Employment discrimination questionnaire
What we investigate
The Civil Rights Division (CRD) investigates allegations of employment discrimination or retaliation and any supporting substantial evidence you submit.
Employment at will
Oregon is an "employment at will" state, which means that employers are free to hire and fire for any reason that does not violate the law. Not all unfair discriminatory treatment is unlawful.
Time limits
For most claims, you must file a complaint within one year of the date of any discriminatory action/harm. The Workplace Fairness Act has extended filing timelines up to 5 years for some Oregon discrimination claims occurring on or after September 29, 2019. Please submit your questionnaire promptly to allow time for the intake interview, drafting of the charge, sending/receiving time, signing and returning to BOLI before the deadlines expire.
What is the questionnaire?
The questionnaire is a form that assists the intake staff in determining whether the division has jurisdiction to investigate the claims, and if so, the information provided on this form will be used to draft the complaint. If you file a formal complaint, the questionnaire will become part of a public record once the case is closed.
Filling out the questionnaire
You must complete all applicable portions of this questionnaire. Additional documents are not required at this stage.
Procedure
Submitting your questionnaire is the first step in the Civil Rights complaint process. A questionnaire is not a complaint. After you have submitted your questionnaire, it will be assigned to an intake officer for further review.
If there is not enough information in the questionnaire for the intake officer to determine whether the Civil Rights Division can accept a complaint, you may receive a letter informing you that we are unable to proceed with your complaint. You may choose to provide more information to the contact person listed on the letter to help us determine if we can help.
You may also receive a letter indicating that the Civil Rights Division is unable to investigate your complaint because your complaint is not based on a law we enforce, or the situation occurred too long ago. You may choose to speak with an attorney about your rights.
If the information you provided in the questionnaire indicates that the Civil Rights Division may be able to investigate, an intake officer will either write a formal complaint for you or contact you for further information to assist them with writing your formal complaint. Once the formal complaint is written, it will be sent to you to review and sign. A complaint is not filed until BOLI has received a signed complaint from you.
Currently, the Civil Rights Division has a high volume of questionnaires waiting to be assigned to an intake officer. Please be sure that you have entered the date of the most recent adverse action as accurately as possible and have filled out all fields in the questionnaire to the best of your ability. Please contact us if there are any significant changes related to your case. Your inquiry is important to us, we thank you for your patience.
Contact Information
It is your responsibility to contact this office in writing advising us of changes in your address or phone number.
Retaliation
Retaliation is often not unlawful. For the Civil Rights Division to have jurisdiction over a retaliation claim, you must show that the retaliation occurred because of your involvement in a protected activity. There are many instances of retaliation over which the Civil Rights Division does not have jurisdiction.
Private attorney
You may consult an attorney at any time before or during a Civil Rights Division investigation. Your attorney may also draft and submit your complaint, but it must contain your signature. You are not required to retain an attorney.