other than age that meet the requirements of the Act.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6101-6103)

§ 110.2 To what programs do these regulations apply?

(a) These regulations apply to any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from ED.

(b) These regulations do not apply to

(1) An age distinction contained in that part of a Federal, State, or local statute or ordinance adopted by an elected, general purpose legislative body that

(i) Provides any benefits or assistance to persons based on age;

(ii) Establishes criteria for participation in age-related terms; or

(iii) Describes intended beneficiaries or target groups in age-related terms;

or

(2) Any employment practice of any employer, employment agency, labor organization, or any labor-management joint apprenticeship training program, except any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance for employment under the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.3 What definitions apply?

The following definitions apply to these regulations: Act means the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (Title III of Pub. L. 94-135).

Action means any act, activity, policy, rule, standard, or method of administration, or the use of any policy, rule, standard, or method of administration.

Age means how old a person is, or the number of years from the date of a person's birth.

distinction means Age any action using age or an age-related term.

Age-related term means a word or words that necessarily imply a particular age or range of ages (e.g., "children, "adult,' "older persons," but not "student" or "grade").

Agency means a Federal department or agency that is empowered to extend financial assistance.

Applicant for Federal financial assistance means one who submits an application, request, or plan required to be approved by a Department official or by a recipient as a condition to becoming a recipient or subrecipient.

Department means the United States Department of Education.

ED means the United States Department of Education.

Federal financial assistance means any grant, entitlement, loan, cooperative agreement, contract (other than a procurement contract or a contract of insurance or guaranty), or any other arrangement by which ED provides or otherwise makes available assistance in the form of—

(a) Funds;

(b) Services of Federal personnel; or

(c) Real and personal property or any interest in or use of property, including

(1) Transfers or leases of property for less than fair market value or for reduced consideration; and

(2) Proceeds from a subsequent transfer or lease of property if the Federal share of its fair market value is not returned to the Federal Government.

Recipient means any State or its political subdivision, any instrumentality of a State or its political subdivision, any public or private agency, institution, organization, or other entity, or any person to which Federal financial assistance from ED is extended, directly or through another recipient. "Recipient" includes any successor, assignee, or transferee of a recipient, but excludes the ultimate beneficiary of the assistance.

Secretary means the the Secretary of Education, or his or her designee.

Subrecipient means any of the entities in the definition of "recipient" to which a recipient extends or passes on Federal financial assistance. A subrecipient is generally regarded as a recipient of Federal financial assistance and has all the duties of a recipient in these regulations.

United States means the fifty States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Wake Island,

the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories and possessions of the United States.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

Subpart B-Standards for Determining Age Discrimination

§ 110.10 Rules against age discrimination.

The rules stated in this section are subject to the exceptions contained in §§ 110.12 and 110.13 of these regulations.

(a) General rule. No person in the United States shall, on the basis of age, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

(b) Specific rules. A recipient may not, in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, use age distinctions or take any other actions that have the effect, on the basis of age, of—

(1) Excluding individuals from, denying them the benefits of, or subjecting them to discrimination under a program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance; or

(2) Denying or limiting individuals in their opportunity to participate in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

(c) Other forms of discrimination. The specific forms of age discrimination listed in paragraph (b) of this section do not necessarily constitute a complete list.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6101-6103)

§ 110.11 Definitions of "normal operation” and “statutory objective.' For purposes of these regulations, the terms normal operation and statutory objective have the following meanings:

(a) Normal operation means the operation of a program or activity without significant changes that would impair its ability to meet its objectives.

(b) Statutory objective means any purpose of a program or activity expressly stated in any Federal statute, State

statute, or local statute or ordinance adopted by an elected, general purpose legislative body.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.12 Exceptions

to

the rules against age discrimination: Normal operation or statutory objective of any program or activity.

