---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 C.F.R. § 708.13"
title: "10"
number: "708.13"
heading: "Requirements for the form and content of a complaint."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/10/708.13"
---

# §708.13. Requirements for the form and content of a complaint.


A complaint does not need to be in any specific form but must be signed by the employee and contain the following:

- (a) A statement specifically describing
  - (1) The alleged retaliation taken against the employee and
  - (2) The disclosure, participation, or refusal covered under [§ 708.5](/cfr/10/708.5.md) that the employee believes gave rise to the retaliation;
- (b) A statement that the complainant is not currently pursuing a remedy under State or other applicable law, as described in [§ 708.16](/cfr/10/708.16.md) of this subpart;
- (c) A statement that all of the facts that the complainant has included in his complaint are true and correct to the best of his knowledge and belief; and
- (d) An affirmation, as described in [§ 708.14](/cfr/10/708.14.md) of this subpart, that the complainant has exhausted all applicable grievance or arbitration procedures.

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(c), 2201(i), and 2201(p); 42 U.S.C. 5814 and 5815; 42 U.S.C. 7251, 7254, 7255, and 7256; and 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3.

### Source

Source: 84 FR 37757, Aug. 2, 2019, unless otherwise noted.