FR1413_20260131_omb

Supporting Statement for the
Discrimination Complaint Forms
(FR 1413; OMB No. 7100-NEW)
Summary
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), under authority
delegated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has implemented for three years, the
Discrimination Complaint Forms (FR 1413; OMB No. 7100-NEW). The FR 1413 consists of
two forms: Pre-Complaint of Discrimination (FR 1413a) and Formal Complaint of
Discrimination (FR 1413b). These forms are used by individuals alleging discrimination by the
Board while they were either applying for or had separated from employment with the Board.1
The Board’s Rules Regarding Equal Opportunity (the Board’s EEO rules) (12 CFR Part
268) govern the Board’s discrimination complaint process and have been enforced since August
7, 2006. The Board has cleared these reporting requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act
(PRA).
The estimated total annual burden for the FR 1413 is 3 hours. The forms are provided to
individuals after they contact the Board’s Office of EEO Programs (EEO Programs). They are
not available on the Board’s public website.
Background and Justification
The Board’s discrimination complaint process stems directly from the Board’s Equal
Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy (EEO policy). The EEO policy states that the Board
prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy,
national origin, age, disability, or genetic information and promotes the full realization of EEO
through a continuing affirmative program.
The Board strives to comply with the following statutes and any amendments thereof:
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,2 Rehabilitation Act of 1973,3 Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967,4 Equal Pay Act of 1963,5 Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
of 2008,6 and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.7 The
Board’s EEO rules set forth the policies and procedures relating to the Board’s policy to promote
equal opportunity to Board employees and applicants for employment.

1

Current Board employees also use these forms, but current Board employees are not subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act and therefore they are not included in the burden estimates or respondent universe for this collection.
2
42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.
3
29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.
4
29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq.
5
29 U.S.C. § 206(d) et seq.
6
42 U.S.C. § 2000ff et seq.
7
38 U.S.C. §§ 4301-4335.

Processing discrimination complaints are one part of the Board’s EEO program.8 The
Board uses the FR 1413 to collect information to process complaints in accordance with its precomplaint and formal complaint procedures.9 The FR 1413 includes two forms: Pre-Complaint
of Discrimination (FR 1413a) and Formal Complaint of Discrimination (FR 1413b). Information
collected in the FR 1413a is used by an EEO counselor to help achieve a resolution to the
complaint. Information collected in the FR 1413b is used by the Board’s EEO Programs to
determine whether the complaint allegations should be accepted for investigation and/or
dismissed in whole or in part (i.e., a Partial Dismissal). This information is not available from
other sources.
Description of Information Collection
The FR 1413a is filed with the EEO Programs after an applicant, current employee, or
former employee contacts the Board’s EEO Programs. Filing the FR 1413a starts the informal
EEO pre-complaint process. The form collects basic contact information, information on the
action(s) or event(s) that the respondent believes represents discrimination, and how the
respondent believes they were discriminated against. The form also asks if the respondent has a
legal representative and what corrective action or other remedy is sought.
If the respondent is not satisfied with the results of the informal EEO complaint process,
they may file a formal complaint using the FR 1413b. The FR 1413b must be submitted within
15 days of being notified of the right to file a formal complaint of discrimination.10 This 15-day
notice to submit the FR 1413b is a requirement under the Board’s EEO Rules. The form collects
more specific details on the information collected in the FR 1413a, including relevant
background information of the respondent depending on the basis of the alleged discrimination,
and specific details on the actions that the complainant believes represent discrimination. The
form also asks if the respondent has discussed the complaint with an EEO counselor.
Respondents use information technology (email) to submit these forms to the Board.
Personally Identifiable Information
Personally identifiable information (PII) obtained in this information collection includes
such data as employee, potential employee, and separated employee names; home addresses and
phone numbers; a complainant’s protected class status; and open-end content responses related to
a complaint that may contain PII details. The information provided is sensitive in nature and is
necessary to assist the Board in carrying out its responsibilities under statutory authorities and
the Board’s EEO rules. Information collected as part of this process is stored in the System of
Records BGFRS-5 EEO Discrimination Complaint File (87 FR 34269).

