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N.J.A.C. 4A:2-3.5 Grievance procedure: Step Two

N.J.A.C. 4A:2-3.5, Grievance procedure: Step Two. A grievant may appeal to the Department head or his or her designee within 10 calendar days of: 1. Receipt of the written decision at Step One; or 2. A lack

Appeals, Discipline, and Separations · Minor Discipline and Grievances

Current through New Jersey Register, Vol. 58 No. 14, July 20, 2026. Reviewed as of July 26, 2026.

This is an annotated mirror, not the official publication. Verify against the Civil Service Commission before relying on it.

In plain language

Ten calendar days to move up, and the clock starts on either of two events: receipt of the written Step One decision, or the department failing to respond in time at Step One under 4A:2-3.4. A missed deadline does not leave the grievance stranded. The appeal goes to the department head or a designee and must carry with it the material presented at Step One plus any written records or decisions produced there. The department then has 10 days from receipt to notify the employee of the hearing or grievance meeting date, and 21 days after that hearing or meeting concludes to render a written decision. Silence is again treated as a decision rather than an absence: no response within either period, absent an agreed extension, counts as a denial of the grievance appeal, which is what opens the appeal to the Commission under 4A:2-3.7. Like the rest of this subchapter, all of it is State service.

Written by the NJ Civil Service Navigator editorial team from the text of N.J.A.C. 4A:2-3.5. It is a description of the rule, not the rule itself, and not legal advice.

(a) A grievant may appeal to the Department head or his or her designee within 10 calendar days of: #

1. Receipt of the written decision at Step One; or #

2. A lack of timely response by the department. See N.J.A.C. 4A:2-3.4(e). #

(b) The appeal shall be accompanied by material presented at Step One and any written records or decisions from Step One. #

(c) The department shall notify the employee of the scheduled hearing or grievance meeting date within 10 days of receipt of the grievance. #

(d) A written decision shall be rendered within 21 days after the conclusion of the hearing or grievance meeting. #

(e) Lack of response by the department within the periods set forth in (c) and (d) above, unless the parties have consented to a time extension, shall be considered a denial of the grievance appeal. #

This rule points to

Elsewhere in Minor Discipline and Grievances