HOW TO FILE A DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT WITH
THE OFFICE
FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
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.
Complaints to the Office for Civil Rights should be filed in writing, either on paper or electronically. You can use OCR's Discrimination Complaint Form which can be found on our web site or at an OCR Regional office. If you do not use OCR's form, your complaint should include the following information:
You must file your complaint within 180 days of the date when the discrimination happened. OCR may extend the 180-day period if you can show "good cause."
You can file your complaint by email at OCRcomplaint@hhs.gov, or you can mail or fax your complaint to the OCR Regional Office that is responsible for the state in which you allege the discrimination took place. To find out where to file your complaint, use the OCR Regions list at the end of this Fact Sheet or you can look at the regional office map to help you determine where to send your complaint.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO GET A COPY OF OCR'S DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT FORM
Option 1: Open and print out the Discrimination Complaint Form in PDF format (you will need Adobe Reader software) and fill it out. Return the completed complaint to the appropriate OCR Regional Office by mail or fax.
Option 2: Download the Discrimination Complaint Form in Microsoft Word format to your own computer, fill out and save the form using Microsoft Word. Use the Tab and Shift/Tab on your keyboard to move from field to field in the form. Then, you can either: (a) print the completed form and mail or fax it to the appropriate OCR Regional Office; or (b) email the form to OCR at OCRComplaint@hhs.gov.
If you have any questions, or need help to file your complaint, call OCR (toll-free) at 1-800-368-1019 (voice) or 1-800-537-7697 (TDD). You may also send an email to OCRMail@hhs.gov.
Website: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr
Region I - CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services JFK Federal Building - Room 1875 Boston, MA 02203 (617) 565-1340; (617) 565-1343 (TDD) (617) 565-3809 FAX |
Region VI - AR, LA, NM, OK, TX Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 1301 Young Street - Suite 1169 Dallas, TX 75202 (214) 767-4056; (214) 767-8940 (TDD) (214) 767-0432 FAX |
Region II - NJ, NY, PR, VI Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 26 Federal Plaza - Suite 3313 New York, NY 10278 (212) 264-3313; (212) 264-2355 (TDD) (212) 264-3039 FAX |
Region VII - IA, KS, MO, NE Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 601 East 12th Street - Room 248 Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 426-7278; (816) 426-7065 (TDD) (816) 426-3686 FAX |
Region III - DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 150 S. Independence Mall West - Suite 372 Philadelphia, PA 19106-3499 (215) 861-4441; (215) 861-4440 (TDD) (215) 861-4431 FAX |
Region VIII - CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 1961 Stout Street - Room 1426 Denver, CO 80294 (303) 844-2024; (303) 844-3439 (TDD) (303) 844-2025 FAX |
Region IV - AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 61 Forsyth Street, SW. - Suite 3B70 Atlanta, GA 30323 (404) 562-7886; (404) 331-2867 (TDD) (404) 562-7881 FAX |
Region IX - AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU, The U.S. Affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdictions Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 90 7th Street, Suite 4-100 San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 437-8310; (415) 437-8311 (TDD) (415) 437-8329 FAX |
Region V - IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 233 N. Michigan Ave. - Suite 240 Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 886-2359; (312) 353-5693 (TDD) (312) 886-1807 FAX |
Region X - AK, ID, OR, WA Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 2201 Sixth Avenue - Mail Stop RX-11 Seattle, WA 98121 (206) 615-2290; (206) 615-2296 (TDD) (206) 615-2297 FAX |