Karen Boone, Complainant,v.Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary, Department of the Treasury (Internal Revenue Service), Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionFeb 17, 2011
0120101775 (E.E.O.C. Feb. 17, 2011)

0120101775

02-17-2011

Karen Boone, Complainant, v. Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary, Department of the Treasury (Internal Revenue Service), Agency.


Karen Boone,

Complainant,

v.

Timothy F. Geithner,

Secretary,

Department of the Treasury

(Internal Revenue Service),

Agency.

Appeal No. 0120101775

Hearing No. 490-2009-00070X

Agency No. EEODFS-07-0883-F

DECISION

On March 25, 2010, Complainant timely filed an appeal from the Agency's

February 26, 2010, final decision concerning her equal employment

opportunity (EEO) complaint alleging employment discrimination in

violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), as

amended, 42 U.S.C. � 2000e et seq., and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation

Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), as amended, 29 U.S.C. � 791 et seq.

The Commission accepts it pursuant to 29 C.F.R. � 1614.405(a). For the

following reasons, the Commission AFFIRMS the Agency's final decision.

ISSUES PRESENTED

The issues presented are: (1) whether a portion of Complainant's

complaint should be dismissed for untimely EEO Counselor contact;

(2) whether Complainant was denied a reasonable accommodation of her

claimed disability; (3) whether the Agency violated the Rehabilitation

Act by disclosing Complainant's medical documentation; and (4) whether

Complainant was subjected to disparate treatment and harassment as

alleged.

BACKGROUND

At the time of events giving rise to this complaint, Complainant worked

as a Senior Information Security Specialist, GS-13, at the Agency's

Disaster Recovery Office, Modernization and Information Technology

Services facility in Memphis, Tennessee. ROI, EEO Counselor's Report,

at 38-41. Complainant has been diagnosed with, among other things,

Congestive Heart Failure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,

Gastrointestinal Reflux, Fibromyalgia, Immune Deficiency, Hypertension,

and Bronchitis. ROI, Complainant's Decl., at 125. Complainant has provided

medical documentation from her doctor to her first-level Supervisor

(S1) supporting her conditions. Id. Complainant, due to her conditions,

has difficulty attending work regularly because she has shortness of

breath and difficulty with concentration and stamina. Id. at 126. As a

result, Complainant was absent in excess of eight months for her 2007

rating period. ROI, January 14, 2008, Letter to Complainant, at 456.

Beginning in March 2007, Complainant submitted reasonable accommodation

requests to be allowed to work at home on a full-time basis. ROI,

Complainant's Decl., at 129.

On May 16, 2007, Complainant mailed to the Agency medical documentation

that S1 requested. Id. at 141. Erroneously assuming the documentation

pertained to a tax matter, the Agency's tax office correspondence

extraction unit scanned Complainant's medical documentation into the

Agency's document management system, which was forwarded to the tax

examination unit. ROI, IT Security Specialist Decl., at 530. The tax

office was unable to determine that Complainant's documentation, intended

for S1, pertained to the internal employment matter. Id. On July 30,

2007, S1 notified Complainant that she had not received the requested

medical information. ROI, S1 Decl., at 426; ROI, Complainant's Decl.,

at 141. However, Complainant notified S1 that she had already sent

the information. ROI, Complainant's Decl., at 141. After receiving

notification from the extraction unit, management removed Complainant's

medical documentation from the tax document management system. ROI,

S1 Decl., at 427.

In a letter dated August 17, 2007, to Complainant, S1, citing

Complainant's use of leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

noted:

I am sympathetic regarding your medical condition. However, even if you

choose to use FMLA leave, your absence from work cannot be tolerated

indefinitely. Your absence has caused hardships in your unit, since it

has one less person to do required work. Your fellow employees are forced

to do work that you would perform if you were present. This negatively

affects the morale of the unit. Thus, if you choose to use FMLA leave,

as described above, you must be available for duty onsite on a regular,

full-time basis by the

time your FMLA leave expires, i.e., when you have used 480 hours of

FMLA leave. If not, you will be recorded as AWOL and adverse action up

to and including removal from

the service may result.

