HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Melanie Fontes Rainer on Progress and News at OCR
ERISA Blog | Changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rules A Primer for Self-Insured Group Health Plans
Podcast - Data Privacy and Tracking Technology Compliance
Patient Data and Privacy
HIPAA Tips With Williams Mullen - Telehealth After the Pandemic
Relaxed HIPAA Restrictions For Providers Using Telehealth
Webinar: Investigating and Resolving Sexual Assaults on Campus
On July 30, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was not deliberately indifferent to antisemitism on its campus, and provided some guidance as to how courts may interpret...more
After a year marked by student protests on university campuses nationwide, including encampments and commencement ceremony walk-outs, universities are scrambling to prepare for students’ return to campus the upcoming Fall...more
On July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a Fact Sheet, which provides guidance to help school districts prevent and address discrimination, including harassment,...more
On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it had reached a resolution agreement with Brown University. This action followed an investigation concluding that Brown...more
On July 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a new Fact Sheet. This document aims to help faculty, staff, students and families understand their rights and obligations under Title...more
Recent resolution agreements between the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the University of Michigan (U-M) and the City University of New York (CUNY) offer valuable lessons for colleges and...more
On May 6, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its final rule revamping the non-discrimination regulations issued under § 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The revised rules apply to all...more
On May 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) again issued guidance in the form of a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to educational institutions discussing how Title VI of the Civil Rights Act...more
In the midst of antiwar protests and a rise in antisemitic incidents at institutions of higher education (IHE) across the country, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on May 7, 2024...more
On April 17, 2024, the House Education and Workforce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing to focus on Antisemitism in Higher Education. At the witness table will be the President of Columbia University Dr. Nemat...more
The Biden Administration has made concentrated efforts to address the rise in reports of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and other hate-based or bias-based incidents in schools and on college campuses since the beginning of the...more
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released a Fact Sheet on Ensuring Meaningful Participation in Advanced Coursework and Specialized Programs for Students Who Are English Learners...more
On August 24, 2023, the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights ("OCR" or the "Department") released a Dear Colleague Letter (the "DCL") regarding "Race and School Programming." This DCL, which surely...more
A Department of Education letter and Q&A document outlines lawful ways for universities to promote diverse student bodies. Higher education institutions are urged to “redoubl[e] efforts to recruit and retain” students...more
On July 24, 2023, less than a month after the Supreme Court's landmark decision striking down affirmative action practices in college admissions, the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched an...more
In its decision holding the use of race in university and college admissions is unconstitutional in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court noted that “[e]liminating racial...more
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has published a factsheet entitled “Diversity and Inclusion Activities Under Title VI,” clarifying that diversity, equity, and inclusion training “in most factual...more
n January 31, 2023, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released a fact sheet clarifying that diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”) training and similar activities are generally consistent with...more
On Jan. 31, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a new fact sheet interpreting Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs...more
SUMMARY OF FACTS - On August 23, 2022, the Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) entered into a resolution agreement with Kyrene School District (“the District”) in Tempe, Arizona. OCR investigated whether the District failed...more
Data collected during the coronavirus pandemic shows a disturbing trend of inequities in testing and treatment for COVID-19 among people of color. On July 20, 2020 the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for...more
On July 20, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance focused on federal financial assistance recipients’ compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act...more
On December 11, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring his administration’s commitment to enforcing federal racial anti-discrimination provisions against discrimination “rooted in anti-Semitism.”...more
On May 18, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule (the Rule) implementing the prohibition on discrimination under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Section 1557 prohibits...more