HHS, OCR - Civil Rights Laws and Welfare Reform Overview
Civil Rights Requirements - B. The Age Discrimination Act
of 1975, 42 U.S.C. § 6101 et seq.
The Age Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in
programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance. A provider
generally may not exclude, deny, or provide different or lesser services to
applicants or beneficiaries, on the basis of age.
Examples of conduct that may violate the Age Discrimination Act include:
- In a computer training program, trainees over 40 are discouraged from
seeking referrals to computer systems jobs. These older trainees are told that
the systems jobs require travel between different job sites, are tiring and are
more suitable for the younger trainees.
- A training program for classroom aides does not admit anyone under 30. The
provider believes that persons under 30 are not mature enough to work with
school age children.
- A provider has a job referral arrangement with an employer who refuses to
accept anyone over 30 from the provider's automotive repair training class.
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Date of last revision: August 30, 1999
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