Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?mc=true&node=pt28.1.39&rgn=div5
Timestamp: 2020-01-20 05:11:52
Document Index: 785712392

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', 'art 1613', 'art 542', '§39', 'art 41', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', 'art 1613', '§39', '§39', 'art 1613', '§39', '§39', '§39', 'art 542', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', '§39', 'art 24', '§39']

Title 28 → Chapter I → Part 39
§39.101 Purpose.
§39.102 Application.
§§39.104-39.109 [Reserved]
§39.111 Notice.
§§39.112-39.129 [Reserved]
§39.130 General prohibitions against discrimination.
§§39.131-39.139 [Reserved]
§39.140 Employment.
§§39.141-39.148 [Reserved]
§39.149 Program accessibility: Discrimination prohibited.
§39.151 Program accessibility: New construction and alterations.
§§39.152-39.159 [Reserved]
§39.160 Communications.
§§39.161-39.169 [Reserved]
§39.170 Compliance procedures.
Source: Order No. 1065-84, 49 FR 35734, Sept. 11, 1984, unless otherwise noted.
Except as otherwise provided in §39.150, no qualified handicapped person shall, because the agency's facilities are inaccessible to or unusable by handicapped persons, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity conducted by the agency.
(d) This section does not require the agency to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a program or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. In those circumstances where agency personnel believe that the proposed action would fundamentally alter the program or activity or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens, the agency has the burden of proving that compliance with §39.160 would result in such alteration or burdens. The decision that compliance would result in such alteration or burdens must be made by the Attorney General or his or her designee after considering all agency resources available for use in the funding and operation of the conducted program or activity, and must be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. If an action required to comply with this section would result in such an alteration or such burdens, the agency shall take any other action that would not result in such an alteration or such burdens but would nevertheless ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, handicapped persons receive the benefits and services of the program or activity.
(b) Employment complaints. The agency shall process complaints alleging violations of section 504 with respect to employment according to the procedures established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 29 CFR part 1613 pursuant to section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791).
(c) Responsible Official. The Responsible Official shall coordinate implementation of this section.
(d) Filing a complaint—(1) Who may file. (i) Any person who believes that he or she has been subjected to discrimination prohibited by this part may by him or herself or by his or her authorized representative file a complaint with the Official. Any person who believes that any specific class of persons has been subjected to discrimination prohibited by this part and who is a member of that class or the authorized representative of a member of that class may file a complaint with the Official.
(2) Confidentiality. The Official shall hold in confidence the identity of any person submitting a complaint, unless the person submits written authorization otherwise, and except to the extent necessary to carry out the purposes of this part, including the conduct of any investigation, hearing, or proceeding under this part.
(3) When to file. Complaints shall be filed within 180 days of the alleged act of discrimination, except that complaints by inmates of Federal penal institutions shall be filed within 180 days of the final administrative decision of the Bureau of Prisons under 28 CFR part 542. The Official may extend this time limit for good cause shown. For purposes of determining when a complaint is timely filed under this subparagraph, a complaint mailed to the agency shall be deemed filed on the date it is postmarked. Any other complaint shall be deemed filed on the date it is received by the agency.
(4) How to file. Complaints may be delivered or mailed to the Attorney General, the Responsible Official, or agency officials. Complaints should be sent to the Director for Equal Employment Opportunity, U.S. Department of Justice, 10th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 1232, Washington, DC 20530. If any agency official other than the Official receives a complaint, he or she shall forward the complaint to the Official immediately.
(e) Notification to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. The agency shall promptly send to the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board a copy of any complaint alleging that a building or facility that is subject to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157), or section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended (29 U.S.C. 792), is not readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons. The agency shall delete the identity of the complainant from the copy of the complaint.
(f) Acceptance of complaint. (1) The Official shall accept a complete complaint that is filed in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section and over which the agency has jurisdiction. The Official shall notify the complainant and the respondent of receipt and acceptance of the complaint.
(g) Investigation/conciliation. (1) Within 180 days of the receipt of a complete complaint, the Official shall complete the investigation of the complaint, attempt informal resolution, and, if no informal resolution is achieved, issue a letter of findings.
