(a) Submission.

(1) An employee may submit the grievance for agency review if the grievance (i) is not within the jurisdiction of a post or bureau, or (ii) the grievance has been considered but not resolved to the grievant's satisfaction within the post or bureau as provided in §16.7(c) within 10 days after receipt of the post's or bureau's decision (or, if no response is received, within 25 days after presenting it to the senior official or the designee). The grievant shall submit it in writing to the responsible official of the agency which has control of the act or condition which is the subject of the grievance.

(2) Responsible officials. The responsible officials of the agencies are the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Personnel (State), the Director of Personnel and Manpower (AID), and the Chief, Employee-Management Relations Division (USIA).

(3) Contents.

(i) A request for agency review shall include a description of the act or condition which is the subject of the grievance; its effect on the grievant; any provision of law, regulation or agency policy which the grievant may believe was violated or misapplied; copies of any correspondence under §16.7(a), any documentary evidence readily available to the grievant on which the grievance rests; the identity of individuals having knowledge of relevant facts; and a statement of the remedial action requested.

(ii) The responsible official shall review the grievance on the basis of available documentary evidence, and, in that official's discretion, interview persons having knowledge of the facts. The agency review shall be completed and its decision dispatched within 90 days from the date of the initial written presentation of the grievance. The grievant shall be informed in writing of the findings of the responsible official and any proposed resolution of the grievance. The communication shall also include the time within which the grievant may file a grievance with the Grievance Board and the appropriate procedure to be followed in this respect.