8

12 CFR 268.103.
12 CFR 268.104-05.
10
The 15-day notification period is required by 12 CFR 1614.105(d).
9

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Respondent Panel
While the FR 1413 respondent panel comprises individuals who have applied for
employment at the Board, current Board employees, and former Board employees, i.e.,
individuals who have separated from employment with the Board, only individuals who have
applied for employment with the Board and former Board employees are subject to the PRA and
are included in the burden estimate.
Frequency and Time Schedule
The FR 1413 is event-generated.
Implementation of the FR 1413
The Board’s EEO complaint regulation (12 CFR Part 268) has been in place at the Board
since August 7, 2006. However, the reporting requirements were not previously cleared under
the PRA. The Board is now finalizing the clearance of the FR 1413a and FR 1413b forms under
the PRA. Since the end of the public comment period, the Board has made additional de minimis
changes to the forms to reflect updates to the Board’s EEO policy.
Public Availability of Data
No data collected by this information collection are published.
Legal Status
The FR 1413 is authorized by the Board’s EEO rules, issued under the authority of
sections 10(4) and 11(i), (k), and (l) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. §§ 244, 248), which
authorize the Board to employ persons deemed necessary to conduct the business of the Board,
set rules and regulations regarding various employment matters, and to delegate functions to
certain entities. The Board’s EEO rules aim to comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
1964 (title VII),11 Rehabilitation Act of 1973,12 Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
(ADEA),13 Equal Pay Act of 1963,14 and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008,15
and amendments thereof. Collectively, these statutes and subsequent amendments prohibit
discrimination in employment, including at federal agencies, on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information. The Board’s EEO rules set
procedures to process complaints of discrimination prohibited by these statutes.16 Information
obtained from the FR 1413 is used to process complaints in accordance with the Board’s EEO
rules. The FR 1413 is required to obtain a benefit.

11

42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.
29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.
13
29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq.
14
29 U.S.C. § 206(d) et seq.
15
42 U.S.C. § 2000ff et seq.
16
12 CFR 268.103 et seq.
12

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To the extent a respondent submits personal, medical, or similar files, the disclosure of
which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy, the respondent may request
confidential treatment pursuant to exemption 6 of the FOIA (5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6)). If a
respondent requests confidential treatment, the Board will determine whether the information is
entitled to confidential treatment on a case-by-case basis.
Consultation Outside the Agency
There has been no consultation outside the Federal Reserve System.
Public Comments
On December 6, 2024, the Board published an initial notice in the Federal Register (89
FR 96977) requesting public comment for 60 days on the implementation of the FR 1413. The
comment period for this notice expired on February 4, 2025. The Board did not receive any
comments relevant to this collection or to the PRA. However, the Board has made additional de
minimis changes to the forms to reflect updates to the Board’s EEO policy since the end of the
public comment period. On January 12, 2026, the Board published a final notice in the Federal
Register (91 FR 1185).
Estimate of Respondent Burden
As shown in the table below, the estimated total annual burden for the FR 1413 is 3
hours. The number of respondents is based on the average number of FR 1413 filings received in
the past 3 years. The burden estimate was produced using the standard Board burden calculation
methodology. These reporting requirements represent less than 1 percent of the Board’s total
paperwork burden.
FR 1413

Estimated
number of
respondents

FR 1413a
FR 1413b

1
3

Estimated
Estimated
Estimated
annual
average hours annual burden
frequency per response
hours
1
1

0.5
0.75

Total

1
2
3

The estimated total annual cost to the public for the FR 1413 is $99.17
Sensitive Questions
The FR 1413 includes questions and collection of data of a sensitive nature, such as
religion, genetic information, and other matters that are commonly considered private. The

17

The average consumer cost of $33 is estimated using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2024, published April 2, 2025,
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm.

4

Board considers these questions necessary to obtain information about discrimination complaints
and to make decisions or determinations about those complaints.
Estimate of Cost to the Federal Reserve System
The estimated cost to the Federal Reserve System for collecting and processing this
report is $41,700.

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