Non-Emergency Medical Transportation

Title VI Notice and Complaint Procedures

 

Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging (the Agency) operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with the Agency.

For more information on the Agency civil rights program, and the procedures to file a complaint, please call 434-767-5588, ext. 1100, (TTY / TTD 434-767-5588 or 711); email [email protected]; or visit our administrative office at 1413 S. Main St, Farmville, VA 23901. For more information, visit www.psraaa.org.

Any person who believes they have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin by the Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging (the Agency) may file a Title VI complaint by completing and submitting the agency’s Title VI complaint form. The Agency investigates complaints received no more than 180 days after the alleged incident. The Agency will process complaints that are complete.

Once the complaint is received, the Agency will review it to determine if our office has jurisdiction. The complainant will receive an acknowledgement letter informing them whether the complaint will be investigated by our office.

The Agency has 60 days to investigate the complaint. If more information is needed to resolve the case, the Agency may contact the complainant. The complainant has 10 business days from the date of the letter to send requested information to the investigator assigned to the case. If the investigator is not contacted by the complainant or does not receive the additional information within 10 business days, the Agency can administratively close the case. A case can be administratively closed also if the complainant no longer wishes to pursue their case.

After the investigator reviews the complaint, they will issue one of two letters to the complainant: a closure letter or a letter of finding (LOF). A closure letter summarizes the allegations and states that there was not a Title VI violation and that the case will be closed. An LOF summarizes the allegations and the interviews regarding the alleged incident, and explains whether any disciplinary action, additional training of the staff members, or other action will occur. If the complainant wishes to appeal the decision, they have 15 days after the date of the letter or the LOF to do so.

A person may also file a complaint directly with the Federal Transit Administration, at FTA Office of Civil Rights, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.

 

Employment: The Agency does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices and complies with all regulations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Effective Communication: The Agency will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in our programs, services, and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille, and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing, or vision impairments.

Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The Agency will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities.

Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in our program, service, or activity, should contact ADA Coordinator Geoff Angle at 434-767-5588 or [email protected] as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.

The ADA does not require the Agency to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose any undue financial or administrative burden.

Complaints that an Agency program, service, or activity is not accessible to persons with disabilities should be directed to our ADA Coordinator Geoff Angle at 434-767-5588, ext. 1100 or [email protected].

The Agency will not place a surcharge on a particular individual with a disability or any group of individuals with disabilities to cover the cost of providing auxiliary aids / services or reasonable modifications of policy.

This grievance procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by Piedmont Senior Resources Area Agency on Aging (the Agency).

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant; and location, date and description of the alleged discrimination. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or tape recording of the complaint will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint should be submitted no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

ADA Coordinator Geoff Angle
1413 S. Main St. Farmville, VA 23901
TTY / TDD 434-767-5588 or 711
Email: [email protected]

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, the ADA Coordinator or their designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolution. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, the ADA Coordinator or his designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the Authority’s position and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the Authority’s response does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the Secretary of Transportation.

All written complaints received by the Authority, appeals to the Secretary of Transportation, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the Authority for at least three years.