How to File an HHS OCR Disability Discrimination Complaint

If a hospital, clinic, nursing home, state Medicaid office, or other HHS-funded program denied you care, access, or accommodations because of a disability, you can file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) online, by email, or by mail — and you have 180 days from the date you knew about the discrimination to do it.

Key facts

• You have 180 days from the date you knew of the alleged discrimination to file an HHS OCR complaint; OCR can extend this for "good cause," but extensions aren't automatic.
• File three ways: the OCR Complaint Portal (ocrportal.hhs.gov), email to OCRComplaint@hhs.gov, or mail to Centralized Case Management Operations, HHS, 200 Independence Ave. S.W., Room 509F HHH Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20201.
• OCR enforces disability discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title II of the ADA, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act for HHS-funded or HHS-operated programs.
• You do not need to be the person who was discriminated against — anyone can file on another person's behalf.
• Not every complaint is investigated. OCR first screens for jurisdiction and whether the facts, if true, would violate a law it enforces.

Who this covers

HHS OCR takes disability complaints against entities that get federal financial assistance from HHS or that HHS directly operates — hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, state and local health and human services agencies, Medicaid programs, pharmacies, homeless shelters, and federal health insurance exchanges. If your complaint is about a workplace (not a health care provider), that's an EEOC matter, not OCR — see our EEOC filing guide for that process.

Step 1: Confirm it's an OCR matter, not a different agency

OCR handles discrimination by health care and human services entities. If the discrimination happened in employment, that's the EEOC. If it was a landlord or housing provider, that's HUD. If it was a school, that can be either OCR (for health-related programs) or the Department of Education's own OCR, depending on the entity. Pick the agency that actually funds or regulates the entity you're complaining about — filing with the wrong one wastes your 180 days.

Step 2: Write down what happened while it's fresh

Before you open the portal, get the basics in writing:

• The name and address of the provider, program, or agency involved
• The date (or date range) of the discriminatory act
• A description of what happened — what was denied, delayed, or done differently because of your disability
• Names of any staff involved and any witnesses
• Any documents that support your account: denial letters, appointment records, emails, photos

This is exactly what a documented IronRecord entry captures automatically — timestamp, people involved, and attached evidence — so you're not reconstructing dates from memory under deadline pressure.

Step 3: Choose your filing method

OCR Complaint Portal (fastest, recommended): Go to ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/cp/complaint_frontpage.jsf and select "File a Civil Rights and Conscience Complaint." You'll enter your information, the details of the complaint, and anything else that helps OCR evaluate it. You electronically sign and complete a consent form, then you can print a copy for your own records.

Email: Fill out the Civil Rights Discrimination Complaint Form Package (PDF, available on HHS.gov) or write a letter covering the same information, and send it to OCRComplaint@hhs.gov. HHS notes that standard email isn't encrypted, so avoid putting highly sensitive medical details in the body if you can attach them as a secured document instead.

Mail or fax: Send the completed complaint and consent forms to:

Centralized Case Management Operations U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Room 509F HHH Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20201

Step 4: Include everything OCR asks for

A complete complaint includes your name, address, and phone number; the name, address, and phone number of the provider or agency you're complaining about; a description of what happened and why you believe it was discrimination; the date(s) it occurred; your signature and the date you're filing; and — if you're filing on someone else's behalf — that person's name.

Step 5: Know what happens next

OCR reviews every complaint to decide whether it has legal authority to act and whether the facts, taken as true, would violate a law it enforces. From there OCR may investigate, resolve it with technical assistance to the provider, refer it to another agency, or close it without further action. There's no fixed timeline for a decision — straightforward complaints can resolve in a few months, while complex or multi-party investigations can run over a year.

Document it before you forget

If this happened to you, the deadline clock is already running. IronRecord lets you document the incident now — timestamped, with evidence attached — and calculates your filing deadline automatically. Free to start, no lawyer required.

Start your free record at ironrecord.org/dashboard

When you're ready, you can share your full documented record with a civil-rights attorney in one click.

This article provides general legal information, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and agency jurisdiction can vary by the specific facts of your case — if you're close to the 180-day mark or unsure which agency has jurisdiction, consult an attorney or contact OCR directly.