A recipient is permitted to take an action otherwise prohibited by §110.10 if the action reasonably takes into account age as a factor necessary to the normal operation or the achievement of any statutory objective of a program or activity. An action reasonably takes into account age as a factor necessary to the normal operation or the achievement of any statutory objective of a program or activity, if—

(a) Age is used as a measure or approximation of one or more other characteristics;

(b) The other characteristic or characteristics must be measured or approximated in order for the normal operation of the program or activity to continue, or to achieve any statutory objective of the program or activity;

(c) The other characteristic or characteristics can be reasonably measured or approximated by the use of age; and

(d) The other characteristic or characteristics are impractical to measure directly on an individual basis. (Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

110.13 is on the recipient of Federal financial assistance.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6104)

§ 110.15 Affirmative action by recipients.

Even in the absence of a finding of discrimination, a recipient may take affirmative action to overcome the effects of conditions that resulted in limited participation in the recipient's program or activity on the basis of age. (Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.16 Special benefits for children and the elderly.

If a recipient operating a program provides special benefits to the elderly or to children, the use of age distinctions is presumed to be necessary to the normal operation of the program, notwithstanding the provisions

§ 110.12.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

of

§ 110.17 Age distinctions contained in ED's regulations.

Any age distinction contained in regulations issued by ED is presumed to be necessary to the achievement of a statutory objective of the program to which the regulations apply, notwithstanding the provisions of § 110.12. (Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

Subpart C-Duties of ED
Recipients

§ 110.20 General responsibilities.
Each ED recipient has primary re-
sponsibility for ensuring that its pro-
grams and activities are in compliance
with the Act and these regulations and
shall take steps to eliminate violations
of the Act. A recipient also has respon-
sibility to maintain records, provide
information, and to afford ED access to
its records to the extent required for
ED to determine whether the recipient
is in compliance with the Act and these
regulations.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.21 Notice to subrecipients.

If the recipient initially receiving funds makes the funds available to a

subrecipient, the recipient shall notify the subrecipient of its obligations under the Act and these regulations.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.22 Information requirements. Each recipient shall

(a) Provide ED with information that ED determines is necessary to ascertain whether the recipient is in compliance with the Act and these regulations; and

(b) Permit reasonable access by ED to the books, records, accounts, reports, and other recipient facilities and sources of information to the extent ED determines is necessary to ascertain whether a recipient is in compliance with the Act and these regulations.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.23 Assurances required.

(a) Assurances. An applicant for Federal financial assistance for a program or activity to which these regulations apply shall sign a written assurance, on a form specified by ED, that the program will be operated in compliance with these regulations. An applicant may incorporate this assurance by reference in subsequent applications to ED.

(b) Duration of obligation. (1) In the case of Federal financial assistance extended in the form of real property or to provide real property or structures on the property, the assurance will obligate the recipient or, in the case of a subsequent transfer, the transferee, for the period during which the real property or structures are used for the purpose for which Federal financial assistance is extended or for another purpose involving the provision of similar services or benefits.

(2) In the case of Federal financial assistance extended to provide personal property, the assurance will obligate the recipient for the period during which it retains ownership or possession of the property.

(3) In all other cases the assurance will obligate the recipient for the period during which Federal financial assistance is extended.

(c) Covenants. (1) If Federal financial assistance is provided in the form of

real property or interest in the property from ED, the instrument effecting or recording this transfer must contain a covenant running with the land to assure nondiscrimination for the period during which the real property is used for a purpose for which the Federal financial assistance is extended or for another purpose involving the provision of similar services or benefits.

(2) If no transfer of property is involved but property is purchased or improved with Federal financial assistance, the recipient shall agree to include the covenant described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section in the instrument effecting or recording any subsequent transfer of the property.

(3) If Federal financial assistance is provided in the form of real property or interest in the property from ED, the covenant must also include a condition coupled with a right to be reserved by ED to revert title to the property in the event of a breach of the covenant. If a transferee of real property proposes to mortgage or otherwise encumber the real property as security for financing construction of new, or improvement of existing, facilities on the property for the purposes for which the property was transferred, ED may, upon request of the transferee and if necessary to accomplish that financing and upon conditions that ED deems appropriate, agree to forbear the exercise of the right to revert title for as long as the lien of the mortgage or other encumbrance remains effective.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

$110.24 Recipient assessment of age distinctions.

