EEOC Appeal 2026002666

OCR transcription for search; preserved printed pages are authoritative

U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
Office of Federal Sector
P.O. Box 77960
Washington, DC 20013

Zoila om

Complainant,

Vv.

Douglas A. Collins,

Secretary,
Department of Veterans Affairs

(Veterans Health Administration),
Agency.
Appeal No. 2026002666
Hearing No. 480-2025-00020X
Agency No. 200P-691-2023-154470

DECISION

Complainant filed an appeal with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC or Commission), pursuant to 29 C.F.R. § 1614.403(a), from the Agency’s
June 2, 2026 final order concerning her equal employment opportunity (EEO)
complaint of employment discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 (Title VID), as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. and the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 621
et seq. For the following reasons, the Commission AFFIRMS the Agency’s final

order.

1 This case has been randomly assigned a pseudonym which will replace
Complainant’s name when the decision is published to non-parties and the

Commission’s website.

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At the time of events giving rise to this complaint, Complainant worked as a Chief
Nurse, Hospital Operations & Patient Flow at the Agency’s West Los Angeles VA
Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
On October 4, 2023, Complainant filed an EEO complaint alleging that the Agency
subjected her to discrimination and a hostile work environment on the bases of race
(African American), sex (female), age (37), and reprisal (prior protected EEO
activity) as evidenced by multiple incidents including, inter alia, actions related to a
detail assignment; language added to her Executive Career Field rating; her
complaints were not addressed and she was accused of being the problem; and her
requests for assistance were ignored.2
At the conclusion of the investigation, the Agency provided Complainant with a
copy of the report of investigation and notice of her right to request a hearing before
an EEOC Administrative Judge (AJ). Complainant timely requested a hearing. The
AJ granted the Agency’s motion and issued a summary judgment decision finding
that Complainant was not subjected to discrimination or reprisal as alleged. The
Agency subsequently issued a final order fully adopting the AJ’s decision. 	The
instant appeal followed.
Having thoroughly reviewed the record and construing any inferences raised by the
undisputed facts in favor of Complainant, we find that a reasonable factfinder could
not find in Complainant’s favor. We find that the alleged incidents, even assuming
they occurred as described by Complainant, were more likely the result of routine
supervision, personality conflicts, and general workplace disputes and tribulations
and are therefore insufficiently severe or pervasive to establish a discriminatory
hostile work environment and not sufficiently material to deter protected activity to
establish a retaliatory hostile work environment.
Furthermore, 	the 	record 	is 	devoid 	of 	evidence 	beyond 	Complainant’s 	mere
speculation and suspicion that the alleged conduct was based on discriminatory or
retaliatory animus. For example, the record shows that Complainant was placed in a
detail assignment as a Staff Nurse to the Care in Community pending a fact-finding
investigation into harassment allegations against Complainant.
2 While the matter was pending before an EEOC Administrative Judge, Complainant
withdrew numerous additional claims.

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The detail was expected to last 90 days, but Complainant was informed that it could
be extended for “investigative circumstances” or “organizational needs.” The detail
was initially extended because the fact-finding process was not completed. 	The
investigation substantiated the allegation that Complainant had harassed another
employee.
We also find that Complainant failed to establish that the explanations for the
employment actions at issue herein were a pretext for discriminatory or retaliatory
animus.
Upon careful review of the AJ’s decision and the evidence of record, including
arguments on appeal, we conclude that the AJ correctly determined that the
preponderance of the evidence did not establish that Complainant was discriminated
against by the Agency as alleged. Accordingly, we AFFIRM the Agency’s final
order implementing the AJ’s decision.
STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL
RECONSIDERATION (M1125)
The Commission may, in its discretion, reconsider this appellate decision if
Complainant or the Agency submits a written request that contains arguments or
evidence that tend to establish that:
1. 	The appellate decision involved a clearly erroneous interpretation of
material fact or law; or
2. 	The appellate decision will have a substantial impact on the policies,
practices, or operations of the agency.
Requests for reconsideration must be filed with EEOC’s Office of Federal Sector
(OFS) within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of this decision. 	If the party
requesting reconsideration elects to file a statement or brief in support of the request,
that 	statement 	or 	brief 	must 	be 	filed 	together 	with 	the 	request 	for
reconsideration. 	A party shall have twenty (20) calendar days from receipt of
another party’s request for reconsideration within which to submit a brief or
statement in opposition. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.405; Equal Employment Opportunity
Management Directive for 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 (EEO MD-110), at Chap. 9 § VII.B
(Aug. 5, 2015).

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Complainant should submit their request for reconsideration, and any statement or
brief in support of their request, via the EEOC Public Portal, which can be found at
https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx. 	Alternatively, Complainant can
submit their request and arguments to the Director, Office of Federal Sector, Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission, via regular mail addressed to P.O. Box
77960, Washington, DC 20013, or by certified mail addressed to 131 M Street, NE,
Washington, DC 20507. 	In the absence of a legible postmark, a complainant’s
request to reconsider shall be deemed timely filed if OFS receives it by mail within
five days of the expiration of the applicable filing period. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.604.
An agency’s request for reconsideration must be submitted in digital format via the
EEOC’s Federal Sector EEO Portal (FedSEP). See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.403(g). Either
party’s request and/or statement or brief in opposition must also include proof of
service on the other party, unless Complainant files their request via the EEOC
Public Portal, in which case no proof of service is required.
Failure to file within the 30-day time period will result in dismissal of the party’s
request for reconsideration as untimely, unless extenuating circumstances prevented
the timely filing of the request. 	Any supporting documentation must be
submitted together with the request for reconsideration. 	The Commission will
consider requests for reconsideration filed after the deadline only in very limited
circumstances. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.604(f).
COMPLAINANT’S RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S0124)
You have the right to file a civil action in an appropriate United States District Court
within ninety (90) calendar days from the date that you receive this decision. 	If
you file a civil action, you must name as the defendant in the complaint the person
who is the official Agency head or department head, identifying that person by their
full name and official title. Failure to do so may result in the dismissal of your case
in court. 	“Agency” or “department” means the national organization, and not the
local office, facility or department in which you work. If you file a request to
reconsider and also file a civil action, filing a civil action will terminate the
administrative processing of your complaint.

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RIGHT TO REQUEST COUNSEL (Z0815)
If you want to file a civil action but cannot pay the fees, costs, or security to do so,
you may request permission from the court to proceed with the civil action without
paying these fees or costs. Similarly, if you cannot afford an attorney to represent
you in the civil action, you may request the court to appoint an attorney for you. You
must submit the requests for waiver of court costs or appointment of an
attorney directly to the court, not the Commission. The court has the sole
discretion to grant or deny these types of requests. Such requests do not alter the
time limits for filing a civil action (please read the paragraph titled Complainant’s
Right to File a Civil Action for the specific time limits).
FOR THE COMMISSION:
T. Gimbrere 	_________
T. Gimbrere, Acting Director
Office of Federal Sector
September 22, 2026
Date