Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is prohibited from employing more than 40 counselors to provide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counseling and dispute resolution services. H.R. 2788 would remove that limit.
Businesses, government agencies, and other entities are prohibited from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. EEO counselors at VA are responsible for reviewing complaints that may be related to such discrimination. Counselors support aggrieved parties and facilitate dispute resolution between affected parties, generally before formal complaints are filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency charged with enforcing federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination.
