Where Can Complaints of Age Discrimination Be Filed With HHS?
Complaints involving HHS recipients and beneficiaries should be sent to: Office of Program Operations, Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human Services, 330 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201. The complaint must allege age discrimination occurring after July 1, 1979. The complaint should: (a) Identify the parties involved; (b) give the date of the alleged violation or when the complainant first knew of the alleged violation; (c) generally describe what happened; and (d) be signed by the complainant. HHS screens all complaints and refers those which describe actions covered by the Act and contain the necessary information to the FMCS for mediation. The FMCS began mediating age discrimination complaints on November 1, 1979. The Act states that a complainant may file a civil action 180 days from the date the complaint was filed with the Federal agency if the agency has taken no action, or upon the date the agency makes a determination in favor of the recipie
