National Origin Discrimination

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) works to ensure that healthcare and human services providers who are recipients of HHS Federal financial assistance comply with Federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on national origin. OCR helps to ensure that eligible individuals are not denied or deterred from obtaining benefits on the basis of their national origin and provides technical assistance to healthcare and human services providers on request. OCR also conducts investigations to determine whether neutral policies or practices have a disparate impact on the basis of national origin. Information on OCR's work in the area of nondiscriminatory access by limited-English proficient (LEP) persons is found on a separate web-page, www.hhs.gov/ocr/lep.

OCR Guidance (Regarding Inquiries into Citizenship, Immigration Status and Social Security Numbers in State Applications for Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Food Stamp Benefits)
Selected OCR Activities (includes Summaries of Letters of Findings and Agreements, also Technical Assistance Activities)
Other Federal resources (includes documents, references from other HHS components, promising practices and other Federal Agencies)
State and Local Government Resources (includes documents, references from State and Local Governments and promising practices)