HHS Refines Civil Rights Health Complaint Forms
Published Date: 3/5/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Health and Human Services wants your thoughts on updating a form about civil rights and health info privacy complaints. If you or your organization deal with these issues, this could affect you. You’ve got until April 6, 2026, to share your ideas—no money changes yet, just a chance to make the process better and easier.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Forms Updated to Reflect New Legal Authorities
The revised forms will be conformed to Executive Order 14168 and to the court order in Texas v. Becerra, No. 6:24-CV-211-JDK, 2024 WL 4490621 (E.D. Tex. Aug. 30, 2024). The notice explicitly references the court order staying the Section 1557 Final Rule definition of sex discrimination that included categories such as "sex characteristics, including intersex traits," "pregnancy or related conditions," "sexual orientation," "gender identity," and "sex stereotypes."
45-Minute Complaint Form Time Burden
Filling out the Civil Rights and Conscience Complaint or the Health Information Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Complaint takes about 45 minutes (0.75 hours) per complaint. HHS estimates 47,453 total respondents annually, totaling 35,590 burden hours at an estimated wage rate of $22.43 per hour.
Forms Revised to Reduce Filing Burden
HHS proposes revisions that omit certain questions to reduce burden on complainants, clarify terms, and update statutory and regulatory authorities for the complaint forms (OMB Control Number 0945-0002). These revisions are intended to make the forms easier for individuals, organizations, and not-for-profits to complete.
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Key Dates
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