What qualifies as Federal financial assistance for purposes of civil rights complaints handled by the HHS Office for Civil Rights?

Answer:

Examples of Federal financial assistance as defined by the HHS Office for Civil Rights' regulations include Medicaid, Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A), Public Health Service grants, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. These funds are given to a facility (such as a hospital, social service agency) or an individual service provider (such as a doctor, dentist) by the government for services provided or to provide a service. Social security benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicare Supplemental Medical Insurance (Part B) are not considered Federal financial assistance when applying the civil rights laws OCR enforces. Generally speaking, the reason for this is that these sources of funding are paid directly to an individual beneficiary by the government.

Last Reviewed: 4/22/2008