(a) As part of a compliance review under § 110.30 or a complaint investigation under $110.31, ED may require a recipient employing the equivalent of 15 or more full-time employees to complete a written self-evaluation, in a manner specified by ED, of any age distinction imposed in its program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from ED to assess the recipient's compliance with the Act.

(b) Whenever an assessment indicates a violation of the Act or these regula

tions, the recipient shall take corrective action.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

§ 110.25 Designation of responsible employee, notice, and grievance procedures.

(a) Designation of responsible employee. Each recipient shall designate at least one employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under the Act and these regulations, including investigation of any complaints that the recipient receives alleging any actions that are prohibited by the Act and these regulations.

(b) Notice. A recipient shall notify its beneficiaries, in a continuing manner, of information regarding the provisions of the Act and these regulations and their applicability to specific programs. The notification must also identify the responsible employee by name or title, address, and telephone number.

(c) Grievance procedures. A recipient shall adopt and publish grievance procedures providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action that would be prohibited by the Act or these regulations. (Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6103)

Subpart D-Investigation, Conciliation, and Enforcement Procedures

§ 110.30 Compliance reviews.

(a) ED may conduct compliance reviews, pre-award reviews, and other similar procedures that permit ED to investigate and correct violations of the Act and of these regulations. ED may conduct these reviews in the absence of a complaint against a recipient. The review may be as comprehensive as necessary to determine whether a violation of these regulations occurred.

(b) If a compliance review or preaward review indicates a violation of

(a) Any person, individually or as a member of a class or on behalf of others, may file a complaint with ED alleging discrimination prohibited by the Act or by these regulations based on an action occurring on or after July 1, 1979. A complainant shall file a complaint within 180 days from the date the complainant first had knowledge of the alleged discrimination. However, for good cause shown, ED may extend this time limit.

(b) ED attempts to facilitate the filing of complaints, if possible, by—

(1) Accepting as a complete complaint any written statement that identifies the parties involved and the date the complainant first had knowledge of the alleged violation, describes generally the action or practice complained of, and is signed by the complainant;

(2) Freely permitting a complainant to add information to the complaint to meet the requirements of a complete complaint;

(3) Widely disseminating information regarding the obligations of recipients under the Act and these regulations;

(4) Notifying the complainant and the recipient of their rights and obligations under the complaint procedure, including the right to have a representative at all stages of the complaint procedure; and

(5) Notifying the complainant and the recipient (or their representatives) of their right to contact ED for information and assistance regarding the complaint resolution process.

(c) A complaint is considered to be complete on the date that ED receives all the information necessary to process it, as described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(d) ED returns to the complainant any complaint outside the jurisdiction of these regulations and states the rea

(a) ED promptly refers to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or to the mediation agency designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, all complaints that—

(1) Fall within the jurisdiction of the Act and these regulations, unless the age distinction complained of is clearly within an exemption under §110.2(b); and

(2) Contain all information necessary for further processing.

(b) Both the complainant and the recipient shall participate in the mediation process to the extent necessary to reach an agreement or to make an informed judgment that an agreement is not possible. The recipient and the complainant need not meet with the mediator at the same time, and the meeting may be conducted by telephone or other means of effective dialogue if a personal meeting between the party and the mediator is impractical.

(c) If the complainant and the recipient reach an agreement, the mediator shall prepare a written statement of the agreement and have the complainant and recipient sign it. The mediator shall send a copy of the agreement to ED. ED takes no further action on the complaint unless informed that the complainant or the recipient fails to comply with the agreement, at which time ED reinstates the complaint.

(d) The mediator shall protect the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of the mediation process. No mediator shall testify in any adjudicative proceeding, produce any document, or otherwise disclose any information obtained in the course of the mediation process without prior approval of the head of the mediation agency.

(e) The mediation will proceed for a maximum of 60 days after a complaint is filed with ED. Mediation ends if

(1) 60 days elapse from the time the complaint is received;

(2) Prior to the end of the 60-day period, an agreement is reached; or