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Investigations and Resolutions Division (IRD) struggles with a complaint case backlog.

• Interviews and discussions with IRD personnel and military service personnel involved with the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) process revealed concerns that a sharp increase in the number of cases received by IRD was contributing to difficulties in processing EEO complaint cases in a timely manner.

Management may be unwilling to participate in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

• Several of our interviewees spoke highly of ADR as a way to resolve complaints in a timely manner. However, they also told us that one obstacle to its increased use is that some complainants and managers within DoD components resist its use.

Incomplete case files and confusion about necessary documentation waste time at intake.

• It takes time to obtain the needed data and documentation for incomplete EEO complaint cases submitted to IRD with requests for investigation. Interviewees also noted confusion regarding what to submit with a particular case, and our analysis of administrative databases showed that cases spent a lengthy period of time with IRD intake. The IRD provides a list of required and recommended materials on its website, but EEO personnel within the military services access the IRD site and use these document lists with variability.

Inexperienced and/or poorly trained IRD intake personnel slow the process.

• The personnel in IRD and the military services that we interviewed expressed concerns about the qualifications of IRD intake personnel.