1211.1-11—Initiation of formal grievance procedure.
(a) Submission of grievance to Regional Director.
If a volunteer is dissatisfied with the response of the State Director or designee required by § 1211.1-10(b), he or she may present the grievance in writing to the Regional Director. To be eligible for the formal grievance procedure, the volunteer must have completed action under the informal procedure contained in § 1211.1-10 or have alleged that the State Director or designee exceeded the time specified for response.
(b) Contents of grievance.
The volunteer's grievance must be in writing, contain sufficient detail to identify the subject matter of the grievance, specify the relief requested, and be signed by the volunteer or a person designated in writing by the volunteer to be the representative for the purpose of the grievance.
(c) Time limit.
The volunteer must submit the grievance to the Regional Director or designee no later than 15 calendar days after receipt of the informal response by the State Director or designee. If no response is received by the volunteer 15 calendar days after the grievance is received by the State Director or designee, the volunteer may submit the grievance directly to the Regional Director or designee for consideration.
(d) Within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the grievance, the Regional Director or designee shall, in whole or in part, either decide it on its merits or reject the grievance.
A grievance may be rejected, in whole or in part, for the following reasons:
(e) Rejection of a grievance by the Regional Director or designee may be appealed by the volunteer within ten (10) days of receipt of the notice to the Office of General Counsel.
The Office shall immediately request the grievance file from the Regional Director and, within five (5) working days of receipt of it, determine the appropriateness of the rejection. If the grievance was properly rejected by the Regional Director, the Office shall so notify the volunteer of its opinion and the reasons supporting it, and that such rejection is the final Agency decision in the matter. If the Office determines that the grievance was improperly rejected, it shall return the grievance to the Regional Director for a determination on its merits by the Regional Director. Within ten (10) working days of such notification and receipt of the grievance file, the Regional Director or designee shall notify the volunteer in writing of the decision on the merits and specify the grounds for the decision and of the volunteer's right to appeal.
(f) Time Limit.
If a volunteer is dissatisfied with the decision of the Regional Director or designee on the merits of the grievance, he or she shall notify the Regional Director within five (5) calendar days from receipt of the decision and request the appointment of an Examiner. If the volunteer receives no response from the Regional Director or Office of General Counsel as required by paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section within five (5) calendar days after the prescribed time limits, the volunteer may request in writing that the Regional Director appoint a Grievance Examiner. Upon receipt of this request, the Regional Director or designee shall appoint within five (5) calendar days an Examiner who shall possess the qualifications specified in Appendix A to this part.