Receipts.law
Evidence · 3 min read

Save every letter the agencies send you — and you can request their file too

Once you file with the EEOC, OSHA, the NLRB, or a state agency, every reply they send is a dated, third-party record. People delete these. Don't — and know that you can usually get the agency's whole file later.

This is general practical guidance, not legal advice. What an agency will release, how, and on what timeline varies by agency and statute — confirm the process, or ask a licensed attorney.

When you file a complaint, you tend to focus on what you sent. But the agency's responses can be just as valuable — and they come from a neutral third party, which makes them harder to dismiss than your own notes.

1. Save every piece of agency correspondence — by agency, case number, and date. Acknowledgment letters, emails from the investigator, requests for information, scheduling notices, determinations, right-to-sue notices. Keep them in one folder, named so the date and case number are obvious. These prove when you filed and what stage things reached — which can matter a lot for deadlines and for showing a timeline.
2. Watch for the investigator's own words. Sometimes an agency employee puts something useful in writing — noting that what you've described could be a problem, summarizing what your employer told them, or confirming an investigation is open. A neutral official characterizing your situation in writing is the kind of record that can corroborate your account later. Keep those messages exactly as received; don't paraphrase them away.
3. Remember you can request the agency's file. Federal agencies (like the EEOC, OSHA, and NLRB) have a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process; state agencies have their own public-records laws. The file can include things you've never seen — most notably the position statement or response your employer submitted, which is what they told the government under their own name. What an employer tells one agency can quietly contradict what they tell you, or another agency, or a court.

A few practical notes

  • Timing varies. Agencies often won't release an active investigation's file until it closes, and FOIA/public-records requests can take time. Ask early so you're in the queue.
  • Keep the metadata. Save emails as emails (with headers/dates), not as retyped text — the original headers and timestamps are part of what makes them reliable.
  • Don't rely on the portal. Agency online portals can change or expire access. Download and keep your own copies.

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Disclaimer: Receipts.law is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The above is general practical guidance, not legal counsel for your situation. Agency procedures, disclosure rules, deadlines, and remedies vary — only a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction can evaluate your case.