Equal Employment Opportunity

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The Peace Corps is committed to providing equal opportunity to all employees, Volunteers, and applicants for employment and Volunteer service.

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Peace Corps policy prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or over), disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, union membership, genetic information, or history of participation in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process, grievance procedure, or any authorized complaint procedure.

The Peace Corps’ success in embracing and leveraging the diversity of its employees and Volunteers is central to its goal of promoting a greater understanding of Americans throughout the world through the reflection of America's diversity. The Peace Corps invites you to join our agency as we continue to help fulfill the realization of a fully inclusive workplace where everyone's abilities and skills are appreciated.

Additional note on accessibility: The Peace Corps is committed to ensuring that the agency is accessible to and inclusive of people with disabilities. For information on accessibility and to find out how to request a reasonable accommodation or personal assistance services, please see the Peace Corps’ accessibility statement.

If you are an employee, applicant (to an agency job, Peace Corps Volunteer service, or Peace Corps Response service), trainee, current Volunteer, or returned Volunteer, and you believe you have been discriminated against and/or harassed, federal regulations require that agencies provide for the counseling of aggrieved employees and applicants and for the prompt, fair, and impartial processing of complaints of discrimination or harassment. 

Discrimination complaints

Discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or over), disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, union membership, genetic information, or history of participation in the EEO process, grievance procedure, or any authorized complaint procedure is prohibited in the federal government. Peace Corps policies require that we provide for the counseling of those aggrieved and for the prompt, fair, and impartial processing of complaints of discrimination.

Claims of discriminatory treatment are handled through the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity. The informal complaint process provides an opportunity to resolve complaints through counseling or through an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process. Claims that are not resolved through counseling or ADR can be filed as formal complaints and proceed through the formal EEO complaint process.

EEO counseling program

The first step for an employee, employee applicant, Volunteer applicant, trainee, current Volunteer, or returned Volunteer who believes that the Peace Corps has discriminated against him/her on one of the bases listed above is to consult with the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity. A collateral duty EEO counselor will be assigned to work with the aggrieved person through the informal counseling process.

The Peace Corps has collateral duty EEO counselors throughout the organization, in the headquarters office, and in the regional recruitment offices, to serve Peace Corps staff and applicants in the United States and overseas.

The role of the EEO counselor is to act as a bridge between the aggrieved person and management to seek informal resolution of matters, which could give rise to a formal complaint of discrimination. The EEO counselor does not act as an investigator, an advocate for management or the complainant, or as a judge of the merits of the allegation(s).

The Office of Civil Rights and Diversity will provide an opportunity for complaints to be resolved through the ADR process. The ADR process is an informal, voluntary process for complaints to be resolved through mediation and settlement rather than litigation.

Informal complaint procedures

If you feel you have experienced discrimination, please take the following steps:

Employees and employee applicants:

  1. Contact the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity within 45 calendar days of the date of the incident that is the cause of your complaint.
  2. During the next 30 calendar days, the counselor will attempt to help you resolve your complaint, or
  3. Staff may also use the ADR program.
  4. If your complaint is not resolved through counseling within 30 days, or within 90 days through ADR, you have 15 calendar days from the date of your final interview with the EEO counselor to file a formal complaint.

Volunteer applicants, trainees, current Volunteers, and returned Volunteers:

  1. Contact the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity within 60 calendar days of the date of the incident that is the cause of your complaint.
  2. During the next 30 calendar days, the counselor will attempt to help you resolve your complaint, or
  3. You may also use the ADR program to resolve your complaint.
  4. If your complaint is not resolved through counseling within 30 days, or within 90 days through ADR, you have 15 calendar days from the date of your final interview with the EEO counselor to file a formal complaint.

Formal complaint process

If an allegation of discrimination is not resolved through counseling or through the ADR process, the aggrieved person has the right to file a formal complaint of discrimination. The complaint must be submitted in writing and be signed by the complainant. The complaint may be delivered in person or submitted by mail to the EEO manager of the Peace Corps Office of Civil Rights and Diversity.

The complaint is reviewed for compliance with procedural guidelines, such as timeliness, and to determine if the allegation(s) are within the purview of equal opportunity laws. If the complaint meets these requirements, it is then assigned to an independent investigator.

The role of the investigator is to collect factual information concerning the issues in the complaint and to prepare an investigative report. If the complaint is not settled or the complainant is not satisfied with the results of the investigation, employees and employee applicants have the right to request a final agency decision or request a hearing from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Those in the Volunteer Corps will be issued a final agency decision after the investigation is complete.

Contact information

Peace Corps
Office of Civil Rights and Diversity
1275 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20526
[email protected]
202.692.2139