§ 26.67 Social and economic disadvantage. ( a ) *Group membership* — ( 1 ) *General rule.* Citizens of the United States (or lawfully admitted permanent residents) who are women, Black American, Hispanic American, Native American, Asian Pacific American, Subcontinent Asian American, or other minorities found to be disadvantaged by the Small Business Administration (SBA), are rebuttably presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged. A firm owner claiming the presumption must specify of which groups in this paragraph (a)(1) she or he is a member on the Declaration of Eligibility (DOE).
( 2 ) *Native American group membership.* An owner claiming Native American group membership must submit a signed DOE as well as proof of enrollment in a federally or State-recognized Indian Tribe. An owner claiming Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native group membership must submit documentation legally recognized under State or Federal law attesting to the individual's status as a member of that group.
( 3 ) *Questioning group membership.* (1) Certifiers may not question claims of group membership as a matter of course. Certifiers must not impose a disproportionate burden on members of any particular group. Imposing a disproportionate burden on members of a particular group could violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, paragraph (b) of this section, and/or 49 CFR part 21. ( i ) If a certifier has a well-founded reason(s) to question an owner's claim of membership in a group in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, it must provide the individual a written explanation of its reason(s), using the most recent email address provided. The firm bears the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the owner is a member of the group in question.
( ii ) A certifier's written explanation must instruct the individual to submit evidence demonstrating that the individual has held herself/himself/themself out publicly as a member of the group for a long period of time prior to applying for DBE certification, and that the relevant community considers the individual a member. The certifier may not require the individual to provide evidence beyond that related to group membership.
( iii ) The owner must email the certifier evidence described in paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of this section no later than 20 days after the written explanation. The certifier must email the owner a decision no later than 30 days after receiving timely submitted evidence.
( iv ) If a certifier determines that an individual has not demonstrated group membership, the certifier's decision must specifically reference the evidence in the record that formed the basis for the conclusion and give a detailed explanation of why the evidence submitted was insufficient. It must also inform the individual of the right to appeal, as provided in § 26.89(a), and of the right to reapply at any time under paragraph (d) of this section.
( b ) *Rebuttal of social disadvantage.* ( 1 ) If a certifier has a reasonable basis to believe that an individual who is a member of a group in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is not, in fact, socially disadvantaged, the certifier must initiate a § 26.87 proceeding, regardless of the firm's DBE status. As is the case in all section § 26.87 proceedings, the certifier must prove ineligibility.
( 2 ) If the certifier finds that the owner is not socially disadvantaged, its decision letter must inform the firm of its appeal rights.
( c ) *Rebuttal of economic disadvantage* — ( 1 ) *Personal net worth.* If a certifier has a reasonable basis to believe that an individual who submits a PNW Statement that is below the currently applicable PNW cap is not economically disadvantaged, the certifier may rebut the individual's presumption of economic disadvantage. ( i ) The certifier must not attempt to rebut presumed economic disadvantage as a matter of course and it must avoid imposing unnecessary burdens on individual owners or disproportionately impose them on members of a particular group.
( ii ) The certifier must proceed as provided in § 26.87.
( 2 ) *Economic disadvantage in fact.* ( i ) To rebut the presumption, the certifier must prove that a reasonable person would not consider the individual economically disadvantaged. The certifier may consider assets and income, free use of them or ready access to their benefits, and any other trappings of wealth that the certifier considers relevant. There are no assets (including retirement assets), income, equity, or other exclusions and no limitations on inclusions. A broad and general analysis suffices in most cases: the owner has, or enjoys the benefits of, income of X; two homes worth approximately Y; substantial interests in outside businesses Q, R, and S; four rental properties of aggregate value Z; etc. The certifier need only demonstrate “ballpark” values based on available evidence. The reasonable person is not party to detailed financial information. S/he considers the owner's overall circumstances and lifestyle.
( ii ) The certifier must proceed as provided in § 26.87.
( d ) *Non-presumptive disadvantage.* An owner who is not presumed to be SED under paragraph (a) of this section may demonstrate that he is SED based on his own experiences and circumstances that occurred within American society. ( 1 ) To attempt to prove individual SED, the owner provides the certifier a Personal Narrative (PN) that describes in detail specific acts or omissions by others, which impeded his progress or success in education, employment, and/or business, including obtaining financing on terms available to similarly situated, non-disadvantaged persons.
( 2 ) The PN must identify at least one objective basis for the detrimental discrimination. The basis may be any identifiable status or condition. The PN must describe this objective distinguishing feature(s) (ODF) in sufficient detail to justify the owner's conclusion that it prompted the prejudicial acts or omissions.
( 3 ) The PN must state how and to what extent the discrimination caused the owner harm, including a full description of type and magnitude.
( 4 ) The owner must establish that he is economically disadvantaged in fact and that he is economically disadvantaged relative to similarly situated non-disadvantaged individuals.
( 5 ) The owner must attach to the PN a current PNW statement and any other financial information he considers relevant.
( 6 ) This rule does not prescribe how the owner must satisfy his burden of proving disadvantage. He need not, for example, have filed any formal complaint, or prove discrimination under a particular statute.
Example 1 to paragraph (d): A White male claiming to have experienced employment discrimination must provide evidence that his employment status and/or limited opportunities to earn income result from specific prejudicial acts directed at him personally because of an ODF, and not, *e.g.,* an economic recession that caused widespread unemployment.
[89 FR 24970, Apr. 9, 2024; 89 FR 55089, July 3, 2024]