Office for Civil Rights Web site:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/


What Can You Do If You Believe Your Rights Are Violated?

You can file a civil rights, health information privacy, or patient safety confidentiality complaint with OCR, or someone can file for you. If you want to file a complaint, you should file it within 180 days of when you believe your rights were violated.

What Does OCR Do To Protect Your Rights?

OCR teaches health and social service workers about the civil rights, health information privacy, and patient safety confidentiality laws that they must follow.

OCR educates communities about civil rights and health information privacy rights.

OCR investigates civil rights, health information privacy and patient safety confidentiality complaints to find out if there is discrimination or a violation of law and takes action to correct problems.

When to File a Complaint

If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex or religion by a health care or human services provider (such as a hospital, nursing home, social service agency, etc.) or by a state or local government health or human services agency, you may file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Complaints alleging discrimination based on disability by programs directly operated by HHS may also be filed with OCR. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else. For more information please go to:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/complaints/index.html

DHHS Office of Civil Rights Discrimination Complaint Form
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/complaints/discrimhowtofile.pdf


Effective Communication Project

To see more information please go to http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/specialtopics/hospitalcommunication/

Recent Civil Rights Resolution Agreements
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/activities/agreements/

New DOJ Guidance on Language Access (8/2011)
Common Language Access Questions, Technical Assistance, and Guidance for Federally Conducted and Federally Assisted Programs -Federal Coordination and Compliance Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.lep.gov/resources/081511_Language_Access_CAQ_TA_Guidance.pdf