HHS Section 504 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Description

On September 14, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The proposed rule covers all recipients of HHS funds, and includes proposed provisions on medical treatment; the child welfare system; web, mobile, and kiosk accessibility; accessible medical equipment; and integration, along with many other issues. The rule is open for public comments though November 13, 2023. In this presentation, OCR will walk us through some of the key provisions of the proposed rule and share how to comment.

Link to the proposed rule:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/14/2023-19149/discrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-in-health-and-human-service-programs-or-activities

Link to the fact sheet:
https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/disability/section-504-rehabilitation-act-of-1973/fact-sheet/index.html

Speakers

Molly Burgdorf is currently a Supervisor Policy Advisor in the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, and the team lead on the Section 504 rulemaking. She is an advocate, an attorney, and a woman with a disability. Molly has also served as the Senior Director of Rights Policy with The Arc of the United States, the Senior Policy Attorney at the Center for Public Representation, Senior Advisor with the Administration for Community Living, and Senior Advisor with the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at HHS, among other roles.

John Thompson is a Policy Analyst for the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. He has investigated allegations of civil rights violations in public and private entities across the United States, negotiated settlement agreements, and helped draft regulations and guidance concerning discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, sex, and age.