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Last revision: July 26, 1991
35.171 Acceptance of complaints.
(a) Receipt of complaints. (1)(i) Any Federal agency that
receives a complaint of discrimination on the basis of disability by a
public entity shall promptly review the complaint to determine whether
it has jurisdiction over the complaint under section 504.
(ii) If the agency does not have section 504 jurisdiction, it
shall promptly determine whether it is the designated agency under
subpart G of this part responsible for complaints filed against that
public entity.
(2)(i) If an agency other than the Department of Justice
determines that it does not have section 504 jurisdiction and is not
the designated agency, it shall promptly refer the complaint, and
notify the complainant that it is referring the complaint to the
Department of Justice.
(ii) When the Department of Justice receives a complaint for which
it does not have jurisdiction under section 504 and is not the
designated agency, it shall refer the complaint to an agency that does
have jurisdiction under section 504 or to the appropriate agency
designated in subpart G of this part or, in the case of an employment
complaint that is also subject to title I of the Act, to the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission.
(3)(i) If the agency that receives a complaint has section 504
jurisdiction, it shall process the complaint according to its
procedures for enforcing section 504.
(ii) If the agency that receives a complaint does not have section
504 jurisdiction, but is the designated agency, it shall process the
complaint according to the procedures established by this subpart.
(b) Employment complaints. (1) If a complaint alleges employment
discrimination subject to title I of the Act, and the agency has
section 504 jurisdiction, the agency shall follow the procedures
issued by the Department of Justice and the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission under section 107(b) of the Act.
(2) If a complaint alleges employment discrimination subject to
title I of the Act, and the designated agency does not have section
504 jurisdiction, the agency shall refer the complaint to the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission for processing under title I of the
Act.
(3) Complaints alleging employment discrimination subject to this
part, but not to title I of the Act shall be processed in accordance
with the procedures established by this subpart.
(c) Complete complaints. (1) A designated agency shall accept all
complete complaints under this section and shall promptly notify the
complainant and the public entity of the receipt and acceptance of the
complaint.
(2) If the designated agency receives a complaint that is not
complete, it shall notify the complainant and specify the additional
information that is needed to make the complaint a complete complaint.
If the complainant fails to complete the complaint, the designated
agency shall close the complaint without prejudice.