ROI, August 17, 2007, Letter, at 97-98.

Complainant continued to request that she be allowed to work from home as

accommodation. On September 11, 2007, management found that it could not

accommodate Complainant because much of her job duties required customer

interaction to develop compliance security reviews, reports, and audits

that required her physical presence in the office. ROI, Complainant's

Decl. at 131; ROI, S1 Decl., 420-421. Thereafter, On September 12, 2007,

Complainant requested that she be reassigned to a GS-13 position, which

would allow her to work at home. As a result, the EEO specialist sent

an email to Complainant notifying her that her request for reassignment

had been assigned for processing. ROI, Complainant's Decl. at 131.

On January 7, 2008, S1 sent Complainant her appraisal for the year ending

November 30, 2007, noting, "Due to a chronic illness situation, which

has prohibited the employee from being able to come into the office to

complete work, I am not able to rate the employee at this time." ROI,

Complainant's Performance Appraisal, at 319. Therefore, Complainant

received a "Not Ratable" rating from S1. Id.

After searching from October 2007 to March 2008, the Agency found a

vacant position for Complainant. ROI, S1 Decl., at 418. Thereafter,

on April 4, 2008, the Agency reassigned Complainant to the position of

Management and Program Analyst, GS-13. Id. at 430.

As a result of the above events, on August 9, 2007, Complainant made

initial contact with an EEO counselor. Thereafter, on October 11,

2007, Complainant filed an EEO complaint, amended on April 19, 2008,

alleging that the Agency discriminated against her on the bases of race

(African-American), disability, and reprisal for prior protected EEO

activity1 when:

1. her requests for reasonable accommodation in the form of telecommuting

were denied from May 2007 to the present;

2. in a May 2, 2007 letter, S1 advised her that she would be charged

Absent Without Leave (AWOL) retroactively for April 16 through May 2,

2007;

3. on or about May 21, 2007, S1 denied her leave under FMLA;

4. on or about May 21, 2007, S1 denied her the opportunity to participate

in the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program and the Voluntary Leave Bank

Program;

5. on or about July 19 and 26, 2007, the Agency scanned her confidential

medical information into the tax system and associated it with her 2006

tax return;

6. on July 30, 2007, S1 requested medical information previously provided

on two occasions;

7. on August 6 and 27, 2007, S1 shared her confidential medical

information with another employee without her consent;

8. in an August 17, 2007, letter, S1 made inappropriate comments about

her disability; and

9. S1 issued a "Not Ratable" rating on her annual performance appraisal

on January 7, 2008.

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 but subsequently withdrew her request.

Consequently, the Agency issued a final decision pursuant to 29 C.F.R. �

1614.110(b). The decision concluded that Complainant failed to prove

that the Agency subjected her to discrimination as alleged.

The Agency dismissed claim 1 for untimely counselor contact, noting

that Complainant contacted an EEO counselor beyond the 45-day regulatory

limitation period. Final Agency Decision, at 2. Alternatively, the Agency

addressed claim 1 on the merits, noting that Complainant could not work at

home because the nature of her work involved on-site interactions. Id. at

20. As a result, the Agency noted that Complainant could not perform the

essential functions of her position. Id. The Agency further noted that

Complainant accepted reassignment to an equivalent G-13 position, which

allowed her to work from home. Id. As such, the Agency determined that

Complainant was reasonably accommodated for her disability. Id. The Agency

also dismissed claim 2 for untimely counselor contact. Id. at 21. As

for claims 3 and 4, the Agency noted that Complainant never established

that she submitted requests under any of the programs. Id. Therefore,

the Agency noted, Complainant failed to establish a prima facie case

of discrimination because there was no adverse action taken against

her. Id.

