Overview of the Investigation
Procedures Manual
This manual provides guidance on the investigation of
complaints by recipients of Federal financial assistance. It is designed primarily for
investigating complaints alleging violations of Title VI. However, its general
investigative guidance may be applied to investigating complaints of discrimination under
other grant related nondiscrimination statutes as well. This manual contains detailed
discussion of the various aspects of complaint processing and resolution. However,
it is only guidance. For example, the manual suggests timeframes for completion of various
tasks of the investigative process. These are only suggestions, and any timeframe
contained in a program-specific statute or implementing regulation of any agency would be
controlling. The Civil Rights Division hopes to update these manuals from time to time to
reflect significant changes in the law. We will post periodic updates to the manuals
on the Internet.
Because of the size of the complaint manual, the appendices have been included as separate
files in both the HTML and PDF versions. Links within the main body of the manual in both
versions may be used to access the appendices. In addition, a separate download page for
the PDF version of the manual is available for users who wish to work with the documents
off-line. Finally, zipped versions of the entire documents are available at the last two
links.
In using these manuals, remember that they are intended
only to provide guidance to Federal agencies and other interested entities, and are not
intended to, do not, and may not be relied upon to create any right or benefit,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by any party against the United
States.
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