(h) Letter of findings. If an informal resolution of the complaint is not reached, the Official shall, within 180 days of receipt of the complete complaint, notify the complainant and the respondent of the results of the investigation in a letter sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, containing—
(i) Filing an appeal. (1) Notice of appeal to the Complaint Adjudication Officer, with or without a request for hearing, shall be filed by the complainant or the respondent with the Responsible Official within 30 days of receipt from the Official of the letter required by paragraph (h) of this section.
(j) Acceptance of appeal. The Responsible Official shall accept and process any timely appeal. A party may appeal to the Complaint Adjudication Officer from a decision of the Official that an appeal is untimely. This appeal shall be filed within 15 days of receipt of the decision from the Official.
(k) Hearing. (1) Upon a timely request for a hearing, the Responsible Official shall appoint an administrative law judge to conduct the hearing. The administrative law judge shall issue a notice to all parties specifying the date, time, and place of the scheduled hearing. The hearing shall be commenced no earlier than 15 days after the notice is issued and no later than 60 days after the request for a hearing is filed, unless all parties agree to a different date.
(3) The hearing, decision, and any administrative review thereof shall be conducted in conformity with 5 U.S.C. 554-557 (sections 5-8 of the Administrative Procedure Act). The administrative law judge shall have the duty to conduct a fair hearing, to take all necessary action to avoid delay, and to maintain order. He or she shall have all powers necessary to these ends, including (but not limited to) the power to—
(vii) Take any action permitted to the administrative law judge as authorized by this part or by the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551-559).
(l) Decision. (1) The Complaint Adjudication Officer shall make the decision of the agency based on information in the investigative record and, if a hearing is held, on the hearing record. The decision shall be made within 60 days of receipt of the transmittal of the notice of appeal and investigative record pursuant to §39.170(i)(3) or after the period for filing exceptions ends, whichever is applicable. If the Complaint Adjudication Officer determines that he or she needs additional information from any party, he or she shall request the information and provide the other party or parties an opportunity to respond to that information. The Complaint Adjudication Officer shall have 60 days from receipt of the additional information to render the decision on the appeal. The Complaint Adjudication Officer shall transmit his or her decision by letter to the parties. The decision shall set forth the findings, remedial action required, and reasons for the decision. If the decision is based on a hearing record, the Complaint Adjudication Officer shall consider the recommended decision of the administrative law judge and render a final decision based on the entire record. The Complaint Adjudication Officer may also remand the hearing record to the administrative law judge for a fuller development of the record.
(2) Any respondent required to take action under the terms of the decision of the agency shall do so promptly. The Official may require periodic compliance reports specifying—
Editorial Note: For the convenience of the user, the “Supplementary Information” portion of the document published at 49 FR 35724, Sept. 11, 1984, is set forth below:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 16, 1983, the Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap, as it applies to programs and activities conducted by the Department of Justice. 48 FR 55996. Shortly after the NPRM was published, the Department received a number of preliminary comments from handicapped individuals and from organizations representing handicapped individuals. The tone and nature of these comments indicated to the Department that some of the regulatory provisions of the NPRM were being misunderstood. As a result, the Department, on March 1, 1984, published a Supplementary Notice further explaining the NPRM and requesting comments on possible revisions to the original NPRM. 49 FR 7792.
The purpose of this rule is to provide for the enforcement of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), as it applies to programs and activities conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ). As amended by the Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Services, and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978 (Sec. 119, Pub. L. 95-602, 92 Stat. 2982), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that:
(29 U.S.C. 794) (amendment italicized).
Nine hundred and two comments that the Department received agreed that the obligations of section 504 for federally conducted programs should be identical to those developed by the Federal agencies over the past seven years for federally assisted programs. These commenters, however, objected to any language differences between the Department's proposed rule for federally conducted programs and the Department's section 504 coordination regulation for federally assisted programs (28 CFR part 41). The commenters asserted that a number of language differences that the Department had proposed created less stringent standards for the Federal government than those applied to recipients of Federal assistance under section 504. They wrote that such a result could not be justified by Executive Order 12250, by the wording of the statute itself, nor by the legislative history of the 1978 amendments.
This regulation has been reviewed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Executive Order 12067 (43 FR 28967, 3 CFR, 1978 Comp., p. 206). It is not a major rule within the meaning of Executive Order 12291 (46 FR 13193, 3 CFR, 1981 Comp., p. 127) and, therefore, a regulatory impact analysis has not been prepared. This regulation does not have an impact on small entities. It is not, therefore, subject to the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612).
