How does the Office for Civil Rights conduct a complaint investigation?

Answer:

Once a complaint is received, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) must determine if it has the legal authority to review and investigate the complaint. OCR authority primarily is over recipients of Federal financial assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and in certain cases over entities for which OCR has been designated enforcement responsibility by another agency.

Once it is clear that the HHS Office for Civil Rights has jurisdiction to handle your complaint, the investigator will gather information through interviewing witnesses, obtaining documentation, and making visits to appropriate sites. You may be interviewed again as information is gathered.

Last Updated: 5/14/2008