As for claim 5, the Agency noted that employees at its extraction

unit are only responsible for scanning mail and are not charged with

reading mail received. Id. at 21-22. The Agency further noted that

employees in the tax extraction unit were unable to indentify the

nature of Complainant's correspondence and treated it as ordinary

taxpayer documentation. Id. at 22. Therefore, the Agency found that

this circumstance could not be considered a disclosure of medical

information in violation of the Rehabilitation Act. Regarding claim 6,

the Agency noted that S1 was only reminding Complainant of medical

documentation she had not yet received. Id. With respect to claim 7,

the Agency noted that the August 6, 2006, letter to the Human Resources

Specialist concerned the validity of Complainant's absences, which

required guidance on employee relations matters. Id. As such, the

Agency noted that the disclosure of Complainant's medical information

was job-related and necessary. Therefore, the Agency determined the

disclosure was not improper. Id. For claim 8, the Agency noted that its

August 17, 2007, letter could not be considered unwelcome, severe, or

hostile conduct. Id. at 22-23. As for claim 9, the Agency noted that the

"Not Ratable" rating was issued because there was insufficient work on

which to evaluate Complainant due to her absences. Id.

CONTENTIONS ON APPEAL

Complainant did not submit a brief on appeal. The Agency requests that

its finding of no discrimination be affirmed.

ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

Standard of Review

As this is an appeal from a decision issued without a hearing, pursuant

to 29 C.F.R. � 1614.110(b), the Agency's decision is subject to de novo

review by the Commission. 29 C.F.R. � 1614.405(a). See Equal Employment

Opportunity Management Directive for 29 C.F.R. Part 1614, at Chapter 9,

� VI.A. (November 9, 1999) (explaining that the de novo standard of review

"requires that the Commission examine the record without regard to the

factual and legal determinations of the previous decision maker," and

that EEOC "review the documents, statements, and testimony of record,

including any timely and relevant submissions of the parties, and

. . . issue its decision based on the Commission's own assessment of

the record and its interpretation of the law").

Procedural Dismissals (Claims 2-4)

EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. � 1614.105(a)(1) requires complaints of

discrimination to be brought to the attention of the EEO Counselor

within 45 days of the date of the claimed discriminatory matter, or,

in the case of a personnel action, within 45 days of the effective date

of the action. The Commission's regulations, however, provide that the

time limit will be extended when the complainant shows that he or she

was not notified of the time limits and was not otherwise aware of them,

that he or she did not know and reasonably should not have known that

the discriminatory matter or personnel action occurred, that despite

due diligence he or she was prevented by circumstances beyond his or

her control from contacting the counselor within the time limits, or for

other reasons considered sufficient by the agency or the Commission. See

29 C.F.R. � 1614.105(a)(2).

The record discloses that the alleged discriminatory events in claims 2

through 4 occurred in May 2007. We find that Complainant did not initiate

contact with an EEO Counselor until August 9, 2007, which is beyond

the forty-five (45) day limitation period. On appeal, Complainant has

presented no persuasive arguments or evidence warranting an extension

of the time limit for initiating EEO Counselor contact. Therefore,

we find that claims 2 though 4 are untimely and must be dismissed.2

Reasonable Accommodation (Claim 1)

Under the Commission's regulations, an agency is required to make

reasonable accommodation of the known physical and mental limitations

of a qualified individual with a disability unless the agency can

show that accommodation would cause an undue hardship. 29 C.F.R. �

1630.9. "Reasonable accommodation" is defined in part by our regulations

as "[m]odifications or adjustments to the work environment, or to

the manner or circumstances under which the position held or desired

is customarily performed, that enable a qualified individual with a

disability to perform the essential functions of that position." 29

C.F.R. � 1630.2(o)(ii). We find that, assuming without finding so that

Complainant is a qualified individual with a disability pursuant to

the Rehabilitation Act, the Agency has provided her with a reasonable

accommodation.

When an individual with a disability cannot be accommodated in their

current position, an Agency is then obligated to consider the availability

of a reassignment as an accommodation. When provided as a reasonable

accommodation, a reassignment must be to a vacant position equivalent in

terms of pay, status, and other related factors, including benefits, if

the employee is qualified for the position. See EEOC Enforcement Guidance

on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the Americans with

Disabilities Act (Guidance), Notice No. 915.002 (rev. Oct. 17, 2002). If

there are no vacant equivalent positions, then an agency may consider

reassigning the individual to a vacant lower level position. Id.

