Diversity, Equity, 

Inclusion, and Accessibility

Issuance System

DEIA-006

Date:

Office: Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Subject: External Civil Rights Responsibilities and Complaint Process

1. PURPOSE. This issuance establishes the Department of the Treasury’s (the Department

or Treasury) policy and procedures concerning its obligations to ensure nondiscrimination

in Treasury conducted and financial assistance programs and activities. It also explains the

external civil rights discrimination complaint process.

2. SCOPE. This issuance applies to all bureaus, offices, and organizations in the Department,

including the Offices of Inspector General. The provisions of this issuance shall not be

construed to interfere with or impede the authorities or independence of the Offices of

Inspector General.

3. POLICY. It is the policy of the Department of the Treasury to comply with the

nondiscrimination requirements applicable to federal financial assistance and federally

conducted programs. To do so more effectively, we establish the following civil rights

complaint process.

4. DEFINITIONS. The following terms are defined to provide clarification for the purpose

of this Issuance.

a. Federal Financial Assistance is a term used to describe monetary or nonmonetary

assistance to a recipient to support a public purpose. It includes, but is not limited to,

grants and loans of federal funds; grants or donations of federal property; details of

federal personnel; or any agreement, arrangement, or other contract that has as one of

its purposes the provision of assistance. For instance, Treasury and its bureaus provide

federal financial assistance by issuing grants; donating surplus computer equipment to

schools and police departments; providing community development funds to
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institutions serving distressed communities and low-income individuals; and by 

providing grants to organizations to fund low-income taxpayer clinics.

b. A federally conducted program or activity is, in simple terms, anything a federal 

agency does. There are two major categories of federally conducted programs or 

activities covered by this issuance: those involving general public contact as part of 

ongoing Treasury operations and those directly administered by the Department for 

program beneficiaries and participants. Activities in the first part include 

communication with the public (e.g., website, telephone contacts, or office walk-ins) 

and the public’s use of the Department’s facilities (e.g., cafeterias, libraries). 

Activities in the second category include programs that impose a burden on the 

public or provide federal services or benefits (e.g., Office of Foreign Asset Control 

license applications, public tours, visitor information centers, tax collection).

5. RESPONSIBILITIES. 

a. The Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (OCRE) is responsible 

for processing complaints from individuals alleging discrimination in Treasury 

conducted or assisted programs or activities. Additional instructions on the 

processing of complaints filed pursuant to Section 508 can be found in CRD-005, 

Section 508 Administrative Complaint Processing Procedures, issued on August 11, 

2017.

b. Bureaus heads are responsible for reviewing their programs to determine which 

programs may fall under the definitions set out in section 4, ensuring that recipients 

submit signed assurances of compliance, and post appropriate notices on websites, 

bulletins, and publications, including notices that explain to individuals how to file a 

civil rights complaint.

6. PROCESS.

a. Right to File. Any person, or authorized representative of a person, who believes that 

he or she has been subjected to unlawful discrimination in a Department of the 

Treasury program or activity may file a complaint. Any person who believes that any 

specific class of persons has been subjected to discrimination and who is a member of 

that class or the authorized representative of a member of that class may file a 

complaint. Complaints should be filed with OCRE by mail to 1500 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20220, by email at crcomplaints@treasury.gov, or by 

facsimile to (202) 622-0317.

b. Timeliness. Complaints must be filed within 180 days of the alleged act of 

discrimination. The Director of OCRE may extend this time period for good cause.

c. Notification to OCRE. If a civil rights complaint is received directly by a bureau, the 

complaint must be immediately referred to OCRE for tracking and intake review.
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d. Complaint Investigations. Once a complaint has been accepted as timely and under 

the jurisdiction of the Department, it will be referred to the bureau for an 

investigation, and a submission to OCRE of a report of investigation and agency 

position statement on the complaint. The bureau's response will customarily include 

interviews of the complainant, the recipient's staff, agency staff, and other witnesses, 

a review of the recipient's pertinent records, a review of agency records, potentially a 

review of building facilities, and consideration of the evidence gathered, and 

defenses asserted. The Director of OCRE will establish the time frame allotted for 

the complaint investigation on a case-by-case basis, based on the allegations in the 

complaint.

e. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. After a review of the report of 

investigation and agency position statement submitted by the bureau, the Director 

of OCRE will issue the decision on the merits of the complainant's allegations. The

Director of OCRE shall notify the complainant of the results of the investigation in 

a decision letter containing findings of fact, and conclusions of law; a description 

of the remedy for each violation found, if any; and a notice of the right to appeal if 

applicable.

f. Cooperation Required. Agency employees are required to cooperate in the 

investigation and attempted resolution of complaints. Employees who are required to 

participate in any investigation shall do so as part of their official duties and during 

the course of regular duty hours.

g. Settlement Agreements. If a complaint is resolved informally, the terms of the 

agreement shall be reduced to writing and made part of the complaint file, with a copy 

of the agreement provided to the complainant. The written agreement shall describe 

the subject matter of the complaint and any action/s to which the parties have agreed. 

Settlement agreements must be approved by the Department’s Office of General 

Counsel or appropriate bureau counsel.

h. Appeals. Appeals must be filed by the complainant within 60 days of the receipt of 

the letter of finding(s). OCRE may extend this time for good cause. The Chief 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Officer or designee will make final 

decisions on timely appeals.

7. AUTHORITY. 

a. This Issuance is being issued pursuant to Treasury Directive 12-41, “Delegation of 

Authority Concerning Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Programs.” 

8. REFERENCES. 

a. Statutes: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. §§ 794-794e; 

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794d; Title VI of the Civil Rights 

Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d-2000d-7; Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 
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U.S.C. §§ 6101-6107; and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 

U.S.C. §§ 1681-1688.

b. Treasury regulations: 31 C.F.R. Part 17, 31 C.F.R. Part 22, 31 C.F.R. Part 23, 

and 31 C.F.R. Part 28.

c. Executive Order 13160, “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Race, Sex, Color, 

National Origin, Disability, Religion, Age, Sexual Orientation, and Status as a 

Parent in Federally Conducted Education and Training Programs,” prohibits 

discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, disability, religion, 

age, sexual orientation, and status as a parent in federally conducted education 

and training programs.

d. Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited 

English Proficiency,” requires agencies to improve the enforcement and 

implementation of the existing obligation under Title VI to provide language access 

services to limited English proficient individuals, in order to allow them meaningful 

access to the financial assistance programs. The Executive Order also requires federal 

agencies to meet the same standards as federal financial assistance recipients in 

providing meaningful access to limited English proficient individuals to federally 

conducted programs.

e. Treasury Order 102-02, “Delegation of Authority Concerning Equal 

Opportunity Programs.”

This Issuance supplements policies and requirements contained in the references 

cited above; it is not self-contained and must be read in conjunction with the cited 

references.

9. OFFICE OF PRIMARY INTEREST. Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and 

Accessibility.

10. POLICY REVIEW. The provisions of this issuance are subject to modifications by 

changes in pertinent statutes. The applicable provision or provisions shall be amended or 

superseded effective on the dates specified in any statutory or regulatory change, and 

OCRE shall issue interim guidance addressing the change as soon as practicable. This 

issuance will be reviewed after five years.

______________________________

Tonya Burton

Acting Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

and Accessibility Officer