Reasonable Accommodation & Limited English Proficiency Requests and Complaints of Discrimination

Reasonable Accommodation Requests​​

In accordance with the Titles I and II of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title 20 of the State Government Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Maryland Department of Health (“MDH” or the “Department”) does not discriminate against persons with a disability in the provision of services, programs, benefits or activities. Procedures outlined in this document have been established to assist MDH employees with maintaining compliance with State and Federal statutes and laws. For more information about the reasonable accommodation policy and procedures please visit The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs Reasonable Accommodations Procedures webpage.

• ADAAA Reasonable Accommodation Procedures (2023).pdf
  
• ADAAA Reasonable Accommodation Form (2023).pdf
  

Reasonable Accommodation Requests for Disabilities Due to Pregnancy

Effective October 1, 2013, pursuant to Chapters 547 and 548 of the 2013 Acts of the Maryland General Assembly and State Government Article § 20-609 employees are now granted a statutory right to reasonable accommodations if the pregnancy causes or contributes to a disability, and if the accommodation does not impose an undue hardship for the employer. Employers are required to recognize disabilities caused by pregnancy or childbirth as temporary disabilities for all job-related purposes and shall explore with the employee all possible means of providing reasonable accommodation throughout the duration of the employee’s pregnancy without creating an undue hardship to the employer. This law requires that under these circumstances, the pregnancy be treated as a temporary disability under any health or temporary disability insurance or sick leave plan available in connection with employment. Employers may require medical documentation from an employee’s health care provider regarding the medical advisability of a reasonable accommodation to the same extent certification is required for other temporary disabilities. The certification shall include: date a reasonable accommodation is medically advisable; probable duration; explanation as to the medical advisability of the reasonable accommodation. Further, this law requires that employers post in a conspicuous location, and include in any employee handbook, information concerning the employee’s rights regarding this law.

Notice - Accommodations for Disabilities due to PREGNANCY.pdf​
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Limited English Proficiency Requests

In accordance with State and Federal law, the Maryland Department of Health, provides language assistance to persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating effectively in English, you may need an interpreter or document translation in order to have meaningful access to licensing services. Please contact the Board to submit your request for assistance as follows:

• Email: [email protected]
  
• Fax: (410) 431-3072

To learn more about the LEP policy and procedures please access the following resources:

Maryland Department of Health Policies and Notices

• MDH Limited English Proficiency Policy
  
• MDH Service Non-Discrimination Policy 
  
• MDH Equal Employment Opportunity--Notice to the Public (English) 
  
• MDH Equal Employment Opportunity--Notice to the Publice (Chinese) 
  
• MDH Equal Employment Opportunity--Notice to the Public (French) 
  
• MDH Equal Employment Opportunity--Notice to the Public (Korean) 
  
• MDH Equal Employment Opportunity--Notice to the Public (Spanish) 
  
• MDH Equal Employment Opportunity--Notice to the Public (Vietnamese)
  

Additional Subject Matter Resources​

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Civil Rights​ 
  
• ​http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/specialtopics/lep/
  
• Limited English Proficiency (LEP) – A Federal Interagency website
  
• http://www.lep.gov
• Understanding and Abiding by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Department of Justice Video
  
• http://youtu.be/90uNM-aZwdI
• Department of Justice Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool 
  
• http://www.lep.gov/resources/2011_Language_Access_Assessment_and_Planning_Tool.pdf
• InterpreTips
  
• http://www.thecommunityinterpreter.com/interpretips.html 
• InterpreTips YouTube Channel
  
• ​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjL_WcM4BIBw1L0X_ls63Q​​
  

Complaints of Discrimination

Any person who alleges discrimination on the basis of disability, including alleged failure to accommodate, in the provision of employment, services, activities, programs or benefits by the Maryland Department of Health may file a complaint with the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs. All complaints or suspicions of potential discrimination, harassment or retaliation will be promptly investigated. 

An individual may file a complaint with the MDH Office of Equal Opportunity Programs (OEOP), Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) and the ​United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), simultaneously.

To file a discrimination complaint, complete a Discrimination Complaint Form​​. The complaint must be based on one or more of the following bases: age, ancestry, color, creed, genetic information, gender identity and expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religious affiliation, belief or opinion, sex/gender (pregnancy and sexual harassment) or sexual orientation.

Review, sign and date the NOTICE OF YOUR RIGHT TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH AN EXTERNAL CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, attached to the Discrimination Complaint Form, which advises a Complainant of his/her right to file a complaint with an external commission, such as the MCCR and/or the EEOC and filing deadlines.​ Once the completed forms are received, an investigation will ensue.

An investigation will consist of the following:

• Review and analysis of the Complainant’s written complaint;
  
• Complainant interview;
  
• Respondent(s) interview;
  
• Witness(es​) interview;
  
• Review and analysis of additional documentation;
  
• Follow-up interviews, if necessary;
  
• Position statement issued to the Office of the Statewide Equal Opportunity Coordinator (OSEEOC), Secretary of MDH, appropriate Deputy Secretary, and appropriate direct, managerial staff;
  
• A Notice of Determination will be sent to the Complainant and Respondent, along with an explanation of their appeal rights.

MCCR accepts employment discrimination complaints based on age, ancestry, color, creed, genetic information, gender identity and expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religious affiliation, belief or opinion, sex/gender (pregnancy and sexual harassment) or sexual orientation.

EEOC accepts employment discrimination complaints based on race/color, age, sex (pregnancy and sexual harassment, religion, national origin, disability, equal compensation, genetic information and retaliation.

The Equal Access Compliance Unit (EACU) ensures that services, benefits, and activities offered and/or funded by the Maryland Department of Health are provided in a non-discriminatory manner. This includes the adequate provision of services to individuals who have Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and individuals with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and its amendments. EACU accomplishes its purpose by conducting compliance reviews, technical assistance, training and/or investigations when non-compliance of regulations governing LEP or ADA matters have been alleged.​​

Complaints filed with OEOP must be filed no later than 30 calendar days after the alleged violation, by contacting:

For more information, please visit Complaint Filing Procedures.​