Complainant's specific request for accommodation for her disability was

that she be allowed to perform her Information Security Specialist job

duties at home on a full-time basis. However, the record reflects that

Complainant's job required customer interaction and service to develop

compliance security reviews, reports, and audits, which required her

physical presence at the office. ROI, S1 Decl., at 417; ROI, Complainant's

Position Description, at 552. Accordingly, we find that the Agency

properly took the next step and began to search for vacant positions

for Complainant. The record reflects that from October 2007 to April

2008 the Agency searched for a vacant position for Complainant. ROI,

Reasonable Accommodation Tracking Log, at 593-597. As a result, on

April 4, 2008, the Agency reassigned Complainant to the position of

Management and Program Analyst at the same grade level as her prior

position. Id. at 597. Thus, we concur with the Agency's finding that

it did not violate the Rehabilitation Act in this regard.

Medical Confidentiality (Claims 5 and 7)

We note that, generally, medical information must be kept

confidential. See Guidance (describing the limited exceptions to the

medical confidentiality requirements). Specifically, footnote 111 of

the Guidance states as follows: "The limited exceptions to the ADA

confidentiality requirements are: (1) supervisors and managers may be

told about necessary restrictions on the work or duties of the employee

and about necessary accommodations; (2) first aid and safety personnel

may be told if the disability might require emergency treatment; and

(3) government officials investigating compliance with the ADA must be

given relevant information on request."

In regards to claim 5, although it is undisputed that the Agency

scanned Complainant's medical information into the Agency's tax

system, Complainant has not persuaded the Commission that the

Agency is responsible for a breach of medical confidentiality. The

record reflects that the Agency was not aware that the correspondence

Complainant sent contained her confidential medical information. ROI,

IT Security Specialist Decl., at 530. The record reflects that the

tax office routinely scans incoming correspondence into the document

management system in order to track tax matters; as such, it assumed that

Complainant's correspondence pertained to her taxes. Id. Thereafter,

upon notification, management promptly removed her medical information

from the document management system. ROI, S1 Aff., at 427. The evidence

in the record does not substantiate that the scanning of Complainant's

information came at management's behest or that management was lax in

its efforts to maintain the confidentiality of Complainant's medical

records. Also, although Complainant's medical information may have

been in plain view of other Agency employees, there is no evidence

that her medical information was used inappropriately. See Cornelius

v. U.S. Postal Serv., EEOC Appeal No. 0120073652 (June 4, 2009) (finding

that although complaint's medical information ended up in plain view

of agency employees, complainant failed to persuade the Commission that

the agency was responsible for a breach of medical confidentiality).

With respect to claim 7, Complainant contends that S1 improperly

disclosed her medical information to the Agency's Human Resources

Specialist. However, the evidence of record does not support Complainant's

contention here. Although the Agency's Human Resource Specialist had

access to Complainant's medical information, we find that the she had

implicit authorization to review this information by virtue of her

role as the point of contact in the Agency's reasonable accommodation

process. See 29 C.F.R. � 1630.14(c). The record reflects that S1 contacted

the Human Resource Specialist seeking direction in providing Complainant

with a reasonable accommodation. ROI, Human Resource Specialist Decl.,

at 519. Therefore, we find no improper disclosure here.3

to the extent that Complainant alleges a violation of her privacy rights

under the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. � 552(g)(1), we find that this is outside

the Commission's jurisdiction. See Bucci v. Department of Education,

EEOC Request Nos. 05890289, 05890290, 05890291 (April 12, 1989).

