finest public servants, committed to ensuring that every customer and colleague is treated with fairness, equality, and respect.

As your Secretary, I am firmly committed to ensuring USDA's compliance with civil rights and equal employment opportunity for everyone regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, political beliefs, parental status, or protected genetic information.

There is no principle more important.  We must comply with every aspect of our Nation's civil rights laws.  To do otherwise is simply not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

As public servants, we cannot be effective without being fair.  We cannot be responsive without being respectful.  We cannot deliver programs and services without being sensitive to the human issues that are so much a part of our work.

Our adherence to these principles also requires a swift, reasonable, and credible process for addressing and remedying deficiencies.  It must also include consistent education and outreach to ensure civil rights are protected, our laws are enforced, and discrimination in any form is prevented.

This must be our passion and our vision.  We must continue to strive for a workplace and society that are inclusive and respectful of differences, while working toward unity and harmony.  Our actions must always speak louder than words.

With your help and commitment, and using our collective best efforts across every agency and every office, we can reach new heights.  Together, we can create a better workplace for all employees, and a Department that delivers programs and services to all people fairly and with integrity and equality.

I look forward to fulfilling this vision -our goals -together.   

(Ann M. Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture)

B.  EEO and Civil Rights Definitions

Special Emphasis Programs refers to those programs which focus special attention on certain specific under-represented groups as a result of a particular law, regulation, and/or Executive Order.   Click for more information on the Special Emphasis Programs

Special Placement & Veterans Employment Program.   Its policy is to provide equal employment opportunity and to prohibit discrimination in employment because of veteran status or physical or mental disability.

Hispanic Employment, Black Emphasis, & Federal Women's Programs.  Their policies are to provide equal employment opportunities for women, Hispanics, and Blacks in all personnel management policies and practices as well as in NRCS sponsored programs and activities.

EEO & Civil Rights Definition.  EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity): The goal of laws which make some types of discrimination illegal. Under EEO law, only job related factors can be used to determine if an individual is qualified for a particular job. As a result, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created.

Title VII ensures nondiscrimination in employment on the basis of color, race, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or reprisal for previous EEO activity. This title, as amended, established the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) to enforce the law.

Discrimination The word is often used to mean illegal discriminatory acts. It simply means noticing the differences between things or people that are otherwise alike, and making decisions based on those differences.

Civil Rights Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensures nondiscrimination in the delivery of any program, service, or activity funded by the Federal Government.

For a complete description on policy and guidelines, visit NRCS Directives website for 
 GM Title 230 Part 405 Equal Opportunity in Program Delivery.

C.  EEO and Civil Rights Complaint Procedure

Title VII - EEO Complaint Procedure (Employment Issues) You must first contact an EEO Counselor within 45 days of the alleged discriminatory incident or of reasonably learning of the possible discriminatory nature of the incident. The EEO Counselor has 30 days to resolve the issue informally. If the matter has not been resolved, the aggrieved person shall be informed in writing by the counselor of the right to file a formal discrimination complaint.

Contacting an EEO Counselor

NRCS Civil Rights Employment Division
Beltsville, MD 20705 Mail Stop #5472
Phone: (301) 504-2181

Title VI - Civil Rights Complaint Procedure (Program Delivery Issues) A complaint may be filed verbally or by letter. The complaint should be filed directly with the USDA Office of Civil Rights, or with the local NRCS office. It must be filed within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory incident. If it is filed with the local office, the complaint will be forwarded to the USDA Office of Civil Rights within one business day. In turn, they will forward it to the Director of the NRCS Civil Rights Compliance Division. The Director coordinates with the State Conservationist to prepare a response. NRCS has 24 days to respond to or resolve the complaint.

Call or write to file with the office of Civil Rights

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights
14th and Independence Ave, SW Mail Stop 9410
Washington, DC 20250-9410
Phone (202)720-5964
Fax (202) 205-2891

For more information, click NRCS Website for Compliance, Procedures, and Programs

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