Commencement of agency grievance procedure - Time limitations

The employee shall begin the agency grievance procedure within fifteen working days from the date of notice of the employer action, except in the case of reprisal. The date of service of the notice shall be considered to be the date the notice was mailed or the date transmitted by electronic means, or absent proof of the date of mailing or delivery through electronic means, the date of actual delivery. The agency shall prepare a certificate of service, or provide reliable means, to show proof of the date of mailing, transmittal by electronic means, or hand delivery. The employee grieving reprisal action shall begin the agency grievance procedure within fifteen working days from the date of the reprisal action. Failure to begin the procedure within time limitations may cause the employee to lose the right to appeal to human resource management services. The agency appointing authority or designee, for good cause shown, may waive the time limitations for filing a grievance. Good cause means those circumstances that reasonably and without any fault on the part of the grievant prevented the filing of a grievance in a timely fashion. In no event may a grievance be deemed timely after sixty days have elapsed from the date of the employer action.