Policy Division

The Department’s Policy Division resides within the Office of Compliance, Policy, Training and Cultural Transformation in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. The Policy Division’s primary function is to assess and provide technical assistance on Civil Rights Impact Analysis (CRIAs).

Who We Are

The Department’s Policy Division resides within the Office of Compliance, Policy, Training and Cultural Transformation in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. The Policy Division’s primary function is to assess and provide technical assistance on Civil Rights Impact Analysis (CRIAs).

CRIAs is a comprehensive analysis on whether an action or decision will have an adverse or disproportionate impact on employees and customers in any employment practice or program or activity based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, age, disability, reprisal, and religion.

What We Do

OASCR employee working on her computerThe Policy Division is responsible for the development and/or revision of USDA’s civil rights departmental regulations, manuals, directives, and guidance. These documents must be continually monitored and updated to ensure that they are in compliance with applicable laws and executive orders. In addition, Policy Division is responsible for reviewing all of USDA’s departmental regulations, manuals, directives, and guidance that require departmental clearance.

In doing so, the Policy Division is in constant consultation with internal agencies and Staff offices, such as the Office of Budget and Program Analysis, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and the Office of General Counsel.  The Policy Division is also in constant consultation with external Federal agencies such as the Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Housing and Urban Development.

In accordance with Departmental Regulation (DR) 4300-04, USDA agencies and staff offices are mandated to prepare CRIAs on the following and submit them to the Policy Division for review:

  • Significant proposed and final rules and notices;
  • Charters for advisory committees;
  • Departmental regulations, manuals, and notices;
  • Proposed reorganizations requiring Departmental approval;
  • Reductions-in-force and transfer of function proposals; and
  • At the direction of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights on any other policy, program, or activity that may have potentially adverse civil rights impacts.

The Policy Division has recently established the following policies and guidance:

  • Anti-Harassment in the Workplace,
  • Non Discrimination on the Basis of Age in Programs and Activities Receiving Federal
  • Financial Assistance from USDA, and
  • Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
  • Final Guidance for Federally assisted programs and LEP Departmental Regulation for Conducted Programs.

New policies provide up-to-date direction on federal mandates as well as delegates the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights greater enforcement authority.

The Policy Division is tasked with generating Annual Reports for the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (Age Act), the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act), and The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill).
The Age Act Report is due December of each year and covers age related complaints and related activities in Federally assisted programs or activities for the previous fiscal year.
The Farm Bill Report is due April of each year and covers employment and program complaints and related activities for the previous fiscal year.
The No FEAR Act Report is due April of each year and covers Equal Employment Opportunity complaints, whistleblower and related activities for the previous fiscal year.

The Policy Division works closely with the Agency Civil Rights Offices, Office of Human Resource Management, the Data Records and Management, and the Department of Health and Human Services to obtain pertinent information required for these reports.  Policy compiles the information, conducts an analysis of the data, produces the reports on an annual basis, and provides feedback to the Agencies regarding the analysis.

AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

Departmental Regulations

Annual Reports

How We Can Help

Three children, two girls and a boy, eating lunch at a table. The boy is offering to share his breadContact Information

Policy Division
355 E Street, Southwest
Room 3-250
Washington, DC 20024
Telephone: (202)