“Auxiliary aids.” “Auxiliary aids” means services or devices that enable persons with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills to have an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of the agency's programs or activities. The definition provides examples of commonly used auxiliary aids. Auxiliary aids are addressed in §39.160(a)(1). Comments on the definition of “auxiliary aids” are discussed in connection with that section.
“Complete complaint.” “Complete complaint” is defined to include all the information necessary to enable the agency to investigate the complaint. The definition is necessary, because the 180 day period for the agency's investigation (see §39.170(g)) begins when it receives a complete complaint.
“Handicapped person.” The definition of “handicapped person” has been revised to make it identical to the definition appearing in the section 504 coordination regulation for federally assisted programs (28 CFR 41.31). In its NPRM, the Department omitted the list of physical or mental impairments included in the definition of “handicapped persons.” The Department received 19 negative comments on this omission, and, in the Supplemental Notice, requested comments on whether it should be re-inserted. On the basis of the comments received, we have included the list in the final rule.
“Qualified handicapped person” The definition of “qualified handicapped person” is a revised version of the definition appearing in the section 504 coordination regulation for federally assisted programs (28 CFR 41.32).
Many commenters stated that the proposal would change the definition of qualified handicapped person for employment. “Qualified handicapped person” is defined for purposes of employment in 29 CFR 1613.702(f), which is made applicable to this part by §39.140. Nothing in this part changes existing regulations applicable to employment.
Many commenters assumed that the definition would have the effect of placing on the handicapped person the burden of proving that he or she is qualified. The definition has been revised to make it clear that the agency has the burden of demonstrating that a proposed modification would constitute a fundamental alteration in the nature of its program or activity. Furthermore, in demonstrating that a modification would result in such an alteration, the agency must follow the procedures established in §§39.150(a)(2) and 39.160(d), which are discussed below, for demonstrating that an action would result in undue financial and administrative burdens. That is, the decision must be made by the agency head or his or her designee in writing after consideration of all resources available for the program or activity and must be accompanied by an explanation of the reasons for the decision. If the agency head determines that an action would result in a fundamental alteration, the agency must consider options that would enable the handicapped person to achieve the purpose of the program but would not result in such an alteration.
Some commenters said that the definition of “qualified handicapped person” places handicapped persons in a “Catch-22” situation: because only qualified handicapped persons are protected by the statute, a determination that a person is not qualified would make enforcement remedies unavailable to that person. This concern is misplaced. If the Department determined that a handicapped person was not “qualified,” the person could use the procedures established by §39.170 to challenge that determination, just as he or she could challenge any other decision by the agency that he or she believed to be discriminatory.
Subparagraph (2) of the definition adopts the existing definition in the coordination regulation of “qualified handicapped person” with respect to services for programs receiving Federal financial assistance (28 CFR 41.32(b)). Under this part of the definition, a qualified handicapped person is a handicapped person who meets the essential eligibility requirements for participation in the program or activity.
This section requires that the agency conduct a self-evaluation of its compliance with section 504 within one year of the effective date of this regulation. The self-evaluation requirement is present in the existing section 504 coordination regulation for programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance (28 CFR 41.5(b)(2)). Experience has demonstrated the self-evaluation process to be a valuable means of establishing a working relationship with handicapped persons that promotes both effective and efficient implementation of section 504.
In response to preliminary comments that the proposed rule had no specific criteria for conducting a self-evaluation, we requested comment on a proposed alternative in our Supplemental Notice (49 FR 7792). We received 64 comments, 57 of which were positive. The comments generally favored adoption of the alternative section, instead of the proposed section. We agree.
48 FR 19324 (Preamble to interim rules).
The Department received negative comments on its omission of a paragraph routinely used in section 504 regulations for federally assisted programs requiring recipients to inform interested persons of their rights under section 504. In the Department's Supplemental Notice, we requested comments on inclusion of specific regulatory language. Fifty-four positive comments were received. As a result, the Department has incorporated that new provision on notice into the final rule. It appears as §39.111.
