Equal Opportunity:

Grant Programs and Financial Assistance Recipients


Frequently Asked Questions

OVERVIEW

Certain equal opportunity and nondiscrimination laws enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) are applicable to recipients of financial assistance. Collectively, these laws prohibit discrimination and require covered recipients to ensure that program beneficiaries and employees receive equal opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, and other bases. DOL's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management's Civil Rights Center (CRC) oversees the equal opportunity laws covering programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance from the Department.

Discrimination is prohibited in the provision of benefits and services, and in employment practices in the administration of, or in connection with, a DOL financially assisted program or activity.

COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE MATERIALS

BASIC INFORMATION

E-TOOLS

  • Online Training on Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) - Section 188 of the WIA prohibits discrimination in participation, benefits, and employment on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, color, national origin, political affiliation or belief, and, for beneficiaries only, status as a United States citizen or individuals legally authorized to work in the U.S. in programs and activities funded or otherwise financially assisted in whole or in part by the Department of Labor under WIA.

  • Disability Checklist Training for Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) - An online checklist designed to ensure the meaningful participation of people with disabilities in programs and activities operated by recipients of financial assistance under the WIA, including those that are part of the One-Stop delivery system.

RECORDKEEPING

Recipients of financial assistance are required to keep records on applicants, eligible applicants, participants, terminees, employees, and applicants for employment. Each recipient shall record the race/ethnicity, sex, age, and where known, disability status, of every applicant, eligible applicant, participant, terminee, applicant for employment, and employee. Such information shall be stored in such a manner as to ensure confidentiality and shall be used only for the purposes of recordkeeping and reporting; determining eligibility, where appropriate, for DOL-funded programs or activities; and determining the extent to which the recipient is operating its DOL-funded program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner. Recipients must maintain these records for a period of not less than three years from the close of the applicable program year.

Recipients are also required to maintain records related to allegations of discrimination. Records regarding complaints and actions taken thereunder must be maintained for a period of not less than three years from the date of resolution of the complaint.

APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS

  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended - Prohibits exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on the grounds of race, color, or national origin.

  • 29 CFR Part 31 - Regulations regarding nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Labor under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended - Prohibits exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on the grounds of disability.

  • 29 CFR Part 33 - Regulations regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities receiving or benefiting from federal assistance under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

  • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended - Requires federal agencies to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use of the information by members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities.

  • 29 CFR Part 32 - Regulations regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities receiving or benefiting from federal assistance under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

  • Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance.

  • 29 CFR Part 35 - Regulations regarding the nondiscrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance from the Department of Labor.

  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended - Prohibits exclusion from participation in, denial of the benefits of, or discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

  • 29 CFR Part 36 - Regulations regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of sex in any educational programs receiving federal financial assistance.

  • Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) - Prohibits discrimination in participation, benefits, and employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, national origin, status as an individual with a disability, or political affiliation or belief, and for beneficiaries only, status as a United States citizen or individual legally authorized to work in the United States in programs and activities funded or otherwise financially assisted in whole or in part under the WIA.

  • 29 CFR Part 37 - Regulations regarding the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the WIA.

  • Title II Subpart A of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended - Prohibits exclusion of qualified individuals, by reason of disability, from participation in or benefits of the services, programs, or activities of state and local governments or from discrimination in employment.

RELATED TOPICS AND LINKS

DOL CONTACTS*

  • Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM)
    Civil Rights Center
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW
    Room N-4123
    Washington, DC 20210
    E-mail: CivilRightsCenter@dol.gov
    Tel: 1-866-4-USA-DOL (1-866-487-2365), or 202-693-6500
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627 or 202-693-6515/16

  • For questions on other DOL laws,
    please call DOL's Toll-Free Help Line at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Live assistance is available in English and Spanish, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Additional service is available in more than 140 languages through a translation service.
    Tel: 1-866-4-USA-DOL
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627

*Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Labor's Confidentiality Protocol for Compliance Assistance Inquiries, information provided by a telephone caller will be kept confidential within the bounds of the law. Compliance assistance inquiries will not trigger an inspection, audit, investigation, etc.