How to Fill Out and File DA Form 7279: Deadline, Filing, and Appeals

To fill out DA Form 7279, complete Part I yourself: enter your identifying information in Blocks 1 through 7, write a detailed factual account of the discrimination or harassment in Block 8a, state the outcome you want in Block 8b, and sign under oath in Block 9a before an official authorized to administer oaths. Parts II through IV are filled in later by the command and, if you appeal, the appellate authority. The form is available through the Army Publishing Directorate, and it should be filed within 60 calendar days of the incident.¹

What Filing This Form Sets in Motion

DA Form 7279 is the formal Military Equal Opportunity complaint document under Army Regulation 600-20. Filing it obligates the command to appoint an investigating officer and follow the mandatory timelines in AR 600-20. It also gives you the right to receive a redacted copy of the investigating officer’s report and to appeal the outcome. An informal complaint uses no form and carries no mandatory investigation timeline or appeal right, so if you want a documented record the Army must act on, the formal route is the one that produces it.

Conduct the Form Covers

DA Form 7279 is for complaints alleging unlawful discrimination or harassment based on six protected categories: race, color, sex (including gender identity), national origin, religion, and sexual orientation.¹ The form also applies to hazing, bullying, and other discriminatory harassment even when the behavior does not neatly fall under a single protected category. Protections apply on and off post, during duty and non-duty hours, and cover work, living, and recreational environments including off-post housing.

Filling Out Part I

Part I is yours. Getting it right is what determines whether your complaint moves forward cleanly or stalls.

Blocks 1 Through 7: Your Identifying Information

These blocks ask for your name, rank, Social Security number, unit, race or ethnic group, gender, and the date you are filing.² Fill every field. The form’s privacy notice states that providing the requested information is voluntary, but failure to do so can lead to rejection for inadequate data. Use your current unit designation, because that determines which commander receives the complaint.

Block 8a: Nature of Complaint

Block 8a is the heart of the form. The printed instructions ask you to provide, in as much detail as possible, the basis for your complaint along with a description of the incident or behavior, the dates it occurred, the names of anyone involved, witnesses, and whether you reported it previously.² You can attach additional sheets, and you should. Cramming a complex situation into a small box weakens it.

Write this section as a factual timeline. Start with the earliest relevant event and move forward. For each incident, include:

Who was involved: name, rank, and unit of the person whose conduct you are reporting, along with any witnesses present.
What happened: the specific words or actions, as close to verbatim as you can recall.
When it occurred: exact dates and approximate times. If you are describing a pattern, list each occurrence separately.
Where it happened: building, room, training area, or online platform.
The protected basis: state which category the conduct relates to. An investigator has to connect the behavior to a protected category, so make that connection explicit.

Reference any supporting evidence you have, such as emails, text messages, screenshots, or sworn statements from witnesses. You do not attach those documents to the form itself, but naming them tells the investigating officer where to look. Stick to what you observed. Speculation about someone’s motives reads weaker than a straightforward account of what they said and did.

If you are filing outside the 60-day window, explain the reason for the delay here. The commander has discretion to accept a late complaint, and a clear explanation in Block 8a is what supports that decision.

Block 8b: Requested Remedy

Block 8b asks a single question: “What do you think the final outcome should be?”² The command is not bound by your answer, but a clear request helps frame the investigation. Common remedies include corrective training, a formal apology, reassignment to a different section, or disciplinary action against the offender. Be specific. “I want to be moved to a different platoon” gives the commander something actionable; “I want this to stop” does not.

Block 9a: Sworn Signature

Block 9a requires your signature under oath. You sign in the presence of an official authorized to administer oaths, typically the Equal Opportunity Advisor or another designated person. This sworn statement gives the complaint legal weight. The remaining sub-blocks in Block 9 are completed by the receiving agency to document who accepted the complaint and when.

Where to File and the 60-Day Deadline

You can file DA Form 7279 with any of the following: your chain of command, an Equal Opportunity Advisor, the Inspector General, the Housing Referral Office, the Judge Advocate General, Military Police or the Criminal Investigation Division, a chaplain, or a medical agency.³ Filing at the lowest echelon of command, typically battalion or company level, is standard because it produces the fastest response from the commander with direct authority over the situation.

If the person you are complaining about is in your chain of command, the complaint is referred to the next higher commander.³ Complaints against a promotable colonel, a general officer (active or retired), an inspector general, a member of the Senior Executive Service, or executive schedule personnel are transferred directly to the Investigations Division of the U.S. Army Inspector General Agency within two working days.¹

Formal complaints should be filed within 60 calendar days of the incident.¹ The deadline exists because witnesses’ memories fade and evidence becomes harder to gather. If you miss the window, you can still file, but the commander has discretion to accept or decline depending on the reason for the delay and whether a meaningful investigation is still possible. Do not let a missed deadline stop you from filing if the situation is serious. Explain the delay in Block 8a.

What Happens After You File

The receiving agency has three calendar days to refer the complaint to the appropriate commander.² That commander acknowledges receipt and appoints an investigating officer to conduct an AR 15-6 investigation. The investigation must begin within 30 days of the acknowledgment, and the entire process must be completed within 60 days.¹ Reserve component timelines run on drill-period cycles rather than calendar days. All formal complaints must be reported to the first General Court-Martial Convening Authority in the chain of command within 72 hours.

The investigating officer interviews the parties, reviews evidence, and produces a report. The unit’s Equal Opportunity representative also reviews the investigation, an additional layer that distinguishes an EO investigation from a routine AR 15-6 inquiry. The commander then records the decision in Part II (Blocks 10 and 11), indicating whether the allegations are substantiated or unsubstantiated.² Both you and the subject of the complaint receive notification. You have the right to request a redacted copy of the report.

If the complaint is substantiated, the commander must consider appropriate action, ranging from corrective training and administrative measures to action under Articles 92, 133, or 134 of the UCMJ. Incidents involving potential criminal behavior must also be reported or referred to law enforcement.¹ Corrective actions are documented in Part III (Block 12).

Appealing the Findings

If you disagree with the findings, you have seven calendar days from notification to submit a written appeal using Part IV (Block 13).² Explain specifically why you believe the findings were wrong. Point to evidence the investigator overlooked, witnesses who were not interviewed, or conclusions that contradict the facts in the report. A vague statement of dissatisfaction is unlikely to change the outcome.

The first appeal typically goes to the brigade-level command. If it is denied, you have a second and final appeal to the General Court-Martial Convening Authority, which serves as the final decision-maker.³ The second appeal must also be filed within seven days of receiving the first appeal’s decision. If you choose not to appeal, the case is considered closed.

Protection Against Retaliation

Army policy prohibits retaliation against anyone who files a discrimination or harassment complaint. Retaliation is itself a violation of MEO policy and can result in UCMJ action under Articles 92, 133, or 134. If the retaliation comes from your immediate commander or first-line supervisor, the next level of command takes over responsibility for the case.¹ Part III (Block 12a) requires the commander to document actions taken to prevent reprisal, not only actions to resolve the original complaint. If you experience retaliation after filing, report it immediately through the same channels: your EO Advisor, the Inspector General, or the next higher commander.

1
U.S. Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 600-20, Chapter 6 – Military Equal Opportunity Policy and Program
2
Army Real. DA Form 7279 Equal Opportunity Complaint Form
3
U.S. Army Fort McCoy. Equal Opportunity Complaint Process