The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Labor have both announced that virtually all of their functions have temporarily ceased, pending adoption of a budget for FY 2014 by the federal government. Although the EEOC will allow claims to be filed so as to protect claimants from missing filing deadlines, no claims will be investigated during this time. The U.S. Department of Labor has taken similar steps. Claimants and employers alike should not expect any action by either agency until the budget stalemate is resolved. Once these agencies reopen for business, there will be an even greater backlog than we have faced under sequestration.
