Town of Deerpark has adopted an internal grievance
procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints
alleging any action prohibited by the Department of Treasury, Office
of Revenue Sharing, regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 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, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under
any program or activity receiving federal assistance..."
Complaints should be addressed to: Town Supervisor,
Drawer A, Huguenot 12746, (914) 856-2210, who has been designated
to coordinate Section 504 compliance efforts.
A complaint should be filed in writing or verbally,
contain the name and address of the person filing it, and briefly
describe the alleged violation of the regulations.
A complaint should be filed within 30 days after the
complainant becomes aware of the alleged violation. (Processing of
the allegations of discrimination which occurred before this grievance
procedure was in place will be considered on a case-by-case basis.)
An investigation, as may be appropriate, shall follow
a filing of a complaint. These rules contemplate informal but thorough
investigations, affording all interested persons and their representatives,
if any, an opportunity to submit evidence relevant to a complaint.
Under the Department of Treasury, Office of Revenue Sharing regulations,
Town of Deerpark need not process complaints from applicants for employment
or from applicants for admission to postsecondary educational institutions.
A written determination as to the validity of the
complaint and a description of the resolution, if any, shall be issued
and a copy forwarded to the complainant no later than 30 days after
its filing.
The right of a person to a prompt and equitable resolution
of the complaint filed hereunder shall not be impaired by the person's
pursuit of other remedies such as filing a Section 504 complaint with
the responsible federal department agency. Utilization of this grievance
procedure is not a prerequisite to the pursuit of other remedies.
These rules shall be construed to protect the substantive
rights of interested persons, to meet appropriate due process standards,
and to assure that the Town of Deerpark complies with Section 504
and implementing regulations.