Civil Rights
The Division of Social Services and county Departments of Social Services must take reasonable steps to ensure that people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) have meaningful access to the programs, services and information agencies provide. One of the provisions of the Voluntary Compliance Agreement signed with US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights was that each DSS agency develops a Title VI/LEP compliance plan to address the needs of this ever-growing population of individuals whose primary language is not English. Learn more about Title VI and LEP at LEP.gov.
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Title VI Complaint Procedure
A customer or client has the right to file a complaint if they think that they were treated unfairly because they do not speak English well. They can file a complaint for themselves or for someone else. Customers or clients may file a complaint using the NC DSS Civil Rights Complaint Form. Please fill out the form and provide a copy to the local county DSS Title VI Compliance Officer.
If a customer or client believes they have been discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex or religion in programs or activities that the US Department of Health and Human Services (USHHS) directly operates or provides federal financial assistance to, they may file a complaint with the USHHS Office for Civil Rights. A complaint can be filed using the following forms:
USHHS Office of Civil Rights Complaint Form: English
USHHS Office of Civil Rights Complaint Form: Spanish
If a customer or client believes they have experienced discrimination when obtaining services from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), participating in a USDA program or a program that receives financial assistance from the USDA, they may file a complaint with USDA using the following forms:
USDA Civil Rights Complaint Form: English
USDA Civil Rights Complaint Form: Spanish
To protect your rights you must file a complaint within 180 days of the date you believe you or someone else was treated unfairly. If you do not file your complaint within 180 days you may lose your right to file the complaint.
"I Speak" Flashcard - Limited English Proficiency Tool
Limited English Proficiency Posters for display in County Offices: English Version, Spanish Version