Disparate Treatment

To prevail in a disparate treatment claim such as this, Complainant

must satisfy the three-part evidentiary scheme fashioned by the Supreme

Court in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973). She must

generally establish a prima facie case by demonstrating that she was

subjected to an adverse employment action under circumstances that would

support an inference of discrimination. Furnco Constr. Co. v. Waters,

438 U.S. 567, 576 (1978). The prima facie inquiry may be dispensed

with in this case with respect to Complainant's claims, however,

because the Agency has articulated legitimate and nondiscriminatory

reasons for its conduct. See U.S. Postal Serv. Board of Governors

v. Aikens, 460 U.S. 711, 713-17 (1983); Holley v. Dep't of Veterans

Affairs, EEOC Request No. 05950842 (Nov. 13, 1997). To ultimately

prevail, Complainant must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence,

that the Agency's explanation is a pretext for discrimination. Reeves

v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 143 (2000); St Mary's

Honor Ctr. v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 519 (1993); Tex. Dep't of Cmty. Affairs

v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 256 (1981); Holley, EEOC Request No. 05950842;

Pavelka v. Dep't of the Navy, EEOC Request No. 05950351 (Dec. 14, 1995).

Assuming, arguendo, that Complainant has established a prima facie

case on the bases of race, disability, and reprisal, we determine that

the Agency articulated legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for its

actions. Specifically, with respect to claim 1, the Agency noted that

it did not allow Complainant to work at home because her job duties

required her physical presence in the office. ROI, S1 Decl., at 417. As

for claim 5, the Agency noted that employees in the tax extraction unit

were unable to indentify Complainant's correspondence and treated it as

ordinary taxpayer documentation, requiring it to scan the documentation.4

Id. at 427. Regarding claim 6, the Agency noted that S1 was not aware that

the Agency had inadvertently scanned Complainant's medical information

into the Agency's tax system. Id. As a result, unaware that the Agency

received Complainant's documentation, S1 mistakenly reminded Complainant

that she needed to send the medical information. Id. Regarding claim 7,

the Agency noted that its August 6, 2006, letter to the Human Resources

Specialist concerned the validity of Complainant's absences, which was

an attempt to accommodate Complainant's disability. ROI, S1 Decl.,

at 422; ROI, S1 Decl., at 428. For claim 8, the Agency noted that

the August 17, 2007, letter was sent to Complainant because of her

excessive absences. ROI, S1 Decl., at 428. In that respect, the Agency

noted that this was a standard letter sent to all Agency employees who

have excessive absences. Id. As for claim 9, the Agency noted that the

"Not Ratable" rating was issued because there was insufficient work to

evaluate Complainant due to her absences. Id. at 431.

Complainant now bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of

the evidence that the Agency's articulated reasons were a pretext

for discrimination. Complainant can do this by showing that the

Agency's preferred explanation is unworthy of credence. Burdine, 450

U.S. at 256. Upon review, we concur with the Agency's determination

that Complainant failed to provide any evidence of pretext in the

record. Further, we find that the record is devoid of any evidence that

the Agency's actions were motivated by discriminatory animus towards

Complainant's race, disability, or in reprisal for her prior protected

activity.

Specifically, with respect to claim 1, although Complainant contends

she could have performed her duties at home, the position description

for her position noted that she was required to "provide expert

consultation and support to customers and lower-graded information

security employees." ROI, Complainant's Position Description, at 552. As

such, we find the position description for Complainant's Information

Security Specialist position supports S1's testimony that Complainant's

position required on-site interactions with customers and employees. As

for claim 5, there is no dispute that the scanning of Complainant's

medical records into the tax system was accidental with no management

official involved. ROI, Complainant's Decl., at 141-142; ROI, IT Security

Specialist Decl., at 530. Regarding claim 6, it is undisputed that S1

only requested that Complainant provide the documentation for a second

time because she had not received the documentation the first time. ROI,

Complainant's Decl. 141-142. As for claim 7, the record reflects that the

disclosure pertained to Human Resources advice to provide Complainant with

an accommodation. ROI, Human Resource Specialist Decl., at 519. Regarding

claims 8 and 9, there is no dispute that Complainant was absent for

extended periods of time during her 2007 rating period. ROI, January 14,

2008, Letter to Complainant, at 456.

Harassment

Finally, to the extent that Complainant is alleging that she was subjected

to a hostile work environment, we find under the standards set forth in

Harris v. Fork-lift Systems, Inc., 510 U.S. 17 (1993) that complainant's

claim of hostile work environment must fail. See Enforcement Guidance on

Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc., EEOC Notice No. 915.002 (Mar. 8, 1994).

