PS Form 2565, EEO Discrimination Complaint: Filing and Amendments

PS Form 2565 is the Postal Service’s formal EEO Complaint of Discrimination. You cannot file it on its own: you must first request EEO counseling within 45 calendar days of the incident, complete that precomplaint stage, and receive PS Form 2579 (Notice of Right to File). Once you have that notice, you have 15 calendar days to mail the signed PS Form 2565 to the National EEO Investigative Services Office in Tampa.

Complete Counseling Before You Touch the Form

Federal regulations require postal employees and applicants to contact a USPS EEO counselor within 45 calendar days of the discriminatory incident, or within 45 days of the effective date of a personnel action.¹ Miss that window and the complaint can be dismissed before anyone reviews the facts.

You can start online through the EEO efile portal at efile.usps.com, which lets you submit the counseling request and track the case.² You can also mail a request to the NEEOISO EEO Contact Center, PO Box 21979, Tampa, FL 33622-1979. A mailed request counts as timely if it is postmarked within the 45-day period.³

If you file by mail, the EEO office sends back an information package. Return the completed forms within 10 calendar days, or the precomplaint may be closed for lack of information.³ An EEO ADR Specialist then contacts you and attempts to resolve the matter informally. You may also be offered REDRESS mediation, a voluntary program run by outside mediators; neither side is required to settle.⁴

When counseling ends without a resolution, you receive PS Form 2579, the Notice of Right to File. That notice starts your 15-day clock to submit PS Form 2565.

How to Fill Out PS Form 2565

The form runs two pages. You can get a blank copy from your local EEO office, your union representative, or internal USPS systems. Keep your precomplaint case number and PS Form 2579 in front of you while you fill it out.

Identifying Information

The top of the form asks for your full name, Social Security number, precomplaint case number, mailing address, email, and home and work phone numbers. Employees also enter position title and grade level, and one field asks whether you have veteran’s preference eligibility.⁵

Identify the specific postal installation where the discrimination occurred, with facility name, city, state, and ZIP+4. If more than one location is involved, list the primary one and explain the rest in the narrative section.

The Allegation Itself

Field 12 asks for the name and title of the person or people whose conduct you are challenging. Field 14 lists the bases for a discrimination claim: race, color, religion, sex, age (40 and older), national origin, retaliation, and disability.⁵ Check every basis that applies.

Field 15 is the date the alleged discrimination took place. Field 16 is the narrative: the space where you describe what happened and why you believe it was because of a protected characteristic. Be specific. Name the action, the date, the people involved, and what was said or done. General statements like “I was treated unfairly” without concrete facts weaken the complaint. Field 17 asks what you want as a remedy, such as reinstatement, back pay, a policy change, or compensatory damages. Field 18 asks whether you discussed the complaint with a Dispute Resolution Specialist or REDRESS mediator, and the date you received the Notice of Final Interview.

Representative and Signatures

Fields 13a through 13g cover your representative’s name, title, address, email, and phone numbers if you have chosen one. You are entitled to a representative at every stage, but only an attorney can sign official EEO documents on your behalf.⁵ A union steward can advise you and attend meetings, but cannot sign the form for you unless they are also a licensed attorney.

Field 19 is the EEO Dispute Resolution Specialist’s signature. Field 20 is your signature, or your attorney’s. Field 21 is the date. An unsigned form will not be accepted.

Where and When to File

Mail or deliver the completed, signed form to:

NEEOISO — FORMALS
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 21979
TAMPA FL 33622-1979

The complaint must be postmarked no later than 15 calendar days after you receive PS Form 2579.⁶ If the postmark is illegible, the filing is still timely if the form arrives by mail within five days after the 15-day period ends.⁵ Keep a copy of the signed form and your mailing receipt; you may need them to prove timely filing.

After you file, keep the EEO complaints processing office updated with your current mailing address. If they cannot reach you, the complaint may be dismissed.⁵

What Happens After You File

The Postal Service must acknowledge your complaint in writing. The acknowledgment states the official filing date, identifies the EEOC office where hearing requests are sent, and explains your right to appeal.¹

An investigator then examines the complaint. The investigation typically finishes within 180 calendar days of the filing date. You and the Postal Service can agree in writing to extend that period by up to 90 additional days, and if the complaint is consolidated or amended, the investigation can run up to 360 days from the original filing.⁷

When the investigation is complete, you receive a copy of the investigative file and 30 days to choose between two paths:¹

Request a hearing before an EEOC Administrative Judge, who issues a decision.
Request a final agency decision, in which the Postal Service decides on the investigative record without a hearing.

Either decision must include notice of your right to appeal to the EEOC or file a civil action in federal court. An EEOC appeal must be filed within 30 days of receiving the final action. If you skip the EEOC appeal and go straight to federal court, the deadline is 90 days from receipt of the final action.

Amending or Withdrawing the Complaint

While the investigation is still open, you can amend to add claims related to those already raised. File the amendment as soon as possible, ideally within 45 calendar days of the new incident.⁷ After you request a hearing, you can still amend by filing a motion with the Administrative Judge.¹

To withdraw, put the request in writing and sign it. During the precomplaint stage, send it to the EEO ADR Specialist who counseled you. During the formal complaint stage, send it to the same NEEOISO Tampa address where you filed the original.⁸ A withdrawal at the formal stage is generally final: a voluntarily withdrawn formal complaint cannot ordinarily be reopened. You can, however, withdraw at any stage if you choose.⁹

Not a Substitute for a Union Grievance

PS Form 2565 is only for EEO discrimination complaints. It is not the vehicle for the Article 15 grievance-arbitration process that APWU, NALC, and NPMHU members use for contract disputes, discipline, or working-condition complaints. Those use different forms, such as PS Form 8190, and follow the steps set in the applicable collective bargaining agreement.¹⁰

If a single situation involves both a contract violation and discrimination based on a protected characteristic, you may have a grievance and an EEO complaint moving at the same time, handled by different offices. REDRESS mediation can sometimes address both together when both sides agree.⁴

1
EEOC. Federal EEO Complaint Processing Procedures
2
United States Postal Service. EEO efile
3
United States Postal Service. Beginning the EEO Process in a Timely Manner
4
USPS. REDRESS for Employees
5
Branch 38 NALC. EEO Complaint of Discrimination in the Postal Service
6
United States Postal Service. Filing a Formal EEO Complaint in a Timely Manner
7
United States Postal Service. Waiting for Investigation of the Complaint
8
United States Postal Service. What You Need to Know About EEO – Withdrawing a Complaint
9
United States Postal Service. What You Need To Know About EEO
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National Association of Letter Carriers. Article 15 Dispute Resolution Process