Section 39.111 is, in fact, a broader and more detailed version of the proposed rule's requirement (at §39.160(d)) that the agency provide handicapped persons with information concerning their rights. Because §39.111 encompasses the requirements of proposed §39.160(d), that latter paragraph has been deleted as duplicative.
Section 39.130 is an adaptation of the corresponding section of the section 504 coordination regulation for programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance (28 CFR 41.51). This regulatory provision attracted relatively few public comments and has not been changed from the proposed rule.
Paragraph (a) restates the nondiscrimination mandate of section 504. The remaining paragraphs in §39.130 establish the general principles for analyzing whether any particular action of the agency violates this mandate. These principles serve as the analytical foundation for the remaining sections of the regulation. If the agency violates a provision in any of the subsequent sections, it will also violate one of the general prohibitions found in §39.130. When there is no applicable subsequent provision, the general prohibitions stated in this section apply.
In addition, section 504 prohibits more than just the most obvious denials of equal treatment. It is not enough to admit persons in wheelchairs to a program if the facilities in which the program is conducted are inaccessible. Subparagraph (b)(1)(iii), therefore, requires that the opportunity to participate or benefit afforded to a handicapped person be as effective as that afforded to others. The later sections on program accessibility (§§39.149-39.151) and communications (§39.160) are specific applications of this principle.
Subparagraph (b)(4) specifically applies the prohibition enunciated in §39.130(b)(3) to the process of selecting sites for construction of new facilities or existing facilities to be used by the agency. Subparagraph (b)(4) does not apply to construction of additional buildings at an existing site.
Subparagraph (b)(6) prohibits the agency from discriminating against qualified handicapped persons on the basis of handicap in the granting of licenses or certification. A person is a “qualified handicapped person” with respect to licensing or certification, if he or she can meet the essential eligibility requirements for receiving the license or certification (see §39.103).
Section 39.140 prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap in employment by the agency. Comments on proposed §39.140 identified two types of problems. First, several commenters felt that the rule's treatment of employment was not sufficiently comprehensive. They pointed out that the rule does not enumerate the employment practices covered (e.g., hiring, promotion, assignment); it does not say what must be done to avoid or correct possible discrimination (e.g., reasonable accommodation, review of preemployment tests, limitations on preemployment inquiries and the use of medical examinations); nor does it define a “qualified handicapped person” with respect to employment.
The proposed regulation did not contain a general statement of the program accessibility requirement similar to that appearing in the section 504 coordination regulation for federally assisted programs (28 CFR 41.56). The decision not to include this language in the proposed regulation created the misperception that a change in substance was intended. In order to remedy this misunderstanding, the Supplemental Notice requested comments on explicitly including it. Sixty-two commenters favored inclusion of the specific regulatory language that was published in the Supplemental Notice. Consequently, the final rule has been revised to include the language of the Supplemental Notice. The language appears at §39.149.
This regulation adopts the program accessibility concept found in the existing section 504 coordination regulation for programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance (28 CFR 41.57), with certain modifications. Thus, §39.150 requires that the agency's program or activity, when viewed in its entirety, be readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons. The regulation also makes clear that the agency is not required to make each of its existing facilities accessible (§39.150(a)(1)). However, §39.150, unlike 28 CFR 41.56-41.57, places explicit limits on the agency's obligation to ensure program accessibility (§39.150(a)(2)). This provision provoked 959 comments, the largest number received on any single issue. Most commenters sought the deletion of the “undue financial and administrative burdens” language from the regulation. On the basis of preliminary comments on this paragraph, the Department published clarifying language in its Supplemental Notice. The final version includes that clarification.
The “undue financial and administrative burdens” language (found at §§39.150(a)(2) and 39.160(d)) is based on the Supreme Court's Davis holding that section 504 does not require program modifications that result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a program, and on the Court's statement that section 504 does not require modifications that would result in “undue financial and administrative burdens.” 442 U.S. at 412. Since Davis, circuit courts have applied this limitation on a showing that only one of the two “undue burdens” would be created as a result of the modification sought to be imposed under section 504. See, e.g., Dopico v. Goldschmidt, supra; American Public Transit Association v. Lewis, supra (APTA). In APTA the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit applied the Davis language and invalidated the section 504 regulations of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The court in APTA noted “that at some point a transit system's refusal to take modest, affirmative steps to accommodate handicapped persons might well violate section 504. But DOT's rules do not mandate only modest expenditures. The regulations require extensive modifications of existing systems and impose extremely heavy financial burdens on local transit authorities.” 655 F.2d at 1278.