A finding that Complainant was subjected to a hostile work environment is

precluded by our determination that Complainant failed to establish that

any of the actions taken by the Agency were motivated by discriminatory

animus. See Oakley v. U.S. Postal Service, EEOC Appeal No. 01982923

(Sept. 21, 2000).

CONCLUSION

Based on a thorough review of the record and the contentions on appeal,

including those not specifically addressed herein, we AFFIRM the Agency's

Final Decision.

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL

RECONSIDERATION (M0610)

The Commission may, in its discretion, reconsider the decision in this

case if the Complainant or the Agency submits a written request containing

arguments or evidence which 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 to reconsider, with supporting statement or brief, must be filed

with the Office of Federal Operations (OFO) within thirty (30) calendar

days of receipt of this decision or within twenty (20) calendar days of

receipt of another party's timely request for reconsideration. See 29

C.F.R. � 1614.405; Equal Employment Opportunity Management Directive for

29 C.F.R. Part 1614 (EEO MD-110), at 9-18 (Nov. 9, 1999). All requests

and arguments must be submitted to the Director, Office of Federal

Operations, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, P.O. Box 77960,

Washington, DC 20013. In the absence of a legible postmark, the request

to reconsider shall be deemed timely filed if it is received by mail

within five days of the expiration of the applicable filing period.

See 29 C.F.R. � 1614.604. The request or opposition must also include

proof of service on the other party.

Failure to file within the time period will result in dismissal of your

request for reconsideration as untimely, unless extenuating circumstances

prevented the timely filing of the request. Any supporting documentation

must be submitted with your 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(c).

COMPLAINANT'S RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S0610)

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 his or her 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.

RIGHT TO REQUEST COUNSEL (Z0610)

If you decide to file a civil action, and if you do not have or cannot

afford the services of an attorney, you may request from the Court that

the Court appoint an attorney to represent you and that the Court also

permit you to file the action without payment of fees, costs, or other

security. See Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended,

42 U.S.C. � 2000e et seq.; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended,

29 U.S.C. �� 791, 794(c). The grant or denial of the request is within

the sole discretion of the Court. Filing a request for an attorney with

the Court does not extend your time in which to file a civil action.

Both the request and the civil action must be filed within the time limits

as stated in the paragraph above ("Right to File a Civil Action").

FOR THE COMMISSION:

______________________________

Carlton M. Hadden, Director

Office of Federal Operations

February 17, 2011

Date

1 Complainant's prior protected activity pertains to a previous formal

complaint, Agency No. EEODFS-06-0909-F, which resulted in a final

Agency decision finding no discrimination. On appeal, we affirmed.

Boone v. Dep't of the Treasury, EEOC Appeal No. 0120073435 (Jan. 14,

2008).

2 Complainant's claim of harassment encompasses claims 2, 3, and 4. We

note that such untimely discrete acts may be used as background evidence

in support of a timely claim. Nat'l R.R. Passenger Corp. v. Morgan,

536 U.S. 101, 113 (2002). As such, we will consider these incidents as

background evidence in support of Complainant's claim of harassment.

3 See Skarica v. Dep't of Homeland Security, EEOC Appeal No. 0120073399

(Mar. 5, 2010) (disclosure of complainant's medical information to

a personnel official and an agency physician was not a violation of

the Rehabilitation Act because they were contacted by virtue of their

expertise in order provide complainant with a reasonable accommodation).

To the extent that Complainant alleges a violation of her privacy rights

under the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. � 552(g)(1), we find that this allegation

is outside the Commission's jurisdiction. See Bucci v. Dep't of Educ.,

EEOC Request Nos. 05890289, 05890290, 05890291 (Apr. 12, 1989).

4 As noted above, we dismissed claims 2, 3, and 4 as untimely brought

to the attention of an EEO counselor.

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0120101775

U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

Office of Federal Operations

P.O. Box 77960

Washington, DC 20013

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0120101775