Sandra F. Simmons, Coatesville VA Medical Center Equal Opportunity manager, has won the Veterans Affairs secretary's annual Equal Employment Opportunity award.
The award is the highest recognition given to VA employees who have excelled in promoting or have made significant contributions to VA EEO programs. Through Simmons' leadership, she helped design the Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediation Program for the 10 medical centers in VISN 4.
Simmons saw the opportunity mediation provided to resolve EEO complaints that reduce the administrative cost of adjudicating complaints and result in more timely resolutions of disputes.
Since the mediation program was implemented, a total of 117 EEO dispute mediations were conducted at a resolution rate of 52.1 percent at an average processing cost of $40,000 per complaint. Mediation has saved more than $2 million.
Simmons is a graduate of Liberty County High School.
The award is the highest recognition given to VA employees who have excelled in promoting or have made significant contributions to VA EEO programs. Through Simmons' leadership, she helped design the Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediation Program for the 10 medical centers in VISN 4.
Simmons saw the opportunity mediation provided to resolve EEO complaints that reduce the administrative cost of adjudicating complaints and result in more timely resolutions of disputes.
Since the mediation program was implemented, a total of 117 EEO dispute mediations were conducted at a resolution rate of 52.1 percent at an average processing cost of $40,000 per complaint. Mediation has saved more than $2 million.
Simmons is a graduate of Liberty County High School.