Overlapping coverage exists with respect to new construction under section 504, section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C 792), and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157). Section 39.151 provides that those buildings that are constructed or altered by, on behalf of, or for the use of the agency shall be designed, constructed, or altered to be readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons in accordance with 41 CFR 101-19.600 to 101-19.607. This standard was promulgated pursuant to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157). It is appropriate to adopt the existing Architectural Barriers Act standard for section 504 compliance because new and altered buildings subject to this regulation are also subject to the Architectural Barriers Act and because adoption of the standard will avoid duplicative and possibly inconsistent standards.
Existing buildings leased by the agency after the effective date of this regulation are not required to meet the new construction standard. They are subject, however, to the requirements of §39.150.
A commenter has recommended that the regulation should require that buildings leased after the effective date of the regulation should meet the new construction standards of §39.151, rather than the program accessibility standard for existing facilities in §39.150. Federal practice under section 504 has always treated newly leased buildings as subject to the existing facility program accessibility standard. Unlike the construction of new buildings where architectural barriers can be avoided at little or no cost, the application of new construction standards to an existing building being leased raises the same prospect of retrofitting buildings as the use of an existing Federal facility, and the Department believes the same program accessibility standard should apply to both owned and leased existing buildings.
Section 39.160 requires the agency to take appropriate steps to ensure effective communication with personnel of other Federal entities, applicants, participants, and members of the public. These steps include procedures for determining when auxiliary aids are necessary under §39.160(a)(1) to afford a handicapped person an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, the agency's program or activity. They also include an opportunity for handicapped persons to request the auxiliary aids of their choice. This expressed choice shall be given primary consideration by the agency (§39.160(a)(1)(i)). The agency shall honor the choice unless it can demonstrate that another effective means of communication exists or that use of the means chosen would not be required under §39.160(d). That paragraph limits the obligation of the agency to ensure effective communication in accordance with Davis and the circuit court opinions interpreting it (see supra preamble §39.150(a)(2)). Unless not required by §39.160(d), the agency shall provide auxiliary aids at no cost to the handicapped person.
The agency shall ensure effective communication with vision-impaired and hearing-impaired persons involved in hearings conducted by the agency, e.g., INS deportation proceedings. Auxiliary aids in these proceedings must be afforded where they are necessary to ensure effective communication at the proceedings. When sign language interpreters are necessary, the agency may require that it be given reasonable notice prior to the proceeding of the need for an interpreter. Moreover, the agency need not provide individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices of a personal nature (§39.160(a)(1)(ii)). For example, the agency need not provide eye glasses or hearing aids to applicants or participants in its programs. Similarly, the regulation does not require the agency to provide wheelchairs to persons with mobility impairments.
Some commenters suggested that the Department's language in §39.160(a)(1)(ii) that states that the agency need not provide individually prescribed devices or readers for personal use or study be modified to state that such devices are not required for “nonprogram material.” This suggestion has not been adopted because it is less clear than the existing formulation, which is intended to distinguish between communications that are necessary to obtain the benefits of the federal programs and those that are not and which parallels the requirements of the Federal government's section 504 regulations for federally assisted programs. For example, a federally operated library would have to ensure effective communication between its librarian and a patron, but not between the patron and a friend who had accompanied him or her to the library.
Paragraph (a) specifies that paragraphs (c) through (l) of this section establish the procedures for processing complaints other than employment complaints. Paragraph (b) provides that the agency will process employment complaints according to procedures established in existing regulations of the EEOC (29 CFR part 1613) pursuant to section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791).
Paragraph (c) vests in the Responsible Official the responsibility for the overall management of the 504 compliance program. “Responsible Official” or “Official,” as defined in §39.103, refers to the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, who is designated as the official responsible for coordinating implementation of compliance procedures set forth in §39.170. The definition of “Official” includes other Department Officials to whom authority has been delegated by the Official. The Assistant Attorney General for Administration has been designated as the Director of Equal Employment Opportunity for the Department. See 28 CFR 42.2(a).
