Approval of updating Section 504 Grievance Procedure for all Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA) Grants.

Hidalgo County Urban County Program is updating and requesting approval of Section 504 Grievance Procedures for all HUD, TDHCA and TDRA grants. The state office of the Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) changed their name to Texas Department of Rural Affairs (TDRA). Therefore, we need to update and change our grievance procedures to include TDRA. TDRA guidelines require that the contractor locality (County of Hidalgo) should adopt similar or equivalent provisions that provide for a local complaint system to investigate and resolve issues arising from its operation concerning handicapped individuals.

The County of Hidalgo is updating its adopted internal grievance procedure providing for prompt an equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regulations (24 CFR Subpart A. Sec. 8.4 (a) Implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (29 USC 794). Section 504 states, in part that “No otherwise qualified handicapped individual shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Attached please find the Section 504 Grievance Procedures and the similar or equivalent provision that provide for a local complaint system for handicapped individuals.