Air Force officials here recently extended an Equal Employment Opportunity pilot program from 31 test bases to all installations worldwide.

The program, called the Compressed Orderly Rapid Equitable process, or CORE, focuses on cutting EEO’s case-processing time. In conjunction with the General Accounting Office, Air Force officials are also evaluating the results of the test’s first nine months.

“The initial indications are that the program is working as designed,” said Rita Looney, Air Force Civilian Appellate Review Office director.

Under federal law, it is government policy to provide equal opportunity in federal employment for all people, and to prohibit discrimination in employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin. The EEO office works to ensure that law is followed, and to resolve problems or complaints within the system.

A congressional mandate established the pilot program to develop and test alternate EEO complaint processes. The Department of Defense approved the Air Force as one of three agencies to conduct the tests, along with the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Commissary Agency.

CORE stresses the use of alternated dispute resolution, or ADR, early in the complaint process. ADR is a tool for resolution of disputes through means other than a trial. However, if ADR is not used or is unsuccessful, the CORE process combines the two time-consuming steps of the original EEO process into one-step that is shorter and less formal.

That new step is called a CORE fact-finding conference, or CFFC. CORE cases have only 127 days for a resolution, as opposed to the more than 360 days allowed for cases through current EEO processes.

As of Nov. 20, 86 complainants have chosen the CORE process. When compared to cases closed in fiscal 2005 using the original EEO process, CORE cases on average saved the following number of processing days: closed by settlement -- 160 days; decisions not involving an EEOC administrative judge -- 253 days; CFFC versus EEOC administrative judge or hearing -- 422 days.

“The compression and tightened timeline benefits the member and the Air Force,” Ms. Looney said. “It takes less time to come to closure on complaints, allowing the employee, the management officials and the Air Force to get back to performing other aspects of its mission, and supporting the warfighters.”

The CORE program will run for another year, and may be extended for an additional year. Employees interested in the streamlined EEO process should call their base EEO office to determine if their informal complaint is eligible and to get more information as to how CORE works.