Although one person has responsibility both for administering the Equal Employment Opportunity Program for the Department and for coordinating implementation of the compliance procedures under this part, the procedures for carrying out these two responsibilities are different. The Official would follow the procedures for enforcing equal employment opportunity, as set forth in 29 CFR part 1613, only for complaints alleging employment discrimination (see §39.170(b)). Other complaints would be processed under the procedures in §39.170. Authority for processing complaints of employment discrimination has been delegated to Equal Employment Opportunity Officers in some Department components, and it is expected that authority for enforcing this part will be similarly delegated.
Several commenters argued that the proposed rule unnecessarily restricted the right to file a complaint by not allowing an individual victim of discrimination to authorize a representative to file on his or her behalf. The final rule permits filing by the authorized representative of an individual victim, or, in the case of class discrimination, of a member of the class, as well as by an individual victim or class member. The final rule has been revised to make it clear that complaints alleging that a specific class of persons has been discriminated against may only be filed by a member of that specific class or by a representative authorized to file the complaint by a member of that class (§39.170(d)(1)).
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has established an Administrative Remedy Procedure for handling grievances of inmates of Federal penal institutions (28 CFR part 542). This procedure allows an inmate to file a formal written complaint with the Warden of the Institution or with the Regional Director. While these remedies are not a substitute for the right to an independent investigation by a civil rights office and appeal to the Complaint Adjudication Officer, the final rule requires inmates to exhaust these procedural remedies before filing a complaint with the Official. The time period for filing a complaint with the Official would be extended by the time spent exhausting these remedies. This requirement applies only to inmates and does not extend to visitors and employees.
The Official is required to accept all complete complaints over which the agency has jurisdiction (§39.170(f)(1)). If the Official determines that the agency does not have jurisdiction over a complaint, the Official shall promptly notify the complainant and make reasonable efforts to refer the complaint to the appropriate entity of the Federal government (§39.170(f)(3)).
If a complaint is not complete when it is filed, the Official must notify the complainant within 30 days that additional information is needed. The complainant must furnish the necessary information within 30 days of receipt of the notice, or the complaint will be dismissed without prejudice. Filing an incomplete complaint within 180 days from the date of the alleged discrimination satisfies the requirement of subparagraph (d)(3), but the timeframes governing the Official's other obligations to process the complaint (see, e.g., §39.170(g)(1), §39.170(h)) do not begin to operate until the Official receives a complete complaint.
Within 180 days of receipt of the complete complaint, the Official is to investigate the complaint, attempt an informal resolution, and, if informal resolution is not achieved, issue a letter of findings (§39.170(h)). Within the time limit, the Official should make every effort to achieve informal resolution whenever possible.
Paragraph (h) requires that the Official's letter be sent to the complainant and respondent, and that it contain findings of fact and conclusions of law, the relief granted if discrimination is found, and notice of the right to appeal. The regulation provides that a party may appeal the Official's letter or findings to the Complaint Adjudication Officer (CAO). If neither party files an appeal from the letter of findings within 30 days after receipt of the letter, the letter will constitute the final decision of the agency (§39.170(i)(4)).
The Department received comments on the proposed opportunity for a hearing before an administrative law judge. Some commenters were primarily concerned that by invoking a hearing before the ALJ with the procedural safeguards adopted from the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 554-557), the complainant would lose the right to a de novo review of the agency's final decision, because the APA allows a Federal court only to determine if the agency's final decisions are “arbitrary and capricious” (5 U.S.C. 706(2)(A)). It is beyond our jurisdiction to specify that a de novo review is available to complaints seeking judicial review of final agency decisions. This issue is for the courts to decide. That is also true for the issue of the availability of a private right of action, either without invoking our compliance procedures or after the issuance of letters of findings.
One comment requested the addition of a provision whereby the Department would award attorneys fees to complainants. Another comment suggested that the Equal Access to Justice Act (5 U.S.C. 504) might provide for the award of fees. Nothing contained in title V of the Rehabilitation Act provides for the agency award of attorneys fees in administrative proceedings other than those involving Federal employment. Nor does the EAJA and the Department's implementing regulations at 28 CFR part 24 provide for such awards in hearings conducted under §39.170(k). We have therefore included no attorneys fee provision in the current regulations.